Which 6 inch telescope is the best?

Question

If you have either knowledge of, or experience using telescopes, which one would you recommend for ease of use, durability, and price, for family viewing at home?

Answer 1

size does matter don't believe what they tell you 6 inch's is an absolute minimum. 10 inches is better, so i hear :)

Answer 2

Difficult to say without knowing what you expect to see, and how much you want to spend. I know its one of my own pages but if you go to:

www.delscope.demon.co.uk/information/telescopesandbins.htm

is a page I've written about the pro's and con's of buying a telescope, advantages of different types, and so forth. This is a question I am often posed and my advice is always to sit on your hands for a while and get information so that you can make an informed choice. (On the same page is a link to a Links page where you can find various telescope dealers.)

I often say that the best telescope is the one you will get the most use from. Be wary of the claims made by some makers and take the "magnification" figures with a pinch of salt. There are many excellent, good value instruments out there. But, I would caution that often the mounts are a let down, some are just tricky to use. Lastly, always seek the advice of an astronomer or Society before parting with your money.

Not really the answer you are after but I hope it can give you some pointers.

Answer 3

It depends on how much you want to spend, and whereabouts you are located. Taking the last first, I'm in Canada so I'm mostly familiar with what's available in Canada and the USA, and can't help much if you're in Europe or elsewhere. Here are reviews of two 6" scopes which I've written recently:
http://www.telescope.com/shopping/browse/blankmain.jsp?ruleID=171&itemID=0&itemType=CATEGORY&showChanges=true#XT6
http://www.telescope.com/shopping/browse/blankmain.jsp?ruleID=444&itemID=0&itemType=CATEGORY&showChanges=true#art2

The first scope is the Orion XT6 IntelliScope Dobsonian reflector, priced at $499.95, and the second is the Celestron NexStar SE6 Schmidt-Cassegrain, priced at $849.95 (until July 31). Both are fine telescopes optically, and give excellent performance on the Moon, planets, and deep sky objects. The main difference is that the Celestron has fully motorized object finding and is very compact, while the Orion has a computerized finder, but no motors: you push the telescope to the indicated location. This is quieter and uses far fewer batteries. The Orion scope is also available without any computer finder for $269.95. This has the same optics, requires no batteries, but you need to find objects using a star atlas.

Answer 4

For ease, price, and family viewing at home, you can't beat a 6" Dobsonian. Orion makes good ones such as the Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic or Orion SkyQuest XT6 Intelliscope.

These are simple yet sturdy and easy to use telescopes that are as no hassle as you can get.

As for durability, well dobsonians are fairly durable consider they are reflectors but refractors are generally more durable. However, I don't recommend a refractor for you for a variety of reasons. They're apertures are too small and your family will be disappointed, and good ones are expensive, starting at $500 for an 80mm and thousands of dollars for a 4" one. The smallest telescope I recommend buying for your main telescope is 4.5" and that's the tip of the iceberg.

Answer 5

Hello Chris...

Well, this question is missing some really important informationsuch as what you expect to see with the
telescope, and what level of investment you are
prepared to make.

My first instruction is to go out and join an Astronomy Club
in your area. Go to their meetings and by all means go
out with them on a VIEWING EXPEDITION in your area.
There you will get the chance to look at all kinds of
telescopes owned by your fellow club members and see
what kind of job they do. You will also be able to find out
about used scopes that club members have available
because they purchased something newer recently. This
will be your opportunity to get something really good, and
loaded with accessories, at a lower price than you might have expected.

Always shoot for something just above your means, not
something that is pretty and in a new box at the store.
Example: If I had to spend my money - say $1000;
I would spend it on a $1500 Used telescope with a
full box of accessories way before i spend the $1000
on a brand new telescope from a local store with no
accessories. Of course, we assume that there is nothing
major wrong with the used telescope except a few
scratches on the paint and things like that.

The deal is you should aim to purchase a telescope with the biggest possible mirror that is not beyond your ability to transport or carry fairly easily with all of its doo dads. If the
unit is so outrageous that you never take it out to use it,
your money is wasted. By the same token, if you purchase a tinkertoy that yields fuzzy pictures when you expect to see
something fantastic, your money is also wasted. In the middle, somewhere, is where you want to wind up. check out Astromart dot com.

Regards,
Zah

Answer 6

A Meade telescope.

Answer 7

Check Discovery Store.com and look at the different telescopes

Answer 8

don't listen to geoff .. he thinks he knows but .. nope.
He's jelous of people who know more than him. So he tries to out do them.

He doesn't have me fooled

here .. the right advice ..

http://buyingatelescope.blogspot.com/

Answer 9

MEADE TELESTAR