Stargazers any telescope suggestions?

[newbie]

Dh's bday is coming up, and would love to get him telescope, but one that is pretty and we can put in Living Room.

 

Any suggestions on best and best place to buy online?

 

Jet

[Pretty in Pink]

http://www.opticsale.com/galileo-reflectors-1100x102-fs-102dx2-catadioptric-telescopes.html

 

we have this telescope and love it, we have been able to observe the rings of saturn with this model. there are some other nice ones at the bottom of this page as well. galileo is a good brand. not sure where hubby bought mine though.

[newbie]

http://www.opticsale.com/galileo-reflectors-1100x102-fs-102dx2-catadioptric-telescopes.html

 

we have this telescope and love it, we have been able to observe the rings of saturn with this model. there are some other nice ones at the bottom of this page as well. galileo is a good brand. not sure where hubby bought mine though.

Thank you so much

 

Jet

[Jen500]

We have this one. Dh can use it, but I can't really figure it out. I'm challenged like that though.

 

http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/reflecting-telescopes/celestronastromaster114eqreflector.cfm?source=gbase&gbid=Celestron_AstroMaster_114_EQ_Reflector_Telescope

[chanda7]

You'll get the most bang for your buck with a 6-inch to 8-inch reflector (or bigger if you can afford it). However, I can't say they are particularly pretty LOL. In general, you want your telescope to be covered up to keep the dust off of it instead of using it as a display piece.

 

What is your budget?

[Parabola]

I just have one bit of advice: spend the money, get a good one.

[newbie]

You'll get the most bang for your buck with a 6-inch to 8-inch reflector (or bigger if you can afford it). However, I can't say they are particularly pretty LOL. In general, you want your telescope to be covered up to keep the dust off of it instead of using it as a display piece.

 

What is your budget?

 

I was thinking 200.00, but something simple we all can use, not hi tech savvy.

 

Jet

[Parabola]

You'll get the most bang for your buck with a 6-inch to 8-inch reflector (or bigger if you can afford it). However, I can't say they are particularly pretty LOL. In general, you want your telescope to be covered up to keep the dust off of it instead of using it as a display piece.

 

What is your budget?

Totally agree with that, a useful telescope isn't very "decorative." I personally wouldn't spend less than $500 on a scope, I've researched them, this is my conclusion. It's also why we don't have one yet. :glare:

[newbie]

Totally agree with that, a useful telescope isn't very "decorative." I personally wouldn't spend less than $500 on a scope, I've researched them, this is my conclusion. It's also why we don't have one yet. :glare:

 

Are they really that expensive, I dont need it to talk to me, just look at stars, planets and maybe see the great meteor showers.

 

Jet

[Parabola]

Yes, they are. You could maybe bring it down to 400, or even 300, but you'll be sacrificing clarity and distance. The things you want to see are FAR FAR AWAY. Heck, its a quarter of a million miles to the moon, and thats practically in our back yard!

 

Go for a well-known brand too, wtih a rep for having good optics, optics are KEY. Here's a great site for beginning telescope buyers:

 

http://www.rocketroberts.com/astro/first.htm

 

 

And another thing, you can still see some interesting things in the sky with a good pair of binoculars. Not telescope-sights, but you can see a lot of things on the moon, and even some features on Mars.

 

Do you have an astronomy club in your area? That may be a good place to start for specific recomendations.

[Pretty in Pink]

generally i would agree that a good 'scope would cost you around that much, but i see mine is only 200.00 and it is great! it is two years old, i know my dh paid more for it when he bought it than it lists for on the site i linked...anyway, just my 0.02 on the model i own and love!

[chanda7]

You can actually get a really nice 8-inch reflector for around $300. That size is usually recommended for "serious" beginners.

 

You can get a 6-inch Dobsonian reflector for around $230 http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=08942. Bare minimum, you would want to add a sighting device to it called a Telrad that makes it a lot easier to use (it runs around $35-$40) http://www.amazon.com/Telrad-Finder-Sight/dp/B0000ALKAN/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1220309413&sr=8-1.

 

If you want to go cheaper, a 4.5-inch Dob runs around $190 http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=reflectors/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09804. I would still recommend getting a Telrad with it.

 

None of these telescopes are going to locate anything for you (they are point and shoot ;) ), so you will have to learn the constellations/etc. to find objects. You can find some great beginner maps at skymaps.com to get started. It can also be helpful to get a cheap pair of 10x50 binoculars as an in-between step to getting a telescope. Meteor showers are best viewed naked eye.

 

You can see the rings of Saturn, moons of Jupiter, etc., even with some of the cheapest telescopes out there (think Wal-Mart, which has scopes on sale after Christmas for like $20-$50). However, they usually have shaky mounts, bad optics and are frustrating to use.

 

Try to find a local astronomy group near you and attend a "star party" or observation night. You can see the different kind of telescopes available, and it will help you decide if you really want to take the plunge. You also need to consider how bad the light pollution is where you live.

 

A great forum packed full of info is at www.cloudynights.com.

[Parabola]

Maybe. I'm sticking to my 500 dollar figure though. I have a 300 dollar one, I wasn't very happy with it. Its been in the attic for several years now.

 

I prefer refractors over reflectors, maybe thats part of it.

 

As for WalMart telescopes, all I can say is...yikes. BIL bought one for SIL, and it's in their attic now.

[Jean in Wisc]

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-600-603-571-592-4259

 

But I would never leave it sitting out days on end. I replaced that stupid (yes, I don't normally call things stupid. It is not my style. This fully and in every way deserves to be called stupid.) little plastic finder with a red dot finder. The scope is expensive because it is a Maksuktov-Cassegrain, but that is also why people at star parties tell me that I have the crispest image of all the scopes there.

 

These come in much smaller sizes, and that may fit your budget better--but since a telescope can only magnify the amount of light it receives, I do not suggest getting a reflector smaller than 4".

 

Than again, you could try this--it was made for the living room :)

 

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-599-1090-11590

 

Jean

[newbie]

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-600-603-571-592-4259

 

But I would never leave it sitting out days on end. I replaced that stupid (yes, I don't normally call things stupid. It is not my style. This fully and in every way deserves to be called stupid.) little plastic finder with a red dot finder. The scope is expensive because it is a Maksuktov-Cassegrain, but that is also why people at star parties tell me that I have the crispest image of all the scopes there.

 

These come in much smaller sizes, and that may fit your budget better--but since a telescope can only magnify the amount of light it receives, I do not suggest getting a reflector smaller than 4".

 

Than again, you could try this--it was made for the living room :)

 

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-599-1090-11590

 

Jean

 

That Vixen tabletop is so cool. Yikes, on the price, I think he is getting pajama pants for his bday.