I want to buy a great telescope for backyard sky gazing.?

Question

I am willing to spend upto 3000bucks. i need some thing which is not a hassel to set up. something which i can assemble in 5 mins and start viewing.i would like to see the planets and star clusters. i heard big aperture is the way to go. any comments on meade lx200r series? also, i would like to photograph them if possible. thanks

Answer 1

Try: Telescopes.com

Answer 2

I'd like to recommend you read the excellent article, "10 Steps to Successful Stargazing" at:
http://www.skynewsmagazine.com/PDF/10steps.pdf

It will caution against buying a telescope right away if you are new to the hobby. Instead, start by learning the night sky with a good astronomy book (like "Nightwatch" by Terence Dickinson) and perhaps a pair of binoculars.

I have to caution a lot of people, "you shouldn't buy a telescope until you know where to point it". If the Moon is the only thing a person knows how to find, they'll get bored with their telescope pretty quickly. All telescopes only show a tiny part of the sky. Try holding your pinky finger out at arms length against the night sky. Most telescopes will only show you a part of the sky about the width of your pinky finger or smaller. A lot of people don't realize this, then they go out and buy a telescope only to find it frustrating that they can't find anything. Some feel that "go to" scopes will eliminate this problem, but the telescope still requires some alignment stars, and if a person doesn't know their way around the sky they'll get frustrated quickly. Binoculars are better for beginners because they cover a lot more area of the sky and if a person gets bored with astronomy, they can still be used for other purposes.

You are right that big aperture is the way to go, but there will be some trade offs. Obviously the bigger it is the heavier it will be and there will be more hassle in setting it up. Also you state you want to be setup and viewing in 5 minutes, but large telescopes will require some cool down time if you are transferring it from your house to your backyard. To avoid cool down time you would have to store the telescope somewhere where the temperature is close to the backyard temperature like a garage or shed (which then brings up issues of dust and dirt getting on the optics).

Take your time. Do lots of research. Get a good astronomy book. Learn the night sky. Join a local astronomy club. Go to a star party and look through other peoples telescopes. All of these things should be done before buying a telescope if you want to make an informed decision.

Answer 3

I've never used it but the Meade LX200R is a luxury telescope and I think I'd personally be very happy with it.

This is a big purchase and I think you need to speak with people who have had hands on experience with telescopes in your price range.

I suggest you go to www.astromart.com, register (they don't send you junk or sell your info or anything) and post this question in the forums under "equipment".

The more aperture you have the more you will be able to see and the higher the magnification you will be able to use. BUT big telescopes are BIG and generally heavy. A lot of people with telescopes such as the LX200R, LX200 and other similar setups, with apertures of 12" or larger, generally keep them in a permanent location or at the very least put wheels on them. Also, living in a heavily light polluted area puts a damper on things. You will be limited in magnitude not by aperture but by the light pollution. The upside is, you will still get good views of what you can see.

Answer 4

One caution . I bought a good one for my grand daughter and was disappointed as they live in a large city and the lights blind u ,it was bad.