Hi
I'm new to Astronomy though I have had a keen interest for many many years this is the first real effort to turn my interest into an active hobby. I've bought and downloaded the Skysafari 6 Pro. And I'm loving that, But my next move is to get a telescope. I have around £500-£600 to spend. Can anyone on here advise me on what's the best option to buy.
Many thanks
Steve
Hi Steve,
My reply is in part bias, but also, in part authentic. We have a partnership with Celestron. SkySafari 6 Pro is highly integrated with Celestron WiFi and Celestron StarSense.
As Celestron is a business partner, you can see why recommending their scopes could seem heavily biased. However, Celestron is a business partner because they came to us asking to for a very tight integration between SkySafari and their new Evolution scopes - which use a built-in Celestron WiFi connection. Although wireless telescope control has been around for many years, specifically with SkySafari + SkyFi hardware, Celestron were the first telescope manufacturer to bring this technology into their products, with the Evolution line up. The Evolution scope also includes a number of other hardware upgrades that make it standout from many of the other scopes on the market: USB charging ports, rechargeable battery, night lights. So, Celestron worked very hard to upgrade the hardware in the Evolution line up, and bring a very tight integration with SkySafari as well. So, bias or not, Celestron is a company working very hard to improve their scope user's experience. And, although there have been tech issues over the years, in my opinion, they have succeeded by far. No scope system is perfect.
I do own the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE. I have never had a problem with it. I only really wish it was an Evolution mount with rechargeable battery, USB ports, and night lights :)
In short, you can probably find a Celestron Evolution or Nexstar SE scope within your budget, and as these scopes are very popular, should you decide at some point to buy a different scope in the future, you can sell your Celestron scope without much difficulty.
I know there are a hundred other factors that could go into the starter scope decision making process, but I'll let other community members bring any other considerations to light.
Hi Keiron
Thanks for replying To be honest it was the Celestron that I had been looking at for awhile so most likely be my choice as it seems to cover everything. But as I say as far a telescopes go I'm totally new and their not cheap. I think for me the £500 + price is really entry level and I would be considering going bigger later.
Steve
Hi Steve,
On Amazon, sub £500 gets you the 4SE. £700 gets the 5SE.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Celestron+5+SE
My guess is that someone local to you, selling privately, would let the same scope go for much less.
The Evolution line up is quite pricey.
Hi
Thanks for that will take a look