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Well, if you’re a perfectionist who wants it to be mistakable for Hubble... you’d be needing to spend some money.

That being said, I have been more than impressed with what I’ve been able to do with a small achromatic telescope and a smart phone.

I’m looking into the dobsonian mounted reflector for visual, as it’s harder to manually track a planet or deep space object in order to photograph it. If your main goal is to dip your toes into astrophotography, an equatorial mount (EQ) is one of the best purchases you can make - and you can put just about anything on it:

Achromatic refractor is a great start, cheap - but there’s a blue halo around your object.

Reflectors are also affordable, and have no chromatic aberration (the blue halo). Some maintenance with mirrors is needed
Edit; Great for deep space objects, good for planetary/lunar as well. Flips your image

If you’re looking to spend more money, compound telescopes are really nice for planetary.

Apochromatic refractors are pretty pricey.

On a side note you could probably get a tracking mount package (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014EXH1SM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_v8A5Cb2BG89N3)
if you wanted a one and done purchase; just be aware that there’s always something that could be done better for more $$ when you buy like that.

Planetary photography is actually done well with video, then stacking images from the frames with a computer program. Deep space objects like nebula I read a lot of people using DSLR cameras, sometimes modified to remove a filter that blocks certain wavelengths of light.

Basically the deeper you go, the more money astrophotography costs; and most AP guys have multiple telescopes for different targets. You could definitely get a good experience with a reflector, an EQ mount, and an adaptor for your camera/a cheaper video camera (they make them to fit in a telescope)!

Edit: remember that one of the most important statistic on your telescope is aperture (how wide the tube is). More light = better sight. Clear skies!

Hello :-)

Great!

What accessories did it come with?


If it just came with the kit 25mm eyepiece, consider to get a 6mm eyepiece for planets, and one or two in-between.

Do not get an eyepiece kit (mediocre, redundant, overpriced!). Do not get short Plössl as they have poor eye-relief.


 


Field of view simulation http://blog.pixelgiraffe.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/dobson8eyepieces1200.png


 

• 6mm wide-angle 66° apparent field of view eyepiece
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Tosuny-1-25inch-Telescope-Eyepiece-Multi-Coated/dp/B07RLS8KX1/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=6mm+66+eyepiece&qid=1569441884&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&refresh=1&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=gateway&sr=8-2
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=6mm+66+eyepiece&qid=1569441884&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&refresh=1&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=gateway&sr=8-4
  
  
• https://aliexpress.com/item/32805977303.html
  
  
   
  
  Collimation tools are great too, but you can do without. Don't worry for it for now. Even if the mirror adjustment is out of whack, you'll see something anyway. To get the best contrast, it's required though.
  
  
• https://garyseronik.com/collimation-tools-what-you-need-what-you-dont/
  
  
• https://garyseronik.com/no-tools-telescope-collimation/
  
  
• (A cheap Cheshire costs $13 or so)
  
   
  
  
  > advice
  
  > first telescope
  
  "Turn left at Orion" - The missing manual :-) Apps are great, but the guide not only shows you where to find things, but what to expect, how to observe.
  
  Also nice http://stellarium.org (Planetarium software. Great to learn and see what's up. Views not realistic.)
  
   
  
  Have fun, clear skies! :-)

There are quite a few out there and it really depends on your budget. Here a few that I believe are good for DSOs.

http://www.telescope.com/Accessories/Telescope-Eyepieces/32mm-Orion-Sirius-Plossl-Telescope-Eyepiece/c/3/sc/47/p/8728.uts

https://www.amazon.ca/Celestron-Omni-1-1-32MM-Eyepiece/dp/B00008Y0SS

http://www.amazon.com/Televue-32mm-Plossl-1-25-Eyepiece/dp/B0001GO16W

I like the Celestron because it is fairly priced and it is a decent eyepiece. If your budget can fit a Televue, then go for it!
Hopefully this helps.

I still don't have a phone mount for my telescope, but I do have a bluetooth remote shutter release. Works great!

https://smile.amazon.com/Premium-Bluetooth-Selfie-Control-Shutter/dp/B07KBCD34K/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=gadgin+bluetooth+phone+shutter+remote&qid=1550601170&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr1

I started off with a 100 dollar 4.5 inch (70mm is 3 inch i think) orion tabletop. Then I added a barlow lens and a 6mm eyepiece for about 40 dollars each. You can find cheaper pieces though.


The tabletop I had is pretty good for beginners, I could see dark objects like the andromeda galaxy and orions nebula. Planet views are good too but the eyepieces that come with the scope dont get you a lot of zoom which is why i got a 6mm and a barlow.


https://www.amazon.com/Orion-10012-SkyScanner-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BIIU/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=orion+4.5&qid=1562969551&s=gateway&sr=8-11

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8920-Expanse-Telescope-Eyepiece/dp/B0000XMXXO/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=6mm+orion+eyepiece&qid=1562969593&s=gateway&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-08711-Shorty-1-25-Inch-Barlow/dp/B0000XMWQW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=orion+barlow&qid=1562969613&s=gateway&sr=8-3


You can find cheaper eyepieces and barlow lens though.


The smaller the eyepiece, the more zoom you have, the barlow lens doubles your zoom.

I have the exact same scope. Mine came with a 25mm Ploessl that allowed me to see Jupiter and it's four moons and allowed me to get a decent glance at saturn and it's rings. I've had mine since February and the planets haven't exactly been in good locations for viewing (and at convenient times...), but I'm in the northern hemisphere, so it'll be different for you. I got a Orion lens kit that came with a barlow x2, 6.3mm, 7.5mm, 10mm, 17mm and 40mm lenses as well as six different lens filters. Orion 1.25" lens kit

The issue I had with planetary viewing (and in general) is that my 6.3mm and 7.5mm lenses get me to almost 200x magnification, which as was mentioned, will be about the limit for the scope, problem is, my views were VERY blurry and hard to focus, I know my scope is collimated well (Something you should double check), but planets and the moon were crappy for getting sharp views. That said, the other night, I got great close ups of the moon, so I'm thinking the issues I'm facing are atmospheric, not equipment. Would love to know what you all think about that!

Hope my info helps!

Thanks for the tip. I just bought this Collimation Eyepiece and will give that a try.

Glad to hear there is someone in the same boat as me! I will end up getting an additional eyepiece, but I would think that the one that comes with it would do way more than what I saw!

I'll take another look at the website when I have it here with me and just see what I can tell by just eyeballing it. Perhaps it is off far enough that I will be able to tell just by looking at it. Then I can fix it when the Collimation Eyepiece gets in.

Hi - I can get this with StarSense and Wifi options for just at $3200. Am I going to notice significant difference between a 8" diffraction limited Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope vs a 9.25" or 11"? Thoughts please?

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https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-StarBright-Schmidt-Cassegrain-2350mm-Telescope/dp/B000ARFND2/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=CPC%2B925%2BGPS%2B(XLT)%2BComputerized%2BTelescope&qid=1564818140&s=electronics&sr=1-3&th=1

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TQM8P9M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Interesting. With your sub $200 can you see anything but the moon?
I also saw this dob from an old post

Skywatcher Heritage130P FlexTube Dobsonian Telescope Black

Skywatcher Heritage130P FlexTube Dobsonian Telescope Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002828HJE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2NZ1Db7QCXVE9