Hi, Im an extreme beginner. After some research, it looks as though I want to get a GSO 8" dob. With Bintel being out of GSO dobs until 2025, I am going to get one from Andrews Comm. Despite their website not being updated since 1998 they seem to a purveyor of reasonable repute. But please let me know if I should look elsewhere.
This is what comes with the 8" GSO scope. Should I buy any other eyepieces or accessories or am I good to go?Includes a right-angle correct image 8 x 50 finderscope, 2" dual-speed Crayford style microfocuser with 10:1 fine focusing, 2" to 1.25" adaptor, fan, a BONUS Moon filter and premium GSO 9mm, 15mm and 25mm 1.25" Fully Multi-Coated (FMC) Plossl eyepieces.
Hi terranaut, Andrews have a good reputation and have been around a long time so should be no worries. Probably all you would need straight off is maybe a cheshire collimator to keep a check on your optics alignment. Andrews have one for $69 which should be fine. If your not familiar with collimation search " Astrobaby collimation" and have a read on her site. It pretty easy once you get your head around it. All Newtonians need a tweek every now and then. You've picked a great starter scope that will be good for many years. I would just use the eyepieces that come with it and eventually you will probably decide to upgrade.
Cheers, Richard
I want to echo the advice you have received so far.
The 8 inch GSO is a great telescope. Do learn about collimation (it is actually easy once you understand the basics). I found the Orion Collimating eyepiece to be a good and dependable tool. That said, it may be difficult to find with Orion’s recent apparent business collapse. Some folks may advocate for a laser based collimation tool, high quality ones are fabulous, less expensive ones should be avoided (in my opinion)…for your scope, I am a fan of the Orion one.
I also agree on the received advice regarding buying other eyepieces, use what comes with the scope and look into alternatives once you have some observation time under your belt.
I would advocate for an adjustable height observing chair…comfort in viewing will be useful and encourage you to be a better observer. I am not sure what is available in Australia at this time. The 8 inch scope is a fabulous scope but depending on your stature, the eyepiece may end up at “uncomfortable” viewing positions. An adjustable height chair is one of the few items that you will use every single time you observe.
Terranaut, you stand upon the precipice of the astronomy expenditure rabbit hole, the depth of which is determined only by one's budget and (often to a much lesser extent) common sense. Scott & Richard make excellent points, and you could be good for years with these basics. You could also go for a narrowband filter of some description (OIII or UHC) to make faint nebulous DSO's a bit more visible and bring out more detail. If the GSO tube is extendable, then you may want to invest in a light shroud (although an extendable dob will often come with one included). Other than that, you really should be good to go, until such time as you've got a few observing hours under your belt, and maybe done some observing in company so you can try out other eyepieces/filters before committing. Perhaps you may also look at downloading a program onto your phone/tablet like stellarium or sky safari to learn your way around the sky and see what's what. Good luck.
Great advice above. The only things I’d add to the list are buying a red light to preserve dark adaptation and finding out how to configure your phone to only use shades of red.
Also, a cheap trick for an observing chair is to use stackable plastic stools. Not the ideal solution but it’s a great way to reduce your initial investment.
