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[kevsca]

Hello all.
      I've been learning the skies for some months now (with binos) and have been entertaining the thought of purchasing my first scope. Was going to go all gung-ho and possibly pick up a Celestron Evolution 8" with all the bells, buzzers, and whatzits... until I had talked to some individuals at the last star party (Sept 26) and received some sound advice. Thanks for the advice Astronomer Joe and everyone else! So I've looked at many scopes in the types that were recommended to me and narrowed it down to a couple. One is the Orion 8974 SkyQuest XT8 PLUS  and the other would be the Sky-Watcher 10-Inch Dobsonian Telescope . The Orion Skyquest XT8 Plus seemed like such a great scope, with the quality accessory upgrades (from the classic XT8) and more affordable pricing, but then I could maybe go with the Sky-Watcher's 10" aperture and have and bigger (keeper) scope to grow into, and then possibly purchase a more portable 8" GOTO setup sometime in the future. I here great stuff about Orion, but I'm not so familiar with the Sky-watcher brand, although I'll bet they are both fine. Anyway... I would be eternally grateful if someone could throw their two cents in about these two prospective telescope purchases, or even offer you own insights of other alternatives for the newbie. Thank You in advance for any advice!
                                                                                                                                                                 ---Kev 

[kevsca]

Thanks for the reply Eric! After researching more a bit and comparing sizes of telescopes to the average adult, the 10" scopes look like they would present some portability issues. Definitely! It would be nice if an 8" Newtonian was not such a monster on a tripod! Those Dobsonian scopes just seem so low to the ground.  The Celestron Advanced VX 8" Newtonian Telescope looks pretty sweet, and probably within my budgetary limits, but looked like a beast (in a  cool way) on a YouTube video.  But then I'd need an external power source for this one. Decisions, decisions!

[kevsca]

OOOO. Very nice! That would solve the hieght issue. Then I guess I'm pretty set on the Orion scope. Think I'll wait  a while and get  more comfortable with my constellation recognition with the binoculars. Thanks for all your help!

[kevsca]

Man I'm soooooooooooo tempted to just invest my money into the Advanced VX 8" Newtonian Telescope and purchase the                  Celestron Accessory Kit and be done with it. I know there will be more of a learning curve with the Goto equatorial mount (which can be un-clutched for manual movement) and I will need an external power source, but I just know I'll want this one later on, and will not have much room in my apartment for both the Orion Dob and the AVX8.  In the future I think I would rather have the AVX8 and maybe a smaller grab-and-go scope anyway. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[-=CROMAN=-]

Kevsca go for it! The VX 8" is a sweet setup

[kevsca]

The only thing that concerns me is the VX telescope's portability factor. I did not realize this thing weighs 71 Lbs! I am, and probably will be, a long time apartment dweller unfortunately. I guess I could go for the 8" (I would like to stay with the 8" apertures) Cassegrain model VX but it's getting a bit expensive considering I'll have to purchase more accessories in the near future. Also, I hear they have lens dew condensation issues and ridiculously long cool-down times to boot.
Another two options I was considering were these (more based on weight):
Orion SkyQuest XT8g Computerized GoTo Dobsonian Telescope I was thinking this one because it's only around 52Lbs., and for all the other perks that the Newtonian/Dobsonian configuration provide a newcomer.  I also discovered you can maneuver this model manually as well as use the goto options, so I could just point-and-go if needed and learn the sky by star hopping. It even continues to track the object you manually swing to, which seems incredibly awesome!  My only concern with the Dob model would be its limited ground height (compared to a tripod mounted scope). Would buildings, trees, and other possible close quartered urban obstructions be visually hindering to a scope so close to the ground? I guess I could add one of those DobStand assemblies that are available online.
Orion SkyView Pro 8" Equatorial Reflector Telescope  This was the other option. Comparable in weight; 56Lbs. The height issue... if it actually is an issue that is... would be taken care of with the tripod mount. I was thinking this scope to go the unaided astronomy route.  I would definitely add the optional motor drive to track my objects at least...the reason I did not want to go with the non GoTo Dobsonian (Push...nudge...settle. Repeat.) Orion also offers this Skyview model as aGoTo, and is comparable in price to the  Orion SkyQuest XT8g Dobsonian GoTo, if I decided to go the EQ tripod GoTo route. My only concern about the Orion SkyView series was the quality of the mount, but based on the reviews, it seems that people are pretty happy with the telescope though.                 I guess I should also mention I'll just be exploring visually only. I will leave the astrophotography to the real astronomers! Thanks in advance for any advice or criticisms on these scope choices! Sorry for being such a newbie pest . Cheers!

[kevsca]

Hello Rocket Doc. Thanks much for the input. Everything you have just mentioned makes perfect sense. I can see how these points can be overlooked by individuals coming into stargazing, and end up making expensive disappointing scope purchases. Seems like the Orion SkyQuest XT8g GoTo Dobsonian may be "the " scope for my situation. I would love the 10" version (Oh no. Aperture fever setting in) but that looks like a major beast!