SAXON F1149EQ Newtonian Reflector Telescope

A:

The F1149EQ, is certainly a good beginner scope with a generous aperture so it gathers quite enough light for planets and its details.

Unfortunately, we have run out of the Saxon F1149EQ, and it is going to take a few weeks for it to come back in stock. I can however recommend the Celestron 114EQ, which is essentially the same telescope badged under the company, Celestron: http://www.ozscopes.com.au/reflector-telescope-celestron-powerseeker-114eq.html

Alternatively, the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ Telescope has a higher magnification and a good steady mount, with well-coated optics for planetary viewing:
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-astromaster-130eq-telescope.html

A:

Reflector telescopes are generally great telescopes for beginners because they are cheaper and come in larger apertures so you can see more with it. Magnification is not as important as aperture when you're looking to buy a telescope ... magnification for any telescope can be changed around by getting different eyepieces. Most telescopes come with eyepieces that give you lower magnification anyway, so if you want a high magnification with any telescope you would usually need to get it separately.

I would suggest a 4" or 5" telescope such as the 114mm Celestron Astromaster 114EQ (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/reflector-telescope-celestron-astromaster-114eq.html) or 130mm Celestron Astromaster 130EQ (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-astromaster-130eq-telescope.html). Both are simple to use, and the 4-5" aperture is great for lunar and planetary observation.

You can also get a refractor telescope. These use lenses and give much sharper quality image but their smaller apertures mean that you don't get to see in as much detail as you would in the reflectors above, which you can get in larger apertures. Refractors are great if you live in a light-polluted area and if portability is important. I'd recommend the Celestron Astromaster 70AZ (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/refractor-telescope-celestron-astromaster-70az.html), Saxon 909AZ3 (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/saxon-909az3-refractor-telescope.html) or 1025AZ3 (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/refractor-telescope-saxon-1025az3.html). They're good for lunar and planetary observation, and the AZ mounts are easier to manouvre :)

A:

For something with good views and good magnification, I'd recommend going for something with about 130mm / 5" aperture. This is a good mid-range, beginner telescope size that'll give you good views of the moon and planets as well as a bit of deep sky viewing (see the brighter nebulae and galaxies will be noticeable but as fuzzy dim patches). You can also go for bigger apertures and the bigger apertures such as 6" and 8" will let you see more detail in the planets and see more detail in the deep sky objects.

For a beginner I'd recommend going for the SAXON F1309EQMS Newtonian Reflector Telescope (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/newtonian-reflector-telescope-saxon-f1309eqms.html). This one has an EQ mount which makes tracking sky objects easier, and comes with a motor drive which helps you move the tube automatically to track an object. The EQ mount moves in a circular motion following the direction sky objects move in from where we stand.

Other than that you can go for a Dobsonian, e.g. http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatcher-6-dobsonian-telescope.html . These however are very large and tall so they're not portable at all. However they're really simple to use and their large apertures will give you great views of the moon, planets, and deep sky objects.

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You can find the manual on this link here: http://www.saxon.com.au/uploads/pdf/F1149EQ.pdf

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The Saxon F1149EQ does not come with a carry case. They are however easy to transport with the lightweight mount and comes with a small accessory for your eyepieces.

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For a telescope with GoTo features you'll be looking at at least $500. iOptron has a range of GoTo telescopes (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/catalogsearch/result/?q=goto). They are computerised and they're great for astrophotography too. For astrophotography, you'd generally need additional accessories (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/accessories/astrophotography). If you were using a DSLR you would need a T-ring and T-mount; for digital cameras you could get a digital camera adapter; alternatively,k you could get something like an imaging kit, like this one: http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-neximage-solar-system-imaging-kit.html

For astrophotography, the best telescopes are Cassegrains (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/telescope/cassegrain-telescope) as they are the most versatile, give the best images for deep sky observation and photography, and have the best near focus capability. Most of the Cassegrains are computerised and can locate and track objects as well. Any of these telescopes would suit your preferences :) It just depends on what features you wanted (with or without gps?), your budget, and the aperture you were going for :)

A:

The main difference between the 114mm and the 130mm is the aperture difference. This bigger aperture would allow better light transmission and so the scope is a more 'powerful' scope. For Things within the solar system such as the moons of jupiter, both scopes would be able to do the job but the 130mm scope would be better for deep sky objects.

The F1149EQ comes with 3 eyepieces, mainly 4mm, 10mm and 25mm diameter ones.

A:

The extra scope clamped at the side is the finderscope, which is used to locate objects. The finderscope usually has a much smaller magnification than the main telescope can provide and therefore can see more of the sky. This helps in locating the desired astronomical object in the night sky.

You can get different eyepieces to increase its magnification. However, every telescope has a limit to its magnification termed 'maximum useful magnification', which is determined by the aperture (diameter of the lens/mirror) of the scope. For more information, please refer to our guide on choosing eyepieces: http://www.ozscopes.com.au/telescope-eyepieces-a-beginners-guide.html

We have also attached to the Celestron Powerseeker 50 on our site for your reference:
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-powerseeker-50-az-telescope.html