Bit of telescope help please (Cassegrain)

[Happy82]

I currently have a Konusky 45 reflector (about 20years old!), however it's a bit battered and I've found that planet observation is a bit blurry at best.

I've read a few of the Stargazer forums and the Skywatcher 200p Dobsonian seems to come highly recommended and is one I'm considering, however I have seen some smaller Cassegrain types and wondered how these compared to reflector / refractor types? I was mainly tempted down to the much smaller size which allows ease of transport, but are they any good? I have a budget of up to £300 if that's any help!

I used the Konusky for observing the Moon and groups of stars, however I was hoping that the next scope I buy would be capable of perhaps seeing the stripes on Jupiter, polar caps of Mars or rings of Saturn..... is that possible in my budget?

Thanks!

[Happy82]

Cheers for the responses, I think I'm edging towards a Cassegrain (Bedazzled, the one you suggested is one I had stumbled across actually!) mainly down to the portability, we have a huge field over the back of the house and often go camping in the back and beyond so something with the smaller dimensions this design offers would probably be more suitable to be honest, think we'd go for the Dobsonian if it was purely for the back garden but reading this thread and having a serious think, I believe the telescope would be more useful if we could take it anywhere (as much as I had my heart set on the Dobsonian to start with!

Eventually I'd quite fancy a go at astrophotography, I'm guessing the Cassegrain would be ok with this ? Again I've read mixed reports about some saying they're not suitable, some that they're fine, but I guess that depends on the requirements of the user.

Also I read that an Equatorial mount is the best if I fancy photography in the future, does this have any disadvantages over alternative designs for general astronomy? Or is it advised purely for photography?

Sorry for all the questions, I've only recently got back into astronomy and so I've forgot most of what I knew

Oh and also, who are good reputable dealers for telescope / equipment ? I used to use a photography specialist in Birmingham but they closed down many years ago, as such I haven't a clue of who I'd order through!

Thanks again for the help

[Happy82]

Thanks, although my plans may be changing slightly (sorry!)

We've had some clear nights down here recently and so I nipped outside with the binoculars I use for Chinook spotting, was quite incredible looking at the stars and although not highly detailed, I found myself enjoying that more than planetary observation, especially when what seemed to be a single star turned out to be a couple and I could make out a few clusters

I'll have a rethink and do some more research before coming back with further questions, as I might be edging towards deep space viewing rather than planetary

[Happy82]

nellyleelephant said:

Aha, you'll be wanting one of these then!

http://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/Products/Orion_...

Pah!

I'm sure I can fit this in my garden