Is this a good starter telescope?

Question

Link: http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10292165&whse=BCCA&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-CA&s=1

My parents insist on buying me this one, because its from costco. Costco usually has good quality and excellent warranty, and they will not buy from any other store.

Is it okay for a beginner? Or is it too cheap? If you think its junk please suggest the price range or characteristics of a good telescope

I really want to get into astronomy. I am willing to spend more, at a different store.

Answer 1

One of the basic rules for beginning astronomers is NOT to buy a telescope from companies like Costco, Wal-Mart or online from places like eBay. The telescopes these companies sell are total junk and money spent on them is wasted.

A telescope is not a mass-market commodity; it is a precision tool. You should _only_ buy a telescope from a specialized telescope dealer. You won't pay any more money, but you will get an instrument that will last for years and sustain your interest, and it will be backed by a dealer who is interested in keeping you as a customer, and will provide you with help and support. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Telescopes"; if that doesn't work, buy from an established online dealer, such as Orion, Astronomics, High Point, Hands On Optics, etc.

What's wrong with this scope? Primarily the mounting. This will shake like crazy, making it impossible to see anything clearly. A yoke mounting with adjustment bar is about the worst mounting available, and then it's stuck on a shaky light-weight aluminum triopod. They claim 675x: that's an immediate warning that this is a junk telescope. Good telescopes are sold by their aperture (diameter of lens or mirror) because _any_ telescope can boast _any_ magification, if you use the right eyepiece. But 675x is a ridiculous claim. My main telescope cost me over $4,000 and is of extremely high quality, yet I never use more than about 300x on it. Why? Because the Earth's atmosphere won't allow _any_ telescope to use more than about 300x. So they are basically lying about their specifications. It's like advertising a stereo system by how many decibels it can pump out, rather than the quality of the sound. Bushnell is notorious in the astronomical community as the lowest of the low in telescope manufacturers. Only Galileo is worse.

What should you look at instead? One of these scopes:

1) Orion StarBlast 4.5" reflector @ $180
http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09814

2) Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 4.5" reflector @ $240
http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09804

3) Orion SkyQuest XT6 6" reflector @ $270
http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=classicdobs/~product_id=09185

Trust me: any of these will be optically and mechanically superior in every way to the Costco Bushnell, and will give you many years of enjoyment. In this price range, even a few dollars difference in price makes a big difference in quality.

But please PLEASE beg your parents NOT to waste their money on this piece of junk.

Answer 2

As a general rule of thumb anything from Tasco or Bushnell is junk.

That claims to be able to magnify up to 675 times when it actually can't (yes, by putting a 4 mm eyepiece in they can get it to that magnification but the telescope won't be useful beyond about 200 times or so) so I'd say it's a case of false advertising.

You'd really need to find out what types of eyepieces it has, if they are H, HR, SR, or the like then it is crap and you'll want to pass on it (those are old crappy eyepiece designs), if it's got Kellners or Plossels then it might be worth buying.

You really shouldn't be buying telescopes from a place like Costco.

Though there is no such thing as a good starter telescope, get a set of 7x50 binoculars (7x35's worth looking at if 7x50's are too big for you though the 7x50's are better and 10x50's are also worth looking at if you have a steady hand) and a good starmap instead, then if you're still interested you can spend a bit more on a better telescope.

Answer 3

try staring on the website i'm posting decrease than. There are some telescopes in this selection that incorporate distinct sized lenses (i.e. 35mm, 60mm) for viewing the two Earth products and products interior the sky. save in mind which you at the instant are not likely to get some spectacular view of planets or something like that, yet I had a telescope like that as quickly as i replaced into little and on sparkling nights I caught some extraordinary perspectives of the Moon. in simple terms never seem on the solar! Galileo went blind that way! have exciting, there is no longer something greater exciting than to view astronomical products in tactics you won't manage to with the unaided eye. desire this helps!

Answer 4

I had one similar.

Watching the moon will be fine, When watching Jupiter at 600x, the image is pretty unstable.

Find out if the eyepiece is a standard 1 1/4 inch barrel. I think it isn't even a 0.965 inch, which had been largely abandoned. Mind isn't... so later you'll have problems if you want to buy better eyepiece mostly are available in 1 1/4 inch and 2 inch barrel.

My favorites are Meade.

Answer 5

The scope is perhaps OK, but that mount will not work. That is way too much scope for such a weak and clumsy mount. The 4.5 inch scope will probably allow you to go up to 200x under good conditions. Under that magnification, objects will move quickly out of your field of view; you will have to do so much losening and tightening to track those objects that you will hardly have time to look through the scope.

I like the Orion Starblast that someone suggesed earlier. It is the same size scope but with better quality of manufacture, and a much better mount.

Answer 6

I'm skeptical. My first telescope was a 4.5 in (like this one) and it cost $450 from Meade, a top retailer of telescopes. This was 17 years ago. This seems too cheap for a good quality telescope. I would recommend looking at Meade or Celestron instead.

Also, 4.5 in is kinda small to see deep-sky objects. But it's a good starter.

Answer 7

Since they are getting it for you, I'd say yes - it will do for now. They may think you will lose interest and this should let them know this without breaking the bank.

Rule of thumb - department stores are low quality, mass market. Anything below $350 - stay away from.

BUT, if your interest develops, then save some $$$, do research, join an astronomy club and learn. Look through different types of scopes and find one that will suit your needs.

Answer 8

Hi. The scope is OK for a beginner but the tripod is not. It will move in the slightest breeze and frustrate the heck out of you. Hire is a link to some recommended telescopes. http://www.opticsplanet.net/how-to-buy-a-telescope.html Check out some of the Dobsonians. Much better support in my experience.

Answer 9

Not from a telescope store? No.

Advertised by magnification? No.

Made by Bushnell? No.

Answer 10

Beware of storebought astronomy. Most telescopes are manmade. You can make your own.