Advice on new telescopes

[Kd4lif3]

I am looking into buying myself a telescope for Christmas this year about I don't know a whole lot about telescopes yet. Imm looking for a Dobsonian which can view some interstellar objects like nebula and galaxies. I have a loose budget of 1k Canadian (loose means +-700). I have been experimenting on the Orion build a telescope page to get a general idea of what I am looking at. I chose a 10" tube with the 2-speed focuser. I chose a few deep field 2' lenses as well as a few 1.25' wide angle lenses. I took into account that I would get a 2x Barlow lens for both the 1.25 and 2' lenses. I threw in a case, right angle spotter, a raised base, and accessory case as well. This is the cart I made. First of all, I need to know if I am missing anything. Do I need a collimator and should I worry about a decent filter kit? Do I require an adapter for 2"-1.25" lenses on this setup? The focuser says that it is a 2". Idk if there is anyone on this forum with an interest in telescopes but any info is appreciated. 

P.S.

I live In a fairly light polluted area. I don't plan on using it entirely at home but it would be nice if I could use it once and a while without having to drive far. Is there anything I can do to handle the light pollution better? Larger tube, filter, lenses?

[corrado33]

You're definitely going to want some sort of sky tracker (aka a motorized mount).  You'd be surprised how fast stars move across the night sky when looking through a scope. When I bought mine I immediately bought a 2x barlow lens and a "dual polaizer filter ND filter" Basically it's a filter that you spin to decide how much light to block because it's made up of two polarized sheets. If you put the sheets at 90 degrees to each other, they block all light. If you put the filters at 0 degrees to each other, it blocks 0% of light. My filter screwed into the bottom of my objective. (Which made adjusting it a pain.) I literally bought these ones "Orion Variable Polarizing Eyepiece Moon Filters" (They're listed on the page you linked.)

 

Also, you're really going to want a really.... really nice stable setup. Going with the default setup simply will not work for very long distance observations. You'd be surprised how shaky even a seemingly stable setup can be. I didn't buy a dobsonian but I did buy a reflector (Orion as well) and the mount (tripod) that came with it is entirely sub standard. I know dobs are larger and sit on the ground but it's still something to consider. You're also spending a lot more money than I did, so you may have better luck there. 

 

As for light pollution... there isn't really much you can do about that. You're going to want to find a place away from the light to use your telescope. Telescopes collect light, regardless of where it comes from. If you have light pollution, you'll see it through your scope. You can still see the major stars/objects in a mildly light polluted area, but I doubt you'd have any luck seeing galaxies. 

 

Looking at the moon is fun, but you definitely need a ND (Neutral density) filter (like the one I mentioned above.) Or else it's far.... far too bright. Also looking at the sun is fun (especially during eclipses, I did during the most recent full solar eclipse one and OMG it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life, I literally observed rings around the sun which I can only assume is the ions following the path of the sun's magnetic field, something like the pic below.) , but you DEFINITELY want a solar filter that goes over the front of the scope. You can buy really cheap solar filters on ebay for like 10 bucks, but you'll have to duct tape it to the front of your scope, and you just have to be really... careful. Obviously magnifying straight sun is really bad for your eyes and for your optics. 

 

[Kd4lif3]

1 hour ago, corrado33 said:

You're definitely going to want some sort of sky tracker (aka a motorized mount).  You'd be surprised how fast stars move across the night sky when looking through a scope. When I bought mine I immediately bought a 2x barlow lens and a "dual polaizer filter ND filter" Basically it's a filter that you spin to decide how much light to block because it's made up of two polarized sheets. If you put the sheets at 90 degrees to each other, they block all light. If you put the filters at 0 degrees to each other, it blocks 0% of light. My filter screwed into the bottom of my objective. (Which made adjusting it a pain.) I literally bought these ones "Orion Variable Polarizing Eyepiece Moon Filters" (They're listed on the page you linked.)

 

Also, you're really going to want a really.... really nice stable setup. Going with the default setup simply will not work for very long distance observations. You'd be surprised how shaky even a seemingly stable setup can be. I didn't buy a dobsonian but I did buy a reflector (Orion as well) and the mount (tripod) that came with it is entirely sub standard. I know dobs are larger and sit on the ground but it's still something to consider. You're also spending a lot more money than I did, so you may have better luck there. 

 

As for light pollution... there isn't really much you can do about that. You're going to want to find a place away from the light to use your telescope. Telescopes collect light, regardless of where it comes from. If you have light pollution, you'll see it through your scope. You can still see the major stars/objects in a mildly light polluted area, but I doubt you'd have any luck seeing galaxies. 

 

Looking at the moon is fun, but you definitely need a ND (Neutral density) filter (like the one I mentioned above.) Or else it's far.... far too bright. Also looking at the sun is fun (especially during eclipses, I did during the most recent full solar eclipse one and OMG it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life, I literally observed rings around the sun which I can only assume is the ions following the path of the sun's magnetic field, something like the pic below.) , but you DEFINITELY want a solar filter that goes over the front of the scope. You can buy really cheap solar filters on ebay for like 10 bucks, but you'll have to duct tape it to the front of your scope, and you just have to be really... careful. Obviously magnifying straight sun is really bad for your eyes and for your optics. 

 

Ok, thanks for the advice on filters, I will definitely add a few to my list. Do you have any knowledge of the compatibility of the parts I have selected, my main concern is using both 1.25 and 2" parts. The focuser looks to have the ability to tighten evenly down to 1.25 but I am a bit of an optics newbie so I just want to make sure. Also, should I get a collimator?                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

[corrado33]

1 minute ago, Kd4lif3 said:

Ok, thanks for the advice on filters, I will definitely add a few to my list. Do you have any knowledge of the compatibility of the parts I have selected, my main concern is using both 1.25 and 2" parts. The focuser looks to have the ability to tighten evenly down to 1.25 but I am a bit of an optics newbie so I just want to make sure. Also, should I get a collimator?                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Unfortunately, I have no experience with 2" parts. Sorry

[Kd4lif3]

1 hour ago, corrado33 said:

Unfortunately, I have no experience with 2" parts. Sorry

Thats alright, I appreciate your help.