by Gfamily2 » Tue Jun 12, 2018 10:24 pm
Hi and welcome.
For a fully automated GOTO scope in your price range, I think you're most likely to be looking at an Alt-Az mounted scope, so (in principle) you won't necessarily need to be kneeling down, but you will always be asked to align with at least two stars, and if one of them is high up you may have to get low down to get it aligned.
A garden kneeler pad can help.
I would suggest the Skywatcher SkyMax 127mm Maksutov scope, but it has a rather long focal length, so has a small field of view, which can make some objects a bit dull as they don't really stand out. On the other hand, it's a very compact package if you're taking it out to use in dark sky locations.
It'll also be pretty good in your garden though for the moon and planets, which are less affected by street lights.
However, this is one of my own scopes, and I don't know if you might get more from a slightly smaller refractor on a similar mount.
I'd really urge you to get in touch with a local Astronomy Society, as hanging around with people who know their way around the night sky can help you see it's not always necessary to have GOTO and a motor to be able to find objects; which means you can spend more on the optics and less on the mount.
Scopes: Meade 8" SCT, Skywatcher 127mm Mak, Raffle winner of SW ST80
For imaging: Pentax K5, Asda webcam, Star Adventurer (new toy)
For companionship: Mid Cheshire Astronomical Group.
(Not a moderator)