I’ve always been interested in astronomy. When I was younger, I started attending an astronomy club at Quail Hollow park in Hartville, Ohio. I had a basic refractor telescope that I received as a child, and I tried my damnedest to use it effectively. The organizer of the astronomy club gave me some tips, and I finally learned a bit about setting it up and using it for planets. I was able to view the moon and a few planets with it.
Given that it was a small refractor aimed at children, it could only do so much. One of the fellows at the astronomy club had a newtonian telescope on a dobsonian mount. He would let me look through it, and the views were like I would never imagine.
Recently, I saw a mention of someone purchasing a newtonian telescope on the internet, and I decided to look into them again. They are much more affordable now, and I am further along in my life such that I can invest in one.
And so I bought the Skywatcher 300P.
The telescope itself is phenomenal. It is quite heavy and sturdy. The extendable OTA works really well and holds collimation. The views through it are better than I could imagine. Although I have not been able to use it much yet due to winter weather, I am really excited to explore objects that I never could in my old ‘scope.
And as I’ve read all over the internet, “you cannot do astrophotography with a dobsonian.” I plan to prove that wrong, and I will post many pictures as I experiment and learn with my equipment.
