Telescopes
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CL-inator
Joined: Oct 2001
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Telescopes
I not exactly sure if this is the right place to ask. but does anyone know what type, make, and size of telescope that you guys recommend... I'm not familiar with the specs of telescopes or stuff I need to know and look for.
Its something for me and my son to have... My budget is around $300. Need your help!!! :-))
Thanks in advance
Its something for me and my son to have... My budget is around $300. Need your help!!! :-))
Thanks in advance
Big Block go VROOOM!
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 8,578
Likes: 1
From: Chicago Burbs
OK, found it. Here's my response when someone asked me this on another forum. Or maybe it was here.... whatever.
Feel free to PM me if you want any additional info.
You probably know this, but there are two basic kinds of scopes. Refractors are the "traditional" type of telescope which use multiple lenses. Then you have reflectors which use mirrors. Neither is necessarily "better" than the other and both types have several different design variants.
I recommend anyone starting out find a local astronomy club and go to some of their observing sessions. Sky and Telescope magazine maintains a pretty extensive list on their web site. Many clubs have public events. This hobby is all about sharing and I guarantee that people will be happy to let you look through their scopes.
As for what to buy, it's like photo equipment. You get what you pay for. Don't expect to spend $100 on a telescope and get good views. If that's all your budget is, then get a set of binoculars you can mount on a tripod. You can still bag a few dozen objects if you know what you're looking for. If you can go for the $350 and up range, then you can start getting into decent scope territory.
The number one rule of buying your first telescope is that the best scope is the one you will use. If you get a large scope that requires 30 minutes to set up, or lugging a lot of gear, etc... then you'll probably hardly ever use it. It's just human nature. For this reason I recommend people beginning get a small refractor (80mm or possibly 4" at the largest) that you can easily carry outside whenever the urge strikes you. You'll find that even those of us that are really in to the hobby have small refractors along with our other scopes for the same reason. We can plunk them outside whenever we feel like it. Orion Telescopes and Binoculars carries an assortment of Chinese optics that aren't too terribly bad for the money. For progressive bumps up the price range, you can go with something from William Optics (also Chinese) or Stellarvue (American). Beyond that, you get into the "premium" companies such as TeleVue and Takahashi who I won't even link to because you don't need something that good for your first scope. Celestron and Meade are also big names in mass produced scopes. I would not, however, recommend them for refractors.
WARNING: This hobby can get expensive fast if you get "into it." The good news is that it's only as expensive as your ambition and if you decide to sell something, you can usually get at least 70% of the cost back.
If you want to just "fantasy shop," check out Anacortes Telescope and Wild Bird . That's where I get most of my stuff from. They carry a pretty large selection in most price ranges. Atronomics is also a good vendor.
I recommend anyone starting out find a local astronomy club and go to some of their observing sessions. Sky and Telescope magazine maintains a pretty extensive list on their web site. Many clubs have public events. This hobby is all about sharing and I guarantee that people will be happy to let you look through their scopes.
As for what to buy, it's like photo equipment. You get what you pay for. Don't expect to spend $100 on a telescope and get good views. If that's all your budget is, then get a set of binoculars you can mount on a tripod. You can still bag a few dozen objects if you know what you're looking for. If you can go for the $350 and up range, then you can start getting into decent scope territory.
The number one rule of buying your first telescope is that the best scope is the one you will use. If you get a large scope that requires 30 minutes to set up, or lugging a lot of gear, etc... then you'll probably hardly ever use it. It's just human nature. For this reason I recommend people beginning get a small refractor (80mm or possibly 4" at the largest) that you can easily carry outside whenever the urge strikes you. You'll find that even those of us that are really in to the hobby have small refractors along with our other scopes for the same reason. We can plunk them outside whenever we feel like it. Orion Telescopes and Binoculars carries an assortment of Chinese optics that aren't too terribly bad for the money. For progressive bumps up the price range, you can go with something from William Optics (also Chinese) or Stellarvue (American). Beyond that, you get into the "premium" companies such as TeleVue and Takahashi who I won't even link to because you don't need something that good for your first scope. Celestron and Meade are also big names in mass produced scopes. I would not, however, recommend them for refractors.
WARNING: This hobby can get expensive fast if you get "into it." The good news is that it's only as expensive as your ambition and if you decide to sell something, you can usually get at least 70% of the cost back.
If you want to just "fantasy shop," check out Anacortes Telescope and Wild Bird . That's where I get most of my stuff from. They carry a pretty large selection in most price ranges. Atronomics is also a good vendor.
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