Want to buy my first telescope?

Question

Hi,
I want to buy my first telescope. Could you please let me know what should be its specification and what it will cost? I can spend more than 12,000 Indian Rupees It would be really nice if you could tell the from which I need to buy in Delhi or Hyderabad or Bangalore.
Thank you,
Arpit

Answer 1

I understand that you are in India, and that limits my ability to
respond adequately to your question - not familiar with sources in India, etc.

However, if you translate Indian Rupees into US Dollars, you could look at some sites like

http://www.telescopes.com
http://www.astromart.com (see classified ads)
http://www.meade.com

to get an idea of what is out there and the basic costs.

Most telescopes come with one Eyepiece and you will
want several to give you various magnifications or wide
versus narrow - close up views. Eyepieces range from
$10 US to $600 US for very excellent optics. you will need
to collect what you can afford over time.

In general what you wish to do is purchase the largest light collector that you can afford.

Refractors over about 6 Inches in Objective Lens Size get very bulky and cumbersome. The telescope and Mount get heavier the bigger you go in size.

Reflectors may be had in the 6 Inch to 8 Inch category with Dobsinian Mounts fairly cheaply. In size they could go way up to maybe 16 Inches (or larger) if you have the money.

SCT's use a folded light path design and are much smaller
physically and lots easier to haul around and store when not in use. For that reason they are also more complicated and more expensive.

Moon observations may be done with 60 - 80 - 100 mm telescopes or astronomical binoculars easily...say 25 x 100mm binocs on a tripod. See Telescopes.com and click on binocs to see what is out there. On sale you might get one of those set ups for $250 US. Add in the cost of a good tripod to keep the binocs steady so you can see what you are looking at well.

Answer 2

well, that depends on what your money in rupees will buy you. do you have access to other local amateur astronomers? if so, join a club & definitely talk to them first, because they will be able to help you enormously as they have been in the same position as you, but now have experience. if you're just starting out, a decent pair of binoculars + tripod and a star chart and something to sit on is a very good place to start and learn the night sky - no, i'm not being funny.

i don't think your budget will stretch to a semi- decent new 'scope, but perhaps something used recommended by a local astronomy club member might be the way to go, such as an orion reflector, etc.

either way, join an astronomy club (even if only because of access to resources via the internet and members willing to help).

all the best, and clear skies.

Answer 3

The larger the mirror the better. I have a 254mm mirror. You can get a refractor or reflector. Refractor is supposed to be best, although more costly that a reflector.
Depends how much you can afford. Get the largest mirror you can afford. Also eyepieces makes a big difference. And filters may help.
Even though you get a nice telescope, be prepared to pay more for optional components

Answer 4

I understand from my friends in India that telescopes there are expensive and hard to find. I'd recommend joining an astronomy club, since the members will know what's available, and may have used telescopes for sale.

The best telescope for a beginner is a Dobsonian reflector similar to these:
http://sky-watcher.net/swtinc/product.php?class1=1&class2=106

These are made in China, but I would think that similar scopes are available in India.