Do you know anything about TELESCOPES?

Question

I was thinking about getting one for my dad for Christmas, but I know nothing about them. Can you tell me about the different features, and what is considered good? Any particular brands?

I'd like to spend no more than around $300.

Answer 1

Your best bet is to go to a telescope store, where someone who knows about telescopes can explain different features.

General principles (how a telescope works): Wikipedia

Main groups:

Refractors (uses only lenses)
Reflectors (the objective is a mirror)
Catadioptric (a mix of both)

For starter scopes under 300. stick with the first two.
I have a small refractor (3 inches in diameter) that I purchased for about $100. Then I bought a sturdy tripod on whcih the telescope fits very well (another $80). I used it for a project at the M.Sc. level.

I also have a newtonian (simpest form of reflector) with a motor drive. 10 inches in diameter, almost 4 feet long, Cost me 1000. It is very heavy.

I use the small one far more often for pleasure observing, because it is much lighter and can be set up in a few minutes (the big one weighs over 60 pounds and takes half an hour to set up).

The magnification is NOT an important element. What is important is the quality of the optics (lenses or mirrors) and the diameter (called the "aperture"). The larger the aperture, the more light gets in. This allows you to see much fainter stars. Also, aperture sets the limit on the amount of detail you can see. If you have a small aperture (for example, 1 inch) it does not matter if you have 500x magnification, the image will remain blurry (the blurriness will simply be 500 times more blurry).

PS: If there is an astronomy club (or someone you know who uses a telescope regularly), go talk to them.

Answer 2

If you want the biggest optical bang for the buck and can do without any sort of simple auto-guiding, absolute best choice would be a Newtonian-type 'scope on a Dobsonian-type mount. For $300 you can get a 6-incher, big enough to get a nice view of Saturn's rings, all of the Messier objects, and plenty else.

This one might be a pretty good deal
http://www.chapmansltplus.com/tele.htm
tho it's on an equitorial mount, which is better than a Dob mount IF it's a very good quality one, tho that may not be the case at this price. I'm going to take a shot at one of their 8" mirrors and build my own, price is just too tempting.

When I decided to buy my first scope, it took me about 3 months of research to learn enough to pick the right one, which was a Celestron 6" Starhopper, a Newtonian on a Dob mount, was perfect. This is a huge subject, feel free to email me for more info (I'm not any kind of seller, just anopther amateur astronomer)

Last word of warning - do NOT waste money on any department-store $100 refractors - they will make you believe astronomy sux! It's all about aperature in this biz, baby! The Orion mentioned above might also be a good choice, tho I favor Celestron optics, they have a slightly better rep.

Best wishes - garyh

Answer 3

If your Dad is knowledgeable about telescopes then, even though surprises are great, it's best to let him pick one out himself.

If he isn't, then go here and learn a little about them.
http://hometown.aol.com/siriusbc/telescopes.htm

Good brands are Celestron, Orion, and Meade. If you get something with goto you will sacrafice aperture, which is one of the most important aspects of a telescope. Some people are willing to do this though.

Answer 4

Right now Orion Telescopes (a very good company/dealer) has an 8" dobsonian (Newtonian reflector on an alt-azmuth mount) on sale for $299 (normally $359). This is the lowest price I've seen an 8" for sale at, and unquestionably the best bang for the buck. You will probably have to pay shipping but I woudn't pass this up.

http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=241007&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=4&iSubCat=9&iProductID=241007

They're throwing in a bonus accessory pack too.

Answer 5

Check out go-astronomy.com (see link) and check the links for types of telescopes and choosing a telescope. The big three brands are Meade, Celestron, and Orion.