I hav a budget of up to around £450, and i am looking for a telescope for the best clearest views of planets but also view of glaxies would be good. any suggestions??
2007-08-12 05:10:05 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The telescope that will give you the clearest views of planets for it's aperture would be an apochromatic refractor. They will outperform other types of telescopes of the same size. But these telescopes are expensive and not very well suited for galaxies because they typically aren't made in larger apertures, and so while the refractor will outperform another type of telescope of the same size, it will not outperform a much larger telescope. Aperture wins.
That being said, you should buy the largest telescope you can afford with tracking. The aperture will help you see dim galaxies and the tracking will allow you to follow the planets and watch them for long periods of time for that brief "window" where the atmosphere clears up and you can get an excellent view of the detail on them.
You may be able to afford an older used 8" Schmidt Cassegrain. I don't recommend anything smaller for what you want to do. Ideally you should save for a used 10" Schmidt Cassgerain.
You can find used telescopes at http://www.astromart.com (most reputable)
http://www.cloudynights.com and http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk
You can even find them on eBay
When buying used, if it sounds too good to be true then it is, and I recommend using paypal. Never send a wire transfer.
An alternative to a used schmidt cassegrain is a large dobsonian. These are the cheapest per inch of aperture and you can buy one that will give you excellent views of planets and galaxies but the downside is they don't have tracking and the object will quickly move out of the field of view.
2007-08-12 09:52:16 · answer #1 · answered by minuteblue 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have received some good advice from Minute Blue as far as types of telescopes. Someone else mentioned looking through catalogs and asking your friends. It would be better if you could find a local astronomy club and attend a star party where members bring their telescope. That way you can compare the different types of scopes side by side.
2007-08-12 19:09:22 · answer #2 · answered by Rick A 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
times your budget by 1'000'000'000'000'000.000 (1 million billion) and with some fancy negotiation you can buy the Hubble telescope (the best telescope there is) XD
2007-08-12 12:24:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look at the various catlalogues and ask your friends. Try out the various models. Then decide.
2007-08-12 12:14:12 · answer #4 · answered by Swamy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋