What is the best telescope to buy?

Question

I am a beginner but I don't want one that is limited. I am willing to pay about Aus $800. Please don't advice me of those for children. I am so desperate. Thank you.

Answer 1

First, if you haven't already, I recommend you learn a little about telescopes. There is no best telescope because different telescopes are better for different things.

Generally speaking though, the more aperture a telescope has, the more you can see. This is because the telescope can collect more light, making dim things visible to the human eye. Aperture is the diameter of the telescope's primary mirror or lens. If it's a reflector, like most large telescopes, it uses a mirror. If it's a refractor, it uses a lens.

If you want to do astrophotography, you will need a telescope with tracking ability. This telescope will have to have a sturdy german equatorial mount or fork mount with something called a wedge. This makes the telescope more expensive though and will detract from the size of the telescope.

If you just want to look through it and not do astrophotography then your best bet would be a Dobsonian. These telescopes are the cheapest ones for their size. They're simple to use and are the prime choice for people who do deep space viewing of things such as galaxies. Since you're in Australia, you will be able to see the large and small Magallenic clouds. These are dwarf galaxies t hat orbit our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and a special telescope called a Richest Field telescope may serve you nicely. These are telescopes with wide fields of view that can view wide swaths of stars.

In generally, try not to get anything smaller than 8" of Aperture for the price you are paying. You can look for telescopes at
http://www.telescopes.com Here they have a 10" Zhummell Dobsonian for $500 USD, which is an excellent price.

You may also want to look at http://www.orion.com

You can learn more about telescopes at
http://members.aol.com/siriusbc/telescopes.htm

Answer 2

I took the picture of Saturn in the first source with a 6 inch telescope and a webcam. There are many good telescopes that size for your price range. See the last 2 sources. By the way, using a telescope is not as easy as many people think. Just getting the object in the field of view and keeping it there is a major problem for most beginners. They spend a bunch on a telescope and don't know the constellations and so can't point it and get frustrated and sell it on eBay for half what they paid for it. So you might want to start small and simple. Even the smallest telescope will show Saturn's rings, so you don't need to spend $1,500 to start. There are good beginner telescopes for $300 or even less. Of course they won't be computer controlled, which means it will be even more important for you to get a star atlas and learn the constellations. No all of them, but the bright ones that you can see in that ridiculously bright city sky you have there.

Answer 3

Your best bet for the money is to build your own, unless you need an equatorial mount with a clock drive, which would make the task considerably harder. The Dobsonian model is simple and can be built by anyone with average skills, (considering how badly you want it.) I haven't priced optics lately but you should be able to get a good sized mirror (8 to 12 in.) for about $600. Then you need to have some money left over for oculars. They're more important than you might think. Oddly, the hardest part will probably be finding a tube. If I were to build another one, I might see what kind of tube I could find first and then decide on the mirror size to fit it. If you want, I will sell you my 12.5 inch, f6 Meade for $400. Do you have access to a bandsaw? Building the mirror mount can be tricky.
But if you want one with a clock drive, (so you can do time-exposure photography) you could probably get a respectable 8" plus accessories for $800. There are probably many used ones for sale at good prices on e-bay.

Answer 4

You should be able to get a good reflector from Orion for that price, if its astral viewing your interested in. They also have a nice line of reflectors and a small Cassegrain in the same price range which would probably be your best bet for all-around viewing. Check out Orion Telescopes and ask for a catalog before you rush to make a purchase, because Meade sells some very nice instruments also.

Answer 5

I'd recommend at least 8 inches of aperture. Most people quickly outgrow anything smaller if they get serious about observing. I don't know what prices are like in Australia, but I suspect you can probably get the same Taiwanese dobsonians that they sell here in the US. Also get yourself a star atlas, a good book or two on beginning stargazing, and a red flashlight to read them by.

Clear skies!

Answer 6

Take a look at what is available in your area and I would avoid buying this kind of thing on line. Camera store are a good idea but it is really worth getting something COMPUTER COMPATABLE with some traverse/ elevation control. You seem to already have a computer so this is the coolest way to go. Find something interesting you can then check it out on line to see consumer comments for support and use.http://www.meade.com/ is a fun web site, but look around your home, a couple dollars more spent at home not only gets better support for you but it also supports your local economy. Have fun!!!

Answer 7

The best value for your money is a Dobsonian reflector from 6" to 10" in aperture. Join the group below...one of our moderators lives in Australia, and can recommend specific brands and dealers there.

Answer 8

...a Hubble-like one.