I want to purchase a telescope for my husband for Christmas. Any recommendations ?

Question

I don't understand much about "power", etc. I'd like to get him a really good one but one that won't 'break the bank'.

I'll be getting a Christmas Club check (around $1200.00) the beginning of October & wanted to be prepared on where to purchase so I don't have to rush around doing research (which I really don't know much about telescopes anyway, so I don't want to risk getting something cheesy) & then risk it not being in stock or not getting here on time after ordering........

Also, I'm not looking to spend all my Christmas Club money on him, LOL ! I do have a couple of other people to buy for......LOLOL !

Blessings

Answer 1

Yahoo Answers is not a great place to get telescope advice, since very few people here know much about telescopes, which is apparent in the answers you've received so far. Edmund used to be a good place to buy a telescope, but that was 50 years ago; nowadays they mostly sell toys and junk. Orion, on the other hand, is a good reliable dealer; I've bought many scopes from them. Better still would be a local store specializing in telescopes; check in the Yellow Pages under "Telescopes."

Despite what Tham says, from many years of helping beginners get started, my strongest recommendation would be a Dobsonian design. Modern ones are well made, optically excellent, and very easy to use. Among the best are the Orion line of IntelliScope Dobsonians, which include a computerized object locator which, after aligning on a couple of stars, will point to any object in the sky accurately. I'd recommend the 8" or 10" size:
http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?itemID=369&itemType=CATEGORY&path=1%2C3&KickerID=921&KICKER

Although it might spoil the surprise, I'd involve your husband in the decision, as he may have some ideas of his own. I've attached a couple of good articles by experts for you both to read, but you'll see that they both recommend the same type of scope I'm suggesting.

Whatever you do, don't buy a telescope from a department store or eBay, as 99% of what they sell is complete junk and a waste of your money. Orion, or any of the other reliable online dealers, or a good local telescope store, will give you good advice, and stand behind what they sell.

Answer 2

Concur with Geoff G. Any telescope will allow you to "see" what any other telescope will, but some types are better for certain objects in the sky, while other scopes are good for other objects.

Do research by asking a local astronomy club, go to a "star party" on the quiet, and read this:

astronomy.concreteairship.com/scope.htm

Answer 3

Hello:
With half of your bonus you can get a very good scope.
Go to Orion Telescopes.com and review a couple of models.I would not recommend any "power" below 250, if you want your spouse to get hooked on astronomy. Also go to opticsplanet.com there you can view also good makes and models. If after visiting these site you have more questions post them here. Best of luck and blessings to you too.
Joseph G

Answer 4

Try www.scientificsonline.com. They usually have some nice examples.

Answer 5

toys r us.