I have $500 and want to buy a telescope. I am 40+ and live in the country. What do you recommend?

Question

I have owned a telescope before and would like something that allows me to see as many objects as possible. This is for visual astronomy only, no astrophotography. Please recommend a make and model, and why you think it's such a good telescope. Thank you very much!

Answer 1

i would have to say spend $300 on the scope (a newtonian reflector is one of the betters) and spend the other $200 on accessories. there are all kinds of accessories you can buy (not including the 20mm and 10mm eyepieces that usually come with a scope). there are filters to buy to make contrasts better, you can buy a solar filter to look at the sun, you need a collimator for any reflector for sure, barlow lenses, and so on and so forth.

Answer 2

Sir:

I recommend any Meade Reflector Telescope that you can afford to purchase "Used" and in "Excellent" Condition. Buying a good used telescope will get you more bang for the bucks "if you are careful and have a knowlegeable friend with you to check it out."

Shoot for at least an 8 Inch Main Lens and you will be very pleased with your views of the sky. Meade also makes some shortened reflector telescopes which are rather expensive - maybe $1000 for the 6 Inch Lens Model, $2000 for the 8 Inch or 10 Inch Lens Model, and $3000 for the 12 Inch Lens Model which is quite heavy with all of its accessories, but gives you just simply fantastic views. I realize that some of these numbers are way over what you suggested you had in cash to spend. However, if you join an Astronomy Club on Yahoo or in your local area, you might be able to get a very good price at an Estate or Divorce Sale, if you wait a bit. Through the club I mentioned you can meet others and learn from their experiences, pick up good tips, and leads on telescopes for sale.

It is not usually a good idea to ship something as delicate as a telescope through the freight lines, or mails, unless you have all of the original packing materials.

Good Hunting,
Zah

Answer 3

Whatever you get, make sure that you can carry it easily. Some can get very heavy especially as you get older. If you cant carry it, you wont take it out much. Also make sure that you can reach all the knobs easily as you are looking into the eyepiece. Larger refractors and big dobs can get very long if you have short arms.

Check out all the major companies on line Orion, Meade, Celestron and then try looking on Astromart to find a deal on a good used scope. That might leave some extra bucks for a used high quality eyepiece too. Most new scopes come with lower end eyepieces so you will want at least one or two better ones.

Some people like refractors best. Some like reflectors best. It is all personal preference. Try to find a club near you and check out some of their equipment at a star party or two first so you can get an idea of what you like best. Do the research first before you spend your money and you will be much happier.

Answer 4

Visual only, biggest visual bang per buck would be a Newtonian on a Dobsonian mount, in which about 80% of the value is in the primary where it belongs in this application. You can get an 8-incher or even a 10" (Celestron 10" Starhopper, I have the 6" version of this scope, excellent value) in this price range, recommend Celestron, Meade, or Orion. Have a look -

http://www.buytelescopes.com/department.asp?d=1

Answer 5

8 inch or 10 inch Celestron Dobsonian. Try the used market first.