I am looking for a telescope for my husband for Father's Day....any suggestions?

Question

I really don't have much knowledge of telescopes and I am looking for some guidance. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

you should email who helped me ! !!
she is an astronomer & she helps people with this all the time. She is a great one for helping with this!
I bought 3 crappy telescopes till she helped me on yahoo answers!
I have an awesome telescope because of her!
read this ..and the comments on it

http://asktheastronomer.blogspot.com/2007/05/here-comes-best-advice-youll-ever-get.html

then...
email her right away!!

I can't believe what a great teacher she is when you ask for help finding stuff ! I found the great hercules cluster last night with my binoculars!!
awesome sight ! and she showed me how to find any planet!!

Her name is Starr .

Her email
[e-mail]

her website
http://asktheastronomer.blogspot.com

Answer 2

If this is something that he has been wanting for a while, it's best to include him in the decision. He may have one particular one that he wants.

Generally speaking though, the most important aspect of a telescope is it's aperture. NOT the power. Aperture is the diameter of the telescope's primary mirror, or lens. The more aperture a telescope has, the more light it can collect. This makes visible objects that were too dim to see with the naked eye, such as galaxies.

"Power" is not a specification you should be concerned about because you can make just about any telescope "1000x power!"

This is because the power, or similarly, the magnification, is determined by the focal length of the telescope, divided by the focal length of the eyepiece, and eyepieces are interchangeable.

Aside from that, just because you can make your telescope magnify something 1000 times doesn't mean you will get a clear image. A telescope has to provide enough resolution to support the magnification. If not, you will get a blurry image. A good rule of thumb is, the highest mangification you can use is 50 times the telescope's aperture in inches. Most often you will not be able to use this magnification due to atmospheric turbulence though.

That's ok, because super high magnification is only useful to view details on planets. Most viewing is done with low magnification.

To learn more about telescopes, go here:
http://members.aol.com/siriusbc/telescopes.htm

Answer 3

A lot also depends on what he will be observing with the telescope. If his main interest is in the moon and planets a refractor telescope (one that uses lenses) would be best because they have the sharpest view. If he is interested in nebulae and galaxies and other deep sky objects he needs to gather the most light he can. A Dobsonian telescope or a reflector (ones the use a mirror) allows you to get the most light gathering power for the cheapest price. If he is interested in all of the above, a good catidioptric telescope (one that uses both lenses and a mirror) would be the best to look for. Whichever type you choose, stick with name brands such as Meade, Celestron or Orion and get the largest you can afford. If your husband is not familiar with the night sky, think of getting him a go-to computerized telescope which will allow him to observe the objects he wants to see just by pushing a few buttons. I agree that a good starting point is Orion telescopes which explains the different types of telescopes and their best uses. Good luck!

Answer 4

Very important!!! How interested in Astronomy is he? How much knowledge has he got of the sky?

If the answer to both above is "not much", the telescope will be a 5 minute wonder.

So, we really need to know his level of expertise. If it is not much, buy him a good pair of 7x50 binoculars and a star atlas (or get him Starry Night software). If at a later birthday he has persevered with astonomy, think about the telescope then.

Trust me, you buy a telescope for someone who has not got a major interest in astronomy and he will look at the moon, then Jupiter, Saturn, then go "hmmm" is that all?" then the telescope will sit in his garage and collect dust.

people seem to expect to see stuff like the pics you get off Hubble, and get very disillusioned when they see the limitations of a 6 inch scope. But someone who is thrilled with astronomy will find a 6 inch scope fantastic.

Answer 5

Most of the advice others have given is very good. Buy from a telescope store, either local or online; most other sources sell only useless junk. Rather than buying a telescope, buy him a really good book on astronomy, such as Terence Dickinson's NightWatch (Firefly). Only after reading a book like this will he have an inkling of how to _use_ a telescope. As others have said, astronomy is a knowledge-intensive hobby, and people need to be interested to pursue it.

Answer 6

well it depends on how much you want to pay and how interested in it he is. if he is a do it yourself type of a guy then look up stargazer steve, they sell unmade telescopes that you put together yourself. in the end you have a good telescope at quite a good price.

you will want one that has a large objective (mirror in a reflector lens in a refractor) and do not fall for the "1034X magnification bs that many cheap telescopes have. you don't need that much, most observing will be done at 100x or even less.

also if you get a telescope maybe get him a subscription for sky and telescope, astronomy, or skynews. any of these mags would tell him what he could try to see in the sky each night.

if you have any more questions feel free to contact me.

Answer 7

As tham points out, telescopes come in a huge range of types and prices. I'd suggest checking out Orion Telescopes - http://www.telescope.com/ . They have some good information and a generous return policy. Maybe a gift certificate? a 6" Dobsonian ( http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?itemID=334&itemType=CATEGORY&path=1%2C3&KickerID=860&KICKER )is the most commonly recommended starter scope, but there are many other options.

Avoid buying from camera stores, sporting goods stores, discount stores, or eBay - most of the telescope sold at these places are inferior to what you will find at Orion or other astronomical telescope stores.

Answer 8

we would desire to correctly known your competency with Astronomy. heavily, there are maximum of questions approximately right here like: "How do i discover planets with my telescope?" in case you will possibly prefer to ask that, you certainly need to purchase superb pair of binoculars (7x50 are sturdy), and study your way around the sky for a 300 and sixty 5 days in the previous making an investment in a telescope. no one considering paying for an astro telescope ought to ask one among those question, except like the suggestion from a prior respondant, you connect an astro club, wherein case they are going to tutor you the thank you to apply it. yet, then, in case you connect an astro club, they are in a position to advise you on what telescope to purchase. yet don't get a telescope in case you do no longer understand the constellations, in case you could no longer factor to a minimum of two dozen substantial stars, and you do no longer understand the place the seen planets are. A telescope isn't sturdy for basic discovering - it incredibly is field of view is basically too small to tutor a significant piece of sky to a beginner. study with bare eye and then binoculars. It won't take a 300 and sixty 5 days while you're incredibly prepared

Answer 9

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Answer 10

go to wal mart they have them they are not very much money and if you have young children they might break it so the less you spend the better off you are and if it is the first one he has ever had you want something simple so if it is a phase and he gets bored with it you didn't spend the kids college fund