I have recently found myself staring at the night sky more and more. I live in central Phoenix, AZ so I understand I still wont be able to see much more with a telescope due to city lights, but how do I find the right one? Right now I am mainly interested in our sister planets, but am sure my interest in other celestial objects will grow once I can actually see them. Thank you!
2007-09-04 08:32:18 · 6 answers · asked by bofay01 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Your best bet is to find a local astronomical society and visit them a few times, and see what you think about what the members have. If you're friendly and respectful of their equipment, they'll be thrilled to have you look through their scopes, and they'll be happy to share their experiences with you.
Most scopes sold in discount stores and from retailers who aren't focused mostly on telescopes are just expensive toys, and most people who buy them will be lucky to find ten objects they can identify with them.
Avoid any telescope that advertises more than 50x magnification per inch of aperture. (If it says 600x on the box and you can lift it yourself, it's junk)
The lowest cost type of scope that's apt to give a nice view is a "Dobsonian". But they aren't for everyone.
You might also check the web site cloudynights.com for discussions of equipment, but nothing is as good as actually looking through a scope yourself.
2007-09-04 09:17:43 · answer #1 · answered by Mark H 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You don't need a telescope straight away, although as your interest grows you will get one i'm sure. Get a pair of 10x50 binos first, these will magnify things by 10 and still give a bright and crisp view.
But Do Not Look at the Sun which can cause blindness.
Start with viewing the Moon, then pahaps star clusters, binaries, the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy even the occasional comet. There is a lot of stuff to look at, but the planets will not be large enough to show any detail. Consider US100 to be about the price you will need to pay, or get a cheaper 8x40 size which are lighter and a joy to use. Good makes are Celestron, Nikon, Vixen or the like.
If you really want a telescope to see interesting views of the planets, galaxies, globular clusters nebulae and more you will need at least an 8 inch aperture, if I were you and to keep the expense down I would get an 8'' Dobsonian. The prices are quite reasonable these days. There is a lot of help on the internet at sites like SkyandTelescope.com and Astronomy.com to name a couple,
Do not rush into a purchase until you know what you want. Sky glow is a problem I know but with filters and a clear sky you can still see a lot. Take a visit to your local astronomy club where you can look through a wide selection of telescopes that are in use, people are only too happy to let you have a look and give you advice.
I'm a go-to refractor fan myself but you have to make your own mind up on what suits you and your budget.
Good luck
2007-09-04 09:16:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You've already had some good advice from others, though Yahoo Answers is not the best place to get telescope advice. Try this group instead:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/telescopes/
You have a terrific resource in Phoenix: one of the best astronomy clubs in the world, the Saguaro Astronomy Club:
http://www.saguaroastro.org/
I don't know any good telescope stores in Phoenix, but there is an excellent one in Tuscon: Starizona. I was in the store in March, and it's definitely a world-class operation, and worth the drive!
You certainly will have a lot of light pollution in Phoenix itself, but some of the darkest skies in the world are available a short drive away.
2007-09-04 10:20:25 · answer #3 · answered by GeoffG 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Concur with all those who say "Ask a local amateur astronomy society". The most important thing is to understand what you can expect to see.
Read this, especially the bit about "Money-and Before You Buy". Never mind where the site is from; it applies anywhere:
http://astronomy.concreteairship.com/scope.htm
2007-09-04 13:52:01 · answer #4 · answered by Choose a bloody best answer. It's not hard. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a refractor or schmidt cass. if you are new goto abilities would be nice. go to a local meet or starparty and check things out. something with a little size so you can grow into it and not out of it to quickly, but not something to complicated. making your own scope especially for a novice is quite a challenge.
2007-09-04 09:43:41 · answer #5 · answered by Treefrawg 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your best bet will be to build your own. Go to Edmond Scientific and see what it's all about.
2007-09-04 08:42:21 · answer #6 · answered by jimmymae2000 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋