Need a telescope?

Question

I want to get a telescope to replace my crappy starter range reflector.
As they are a bit on the expensive side, i need to know the sort of questions to ask. I am open minded on reflectors and refractors, and i know i want one that has automatic alignment.
Basicly i want to see planets, galaxies and globular clusters.
I just dont want to have to fork out for a 12" if an 8" would do, that sort of thing

Answer 1

A used 8" would suit you very well. There are an abundance of them on the used market. Your auto alignment will cost you though. Basically the 8" will cost you as much as a 80mm apochromatic refractor and you may not get the mount with the mount with the refractor as the OTA's alone sell for about $500. The main problem with the apochromatic refractor will be it's size. You need to reach a certain level of magnification for planetary viewing and the 80mm simply will have difficulty doing this because of it's resolving ability. A larger apochromatic refractor will be costly. The 8", on the other hand, will be most cost effective and will most likely be a Schmidt Cassegrain which doesn't use a spider to mount the secondary mirror, so you won't get diffraction spikes on the stars.

The 8" will allow you more versatility as far as viewing goes. The most common used models of 8" telescopes on the market are the Meade LX90, Meade LX200, and the Celestron C8. Many of these come with computerized mounts and extra accessories.

This time of year eBay actually has a lot of good telescope buys, also look in the classifieds on www.astromart.com

This is what you want to ask:
What conditions are the optics in?
If there are any blemishes on the mirror, does it affect the view?
Have you star tested it, and if so, how does it perform?
Does it include the mount?
Are there any problems with the mount?
What features does the mount have?
If it has tracking or GoTo, how precise is it?
If it's computerized, is the power supply included?
Are the cables included?
Is the view finder included?
Is it in need of collimation?
Have you ever had any problems with it?
Why are you selling it?

Answer 2

If you want to see deep sky objects like galaxies and nebulae best, then you are best served by something with a short focal ratio, such as f4. This will provide the best image brightness and contrast. Reflectors are by far the best for short focal ratios. Planets, on the other hand, are best seen at long focal ratios, such as f8-f12 or higher. Refractors are better for this for a variety of reasons. Always always, the larger the aperture the better the image, but also the greater the cost, obviously. The Dobsonian will give you the best image for the least money, as a general rule, but then there is nothing much in the way of a mount. Good luck!

Answer 3

You can see all of those in a pair of 10x80 binoculars! You'll see a lot more in an 8", including all the planets, and more again with a 12". The best telescope is the one that gets used, but trying to work out what that's going to be would take a while! Given that you could end up spending some serious money, I'd recommend joining a local astronomy society and getting some personal advice.

Answer 4

More aperture will always show you more. So the main question is how big a scope to get - too big and it becomes too hard to set up.

For fully automatic operation, your bet option is probably one of the various SCTs from Meade or Celestron. The 8" size is very popular. Larger ones will show you more, but look carefully at the weight, bulk, and clumsiness factor before committing to a 10" or larger SCT.

An alternative to a fully automatic goto mount is a dob with digital setting circles and locator. These scopes have to be moved by hand but the setting circles will guide you to objects. The Orion Intelliscope line is available with the electronics package already installed, but aftermarket packages such as the Meade Magellan, Argo Navis, and JMI NGC-Max can be installed on most dobs.

Answer 5

refractors are better for planets, and reflectors are better for deep sky stuff. the more aperture for the buck the better, and the best is a dobsonian telescope. More than anything though, it should match your lifestyle. I have a 6 inch refractor, and it's almost to big to tote around in my car to take out of the city, but it's worth the extra size when I get out there.

Answer 6

You can see globular clusters fine with an 8'', as well as Mecury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Not sure about Uranus and Neptune - probably not. As far as automatic alignment goes, you'll still have to align it properly to use the autoguide systems.

I'd recommend a reflector if you're getting an 8 inch or larger - the tube is shorter and easier to carry around.

Answer 7

look, human beings will inform you that it quite is a newborn's toy, and in assessment to telescopes some human beings have used or equipped, it quite is. inspite of the undeniable fact that it quite is far extra constructive than the bare eye. i might say in case you're questioning some telescope that length, you may evaluate a pair of binoculars. i do no longer understand what budget you're speaking approximately, yet you may have the means to locate some good 2d-hand ones with a minimum of 50 mm lenses for the comparable cost. examine it out on e-bay it sluggish. I relatively have considered an excellent number of them there.

Answer 8

The Meade lx90 in an 8 inch goto reflector which ideal as it is not too heavy to transport, why not sign up to the LX90 group and have a look around and ask a few questions.