What are some good choices in telescopes for a beginning astronomer?

Question

I'm not interested in a toy telescope, but I'd like to keep the price below $500. I'm so confused by the options! I want to actually be able to see stuff, but I'm not getting another degree in optics in order to work the telescope. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

I have to be quick. In short, a Reflector on a Dobsonian mount. 8-inch aperture which allows you to see faint fuzzy things, as well as planets and multiple stars. Simple to operate. Get a star atlas to go with it. I'm sure others will expand on this.

Answer 2

For a first telescope, I'd go for a 6" or 8" Dobsonian mounted telescope.
It's a simple scope to learn how to use. Very intuitive.
Later, if you need to, you can re-mount the OTA, (the tube bit), on to an equatorial mount.
Binoculars are a must have for every Astronomer.
10x50's are generally concidered the best size. Big enough to see all the good stuff, light enough that you don't feel your arms are going to fall off after 5 minutes. You can buy an adapter to attach it to a tripod, which makes them even better to use.
But you won't find much in the night sky without a set of star charts. Your first set should show stars down to Mag. 5 or 6. There will be enough stuff to find in that brightness range to keep you busy for at least a year.
As soon as you can, go along to an Astronomical Society get together and check out as many scopes as you can. It will make your decision much easier.
Good luck with whichever scope you choose.

Answer 3

So, you've decided to take the plunge and buy a telescope -- congratulations!Astronomy can be a life long pleasure, with the right equipment. But what to buy? And how do you not wind up with a room that looks like the above? There's
more equipment out there than ever before. This article will attempt to make some sense out of the seemingly huge selection of scopes and accessories.

Ready? Good. Let's begin. First of all, some words of advice:

1) Learn to spot a few constellations and maybe a planet or two with the naked eye. If you can't point to M42, how do you expect to able to point a telescope (which has a much narrower field of view) there?

2) Subscribe to one of the two major magazines, Sky and Telescope or Astronomy. These will get you started not only with finding celestial objects,it will also acquaint you with the variety of equipment out there. Don't buy anything yet!

3) Join a club, or tag along on one of their observing sessions. This is the single best piece of advice I can give you. There is no substitute for spending time with real equipment out in the field. You may discover, for example, that you like the portability of Schmidt-Cassegrains, or that you enjoy the views through a good refractor, or that the big Dobsonian you saw in the catalog is much more of a handful than you imagined. Or whatever. There's no substitute for experience.

That said, your ideal first telescope may not be a telescope at all, but a pair of binoculars. Perhaps you have a pair lying around the house already. Most experienced astronomers keep a pair of binoculars close by, for quick peeks or for scanning the field of view before using their telescopes. The common recommendation is to get a pair of 7X50's, or
at least, 7X35's. The first number "7" is the magnification,the second "50" is the aperture of each objective lens, in mm. You want the largest lenses you can comfortably hold.

Many astronomers opt for 10X50's, although you should make sure in advance that you can hold them steady at that power. It seems that the current trend is towards 10X50's, but I still like the traditional 7X50 size.

Finally, there are new "giant" binoculars which can give stunning views of the heavens, if you know how to use them. If someone offers you a view through one of these, by all means oblige, but hold off buying a pair for now. You'll know later if you want them.

OK, so binoculars aren't exciting the way telescopes are. Before I leave the topic, allow me to make a final case for good binos:

1) Cheap binoculars are much, much more useful than cheap telescopes. Trust me on this one.

2) Good binoculars can last you a lifetime. As you trade up (or down) your telescopes, you'll still need a pair of binos for quick peeks and scanning. As a result, binoculars tend to be something you buy only once or twice.

Answer 4

For a decent go-to computerized scope you have to spend about $1000 on a Meade 125 model.

But for $500 and the best optics and aperture (size of the mirror-very important) you need a dobsonian. At that price range you can find a good used one in the 10-12" range, or new one for 6-8".

I cannot express enough how smart you are not to buy a Walmart piece of junk. I could not more strongly suggest a dobsonian for a beginner.

Here is what a dob looks like.
http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/dobsonian-telescopes/8197+8198+8209.cfm?source=googleaw&kwid=dobsonian%20telescope&tid=exact

You will get viewing quality like a scope worth thousands of dollars because of its size.
Good luck!

Answer 5

The source has a good selection of serious but inexpensive telescopes.

Answer 6

Join a local astronomy club first then go to a star party or two. That way you can try first hand many different kinds of scopes to find the one that you like best. I personally like Orion products.

oriontelescopes.com

Answer 7

the mount is as important as the optical tube
avoid alt-azimuth mounts. you want a german equitorial mount.
you will see more with a pos scope on a good mount than you will with the best scope on a pos mount
do not buy it at walmart or Kmart or any department store
do not buy any scope that displays its max power on the box
in huge letters like 670X MAX POWER cuz it is a lie.
research

Answer 8

Go to ebay. There's always a nice Meade or Celstron 8 inch reflector for about $400.

Answer 9

I can tell you... ORION telescopes!!!