Telescope!!!?

Question

I want to buy a telescope good enough to see planets and nebulas. I also want to take some photos if it's possible (and cheap). What do you think I should buy?

The only sure thing is that it won't sit in my closet because I am interested in astronomy. Unfortunately there isn't an astronomy club here so ... .

Is this telescope worth buying?

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=astro-imaging_scopes/~pcategory=astro-imaging/~product_id=09974

Answer 1

There is a wide variety of telescopes available. The saddest thing is a telescope that does not fit its owner so it sits in a closet and never gets used.

I suggest that first you join your local Astronomical Society or Astronomy club. That way you can attend lots of star parties and try out a wide variety of scopes with your own two eyes before you buy. Many clubs have loaner scopes that you can check out in the meantime too.

What ever you choose, be sure that you know the weight of the scope and that you can easily lift it and that it will fit in your car. If you cant easily, and I mean easily, take your scope out to your special dark sky spot, then it will sit in your closet and you will lose interest.

Astrophotography is extremely difficult to do, especially for beginners, and if you dont have a good dark sky location you will only be frustrated. I suggest that you put that on the back burner for the time being.

Dont try to learn everything and do it all on your first time out. You will be overwhelmed. I try to learn one new thing every time that I go out. That way, what I learn will stick with me. Be Patient.

Personally, I am an Orion fan. oriontelescopes.com

Answer 2

As others have said, leave photography out of the equation for the moment. Most people going into astronomy think they want to do photography, but 99% never do, because it's by far the most difficult and expensive aspect of amateur astronomy.

The telescope you mention is what we call an optical tube assembly (OTA). It's just the telecope tube; no mounting! To purchase a mount suitable to do serious photography with this OTA will set you back another $550:
http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=mounts_and_tripods/~pcategory=accessories/~product_id=09829
And then you will need a guide telescope, another $120:
http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=optical_tube/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=07380
And then there's the camera, and the software...

So, my advice is like the others. Start out with a good _visual_ telescope, a Dobsonian reflector like these:
http://www.telescope.com/control/category/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~VIEW_INDEX=0/~VIEW_SIZE=1000000

Learn how to use this telescope to locate and observe celestial objects visually: this should keep you busy for at laest a couple of years. Then you will know enough to decide whether photgraphy is for you, and exactly what sort of equipment you will need.

Answer 3

First, read this. Ignore that it's from Australia, and ignore the money amounts, which are for AU$ in 2002. The principle is the same.

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

If you insist on going with a scope, look up Orion Skyquest Intelliscopes, which are a cousin of the one in your link. This type of scope is an excellent starter, even though they don't look like what most people think of telescopes.

http://www.telescope.com/control/category/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes

On this link, look at the XT-6 and XT-8, with and without the Intelliscope handset, which is not necessary to enjoy the scope. This is called a reflector on a Dobsonian mount. They're simple to use, look impressive, and are good for most types of backyard observation because they can resolve faint objects as well.

If you're on a limited budget, get a good quality pair of 50mm binoculars and a book of sky charts, especially "Nightwatch" by Terence Dickinson. Come to think of it, buy the book if you get the scope, too.

Forget the photography for the time being. It's not as simple as you think. You'll get into it when you know the sky a bit, and have the patience to deal with it. You can take photos through the eepiece of the Dobsonian of the moon, and maybe bright planets. The scope on your link is the OTA (that is, the tube) only. You'd have to fork out for an equatorial drive mount and tripod strong enough to hold the scope dead still, and reliable enough to drive at the exact speed.

Answer 4

I've been into astronomy for a few years, and here are some things i have learned about buying telescopes:
-Try to not get a telescope under $200, you will be disappointed with the views of planets and you probably won't see any nebulae at all
-Basically, the realistic maximum magnifications are about 40X per inch of aperture (primary mirror or lens diameter)
-There are 3 main types: Refractor, Reflector, and Catadiopatric

Refractors are generally used more for planetary views
The aperture can range from 2 to 6
They have long narrow tubes, a classic example of a telescope.-provide sharp and clear views of the planets.
Reflectors are usually used for both planetary and nebulae.
Their aperture can be from about 4-16 inches. This type of telescope is the cheapest per inch of aperture. They can be big and heavy to carry.
Catadiopatric telescopes are the most compact telescope, and they provide medium quality views of clusters, nebulae, and planets... But they can be pretty expensive.

Remember a 3 inch refractor can be 20- 30 pounds, a 7 inch reflector could be 50-70!

Here's a roundup of what you can see through different sizes of telescopes:
2-3 Inch aperture:
-very small views of Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, and Mars.
-rings are visible on Saturn
-Nebulae are out of the question for this size of telescope
3.5-4.5 inches:
-small to medium size views of the planets mentioned above. -Neptune and Uranus are visible as very small blue disks
-4 brightest moons of Jupiter and 1 of Saturn.
-Nebulae and clusters are visible
5-7 inches: This is where telescopes really get expensive -awesome medium size images of planets
-Clusters show thousands of stars, Nebulae are clear and sharp
8+ :Don't even go there. If this is your first telescope, stick to the smaller sizes.

I would recommend telescopes by Meade and Celestron.
Probably go for the 3.5-4.5 inch range if you want to get a refractor, and 4-6 range for reflector telescopes. $200- 500 is your best bet for a high quality entry level telescope.

A bit long, but I hope it helped...

Answer 5

Go online and check out the orion brand telescopes, they have onboard cameras as well as electronic locators,, I am not sure about cheap because if you wish to take pics of nebulas and planets you will need one that will not wobble all over the place,, I have a 675 power scope and paid 300 usd for it and it is one that is difficult to use as it wobbles and is hard to keep it on the object you are studying beacause of the rotation of the earth,, the newer and more expensive scopes use electronics to keep your target in place due to the rotation of earth,, Mine is a Tasco and I would never buy another without the electronic locators Good luck my friend..

Answer 6

Everybody starts out wanting to do astrophotography. Then most of us see how much time and money is involved in doing a good job of it, and buy a dobsonian. I don't mean to discourage you from astrophotography; I know a couple of people who quickly became quite good at it with their first telescopes. They both started out with 8" SCTs on computer-controlled equatorial mounts. I suggest you hang out in some of the astrophoto forums (Yahoo Groups has some, as do Cloudy Nights and Astromart) and get a good idea of what's involved, before you spend a lot of money.

The telescope you selected will work for both visual and photographic needs, depending on what mount you choose for it. For astrophotography, the most important piece of equipment is the mount. For visual only, you're better off to put your money into bigger optics and buy a dobsonian.

Answer 7

Go to a local astronomy club. Don't buy a "discount store" telescope. Slideset I co-authored is given below.

Answer 8

Before you buy, get in touch with an amateur astronomy club in your area, and look through some of their telescopes. They'll be glad to help.

Answer 9

A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects and the collection of electromagnetic radiation. The earliest known telescopes are credited to three individuals, Hans Lippershey and Zacharias Janssen, spectacle-makers in Middelburg, and Jacob Metius of Alkmaar also known as Jacob Adriaanszoon (see History of telescopes ). "Telescope" (from the Greek tele = 'far' and skopein = 'to look or see'; teleskopos = 'far-seeing') was a name invented in 1611 by Prince Frederick Sesi while watching a presentation of Galileo Galilei's instrument, which was based on Hans Lippershey's design.. "Telescope" usually refers to optical telescopes, but there are telescopes that operate in other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
A diagram of a Newtonian telescope.

Answer 10

This may help as I bought one for my grand daughter and was very disappointed. They live in the edge of a very large city and high humidity. The light shines on the moisture and blinded u so that u can not see much. The longer the focal length the better the resolution.