telescopes?

Question

I'm looking to buy my first telescope. I want one that would allow me to see way beyond the moon but under $500.00. Not too complicated but alot harder than just sticking my eye into the lens. I don't mind taking the time to learn about it. Could anyone help with a particular brand or brands?

Answer 1

Dobsonians are are good for the money: you can get a wider lens than many other telescopes fore less. The problem with dobsonians is they aren't really portable. ( and the guy who invented them was kinda a nut case)

Mead has high quality telescopes, but probably more expensive. When purchasing, looking for the Lens Diameter: the bigger the better. Don't pay any attention to ads/claims that say "100x magnification" or "super magnification'. Magnification doesn't mean anything if you have a small lens and aren't able to see something clearly: it is always better to have lens magnification and see something very clear than super magnification (which is often a lie) and not be able to see anything at all because of a poor lens.

^ just some tips.

Answer 2

A good 6 or 8-inch Dobsonian can be found for under 500 dollars. They give excellent performance upon the Moon, planets and countless objects beyond the Solar System. There are hundreds of galaxies, star clusters and nebulae in reach of a 6-inch, and many more with an 8-inch from dark sites. Celestron, Orion, Zhummel, Meade are but a few companies than make these telescope. What counts most with a telescope is the diameter and quality of it's main optics, the steadiness and smoothness of it's mounting, it's size and weight and how much you can afford. Magnification is varied by changing eyepieces, so advertising claims of 675X are only a sure sign a telescope is little more than junk. Before buying any telescope, I strongly urge you to try some telescopes in person if possible. The best way to do that is through a local astronomy club, most of which have star parties for their members and the public too. That way you can make the best choice given your budget and level of interest. Be warned, you might find astronomy to be in your blood........it was for me the moment I tried some old binoculars on the Belt and Sword of the constellation Orion the Hunter. It's a pleasant way to relax, unwind and spend time with family, friends or someone special.

Answer 3

The big names are Celestron and Meade. Another good name, especially for beginners, is Orion. See the sources. It is clear from the wording of your question that you have a lot to learn. Read the main astronomy magazines, Sky and Telescope or Astronomy. Also, seek out your local astronomy society or club.

Answer 4

Your wording indicates that you have no experience yet. We all started sometime, and after 4 years I still consider myself more or less a beginner. It's very important that you have realistic expectations of what you'll see. Also, know that as you know more about the sky, you'll appreciate seeing some things more even though they don't look "spectacular"

This is an Australian site, but read it anyway; the advice applies. And find a local amateur astronomy club to ask. They'll love to help. Believe me, you don't want to rush this decision.

http://astronomy.concreteairship.com/scope.htm

Answer 5

Hello:

Yes giving you information is very possible to do.

One: A working telescope is a system of three things:
The Telescope Itself ( many various types )
The Telescope Mount
The Eyepieces

Eyepieces come in three basic sizes:
0.965 Inch
1.25 Inch
2 Inch

Very low cost telescopes and toys generally use the 0.965 inch eyepieces (but some special equipment uses them also).

Mid range through to the very expensive telescopes use 1.25 Inch Eyepieces. Some have the capability to use either 1.25 or 2 Inch Eyepieces (with adapters). The 2 Inch Eyepieces offer very wide fields of view that are not normally possible with the 1.25 Inch types.

Finally, Eyepieces may be moved from one telescope to another as you move (trade up - swap) to a better and better quality of telescope. Eyepieces cost from $10 each up to $795 each depending upon size and the quality of the optics. An average set might cost you about $200 for five eyepieces such as 30mm, 22mm, 17mm, 10mm, and 6mm.

When talking about telescopes you will see a specification called Focal Length. If you take the telescope's focal length and divide that by the size of the Eyepiece, you will wind up with the magnification power as a result. My telescope has a focal length of 1219mm. If I selected a 10mm eyepiece to use with it right now, i would expect to see things at about 122 power. If I selected the 30mm lens to use, that would yield about 40 Power. Etc...etc..

The Mount is what you place your telescope onto for viewing. Binoculars and telescopes with magnification powers higher than about 8 Power need to be rested (held by) a solid mount or the view will be to shakey to be of any use. At 75 to 80 power hand holding is a complete joke. So you will need a good useable mount. What mount? Well that depends upon the weight, your purpose, and your budget. Some mounts are nothing more than single screw mount - tripods. Others are very elaborate machined products which have gears and motors to track the movement of the stars as the Earth revolves. Some even come with computer controlled movement to select and go to a particular object in the sky.
Mounts can be valued at anywhere from $40 to $25,000 and up.

Telescopes may be had in generally three types (not including binoculars):
Refractors
Reflectors
Folded Light Refractors called SCT's

Refractors are of simple objective lens, tube, and eyepiece type construction and workable up to about an objective lens size of around 6 Inches. At the 6 Inch size the tube is pretty long and the assembled telescope is around 35 pounds not including the mount. Some truly spectacular views are available. I bought mine (a 6 Incher) used for $500 (w/o Mount, finder, or EP's).

Reflectors use a mirror instead of a big objective lens. They are available from several inches in mirror diameter up to as big as 24 - 28 Inches in diameter. The bigger they are, the heavier they are and of course the less mobile if you want to travel with them often. Some reflectors use Mounts similar to those mentioned above. One type of reflector uses a very inexpensive mount called a dobsinian mount which is similar to a cradle. Often, a beginner will choose to start with this kind of telescope to get big views right away without the high cost of fancy Mounts and Computer Drives.

I recommend that you spend time looking at:
www.telescopes.com
www.telescope.com
www.astromart.com
then venture over into
www.ebay.com and search for telescopes.

Your best bet is to join an Astronomy club near you so that you can learn from others with good experience and maybe good used equipment for sale. That way your money will purchase more useable equipment and accessories. My investment so far is around $2000 and climbing.

Last item...Please disregard all wording that starts out with "Get this 300 Power Scope" and things like that. What you want is the largest chunk of quality glass (objective lens) or Mirror that you can afford and handle physicaly in moving and setting up. Next what you want is the best Eyepieces you can afford (over time) (start with inexpensive ones and trade up). Do not ever expect Hubbell Space Telescope quality at home, and do plan to travel to places with the least possible glare from night lights and street lamps which will interefere with your sky views. It is great fun and I wish you all possible success.