Which brand of telescope is the best?

Question

Hello,
I'm a beginner at using a telescope and I'm planning on buying one within the next week. I want to find something fairly cheap (about $100.00 to $200.00). I plan on using it a lot so I don't want something too cheap, something that will be good for looking at planets. Also, when choosing a telescope I know I have to think about where I will be using it, I will be using it in an suburban area with moderat light and pollution. Please let me know what you think would be a great telescope for me. Thanks!

Answer 1

Sky and Telescope reviewed under $200 telescopes in the December '05 edition, and their well-rated telescopes (in order of preference) were:
Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Dobsonian
Orion StarBlast Astro Telescope
Orion SpaceProbe 3 Altazimuth
Orion Observer 70mm Altazimuth Refractor
Scientifics Astroscan

The two at the top of the list have the largest apertures, at 4.5", and will therefore show you more than the others. The next two on the list are smaller, and the Astroscan won't take enough magnification for planets.

Don't listen to people who will try to tell you that a small telescope is better for light polluted skies - bigger is ALWAYS better.

Stay away from Walmart and other discount stores, sporting goods stores, science stores, camera stores, and eBay. Buy from a reputable telescope dealer. I've listed a couple below.

Answer 2

Anything more than 4.5 inches will allow you to see things with ok clairity. Reflectors are preferable to refractors as refractors handle different light wavelenghts differently and that produces a halo effect.

As important as the telescope is the mount. The more stable the mount, the less vibration will be a problem. Do no skimp on the mount or every little movement will cause the image to jump all over the place. Remeber you are looking at a piece of sky that is smaller than the diameter of your pen at arms length.

Casegrain scopes are good for photography. Dobsons are good beginner scopes but if you want to try photography its not a good choice.

Why would you want to use a camera? Simple. A CCD camera can collect more light than your eyes can and therefore make better images. The larger the opening of the scope the more light it can collect and the 'further' you can see and with better quality.

It all depends on how serious you are about the hobby and how much you are willing to spend. Call local astronomy clubs. Some have a large collection of scopes and loan them out or at least let you try them out so you can see the benefits and drawbacks of each type.

Answer 3

O too bad if you have 2 billion dollars you could have Hubble