Hi Folks, I am a bit of a novice amateur astronomer with asmallish refractor telescope. Its very unstable and hard to find stuff with. I am desparate to get some good views of planets (I have managed Jupiter so far only), nebula and galaxies. I saw a great looking Newton Reflector on ebay that went for £250 ($500). The stand and adjusters looked far superior to my own.
Any tips about buying such a thing to acheive my desires?
2006-12-10 10:00:09 · 5 answers · asked by gbiaki 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
A Newt is a great scope to start off with. You can get a good deal on eBay, but can also get some garbage as well.
The website, Cloudy Nights as some reviews that can help you decide on what type of scope to buy. Look for some clubs in your area as well. Get the opinions of the members there. Many of them will let you try their scopes during a club observing session to see how you like it. That might be the best place to go before you plop down your cash.
2006-12-10 14:35:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
$500 should buy you a very good used 8" Schmidt Cassegrain. It will most likely be computerized to some degree and be made by Celestron or Meade. It will most likely be on a fork mount which means you will need a wedge or field de-rotator for proper tracking but it might come with that.
Basically, don't get anything less than an 8". If you don't plan to do astrophotography then you may want to invest in a larger Dobsonian because you'll be able to get used one larger than 8".
You can find used telescopes in the classifieds on www.astromart.com
If you are in the UK you can also try http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/
Most people on Astromart are honest and just want to sell their stuff and scammers are quickly rooted out. Astro Buy and Sell tries, as does eBay but always been on the lookout for too good to be trues. Don't ever pay by cash, check, money order or wire transfer and be sure the person gave you valid contact information. Be aware of current scams, the sites will often post warnings about them. I see a lot of scams on eBay which originate in the UK so if the person is near you and won't allow you to actually come see the telescope and pick it up, that should serve as a warning.
2006-12-11 13:38:51 · answer #2 · answered by minuteblue 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This company ships world wide, and I would trust them before some random ebay seller. I would think you could get a good beginner telescope for that price. But not one of the new computer controlled ones though. The challenge for any beginner is getting the telescope pointed at the object. It does take a good steady mount. A Newtonian on a Dobsonian mount will get you the most telescope for the Money.
2006-12-10 11:03:05 · answer #3 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. A Reflector would be much more useful to you. The Americans make some great ones for amateur astronomers, very reasonable.
2006-12-10 21:20:51 · answer #4 · answered by los 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be very careful about what you buy on eBay. There are some major dealers of junk telescopes on there. See the link for a review of one. Try the forums at Cloudy Nights or the Yahoo telescopes group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/telescopes/ for informed opinions.
2006-12-10 11:23:49 · answer #5 · answered by injanier 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋