telescopes??????????????????

Question

I am looking at 2 telescopes on ebay.One is a 4 1/2" reflector and the other is a 6" reflector.Would there be a big difference between the two.Would the 6" be better or would the difference be unnoticable......thanks

Answer 1

I suppose that you caught been hypnotised into thinking of buying these telescopes because of their low prices right? If I had a choice I would say the 6", no wait. Maybe the 4.5" so that you wouldn't waste more money. I guessing that the telescope you're picking doesn't have a name. You should never buy telescopes from Ebay. They usually suck. I would recommend researching about telescopes and buying them later. I have heard horrible reviews about the telescopes on ebay especially the 4.5", 6", and 8"s. The two telescopes you're looking at will probably be left rotting in your garage after you get them. You wouldn't be able to see anything and all you'll get is frustration. I would recommend you buying the entry-level scopes from trusted companies like Meade, Celestron, or Orion.

I could tell you want a low price for a scope. An expert would say to save your money and by some good binoculars. THat is some sage advice but if you have to buy a telescope, than I would recommend the firstscope or astromaster series from celestron at opticsplanet.com. And for your information, the bigger the objective, the better views you'll get. So 6" would be better than 4.5". If you want to spend money and want a fantastic scope get any scope by Televue.


A good article is http://findascope.com/buy.html#cheap6
Start at the beginning and read down.

Answer 2

Light gathering power is the most important factor to consider in telescopes. A 6" will have greater light grasp than a 4 1/2" scope would give (greater resolving power). The optics are another consideration. Cheap optics will lead to a huge disappointment.
Make sure of what you are getting when going through EBay. You might consider buying new rather than used. How used is it? What is the brand name of the scope? What type of mount (Alt-Azimuth or Equatorial)? are some of the questions you should be looking at.
Be Careful.....

Answer 3

All things being equal, a 6" scope will be quite noticeably brighter and sharper than a 4.5". But if you don't know even that much about telescopes, you shouldn't be looking at telescopes on e-bay. There's some notorious junk sold there.

Answer 4

These eBay telescopes, whatever their size, are notorious for being total junk. Bad optics on shaky mounts. Don't even think of buying either of them. Instead, buy a _good_ telescope from a legitimate dealer, for example, these:

http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?itemID=9&itemType=CATEGORY&iMainCat=4&iSubCat=9&page=1&itemList=&oldList=

Answer 5

All else being equal, the 6" will be a lot better, but it depends on the overall quality/condition of the components.

Answer 6

Generally speaking, the 6" will collect more light and there will be a noticable difference.