Need of Freeper help to buy telescope

March 18, 2012 | vanity

[w4women]

I am looking to buy my husband a telescope for his birthday and would appreciate any guidance from Freeper Friends. I want to spend less than $500 - he is a novice so looking for ease of set-up and use. Thanks in advance!

[Alberta's Child]

A couple of more things ...

If your husband hasn't worked with small telescopes before, he should be prepared to be a bit "disappointed" with what he sees in the sky. Any impressive color images you see in telescope ads don't really look anything like what you see in the sky. Most objects in the night sky are far too distant to show any kind of colors to the human eye, so the photos you see are typically done using a camera setup on the telescope with a motorized mount that allows for extended film exposure to bring all those colors out.

[MachIV]

Do you want a refractor or reflector type telescope?

[w4women]

I don’t know enough to know which.

[Wissa]

Don't overspend.

I'd recommend this: http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobsonian-Telescopes/Classic-Dobsonians/Orion-XT45-Dobsonian-Telescope-amp-Beginner-Barlow-Kit/pc/1/c/12/sc/13/p/27159.uts?refineByCategoryId=13

and also buy a Celstron Skyscout.

The Skyscout is good for learning about what you're looking at, and at least you'll know for sure what that light in the sky IS that you're looking at.

A copy of the book "Turn Left at Orion" would also be good for finding interesting stuff to see in the telescope.

I've spent tens of thousands of dollars over the years on astronomy equipment, and I can honestly say that I get as much enjoyment out of the SkyScout and my smallest telescope as I do out of my most expensive equipment.

[reg45]

Where do you live, urban, suburban, rural? Will you be using it at home or in the field? Do you have a clear field of view? What about light pollution?

[BitWielder1]

Binoculars is a good start.
A small refracting (i.e. lenses not mirrors) 2 inch scope with a tripod is cheap, nice and easy to use.
Larger scopes need sturdier tripods and are more difficult to operate.
If he really gets the bug you can let him upgrade, but don't start a novice with a super-duper 8-inch reflector scope, they take skill to use and the work involved to set up and aim it can be discouraging.
You could try to find an astronomy club nearby and take him to one of their gatherings.
You'll get plenty of advice there and you both will be able to see what they are talking about.

[smokingfrog]

Good refractor telescopes are generally pretty expensive, because high quality lenses and coatings cost a lot to manufacture.

http://www.astronomynotes.com/telescop/s2.htm

[ataDude]

Parks Optical out of Simi Valley, CA. http://www.parksoptical.com/

[Wissa]

If you’re husband hasn’t first spent a fair amount of time stargazing with the naked eye, then with some 7 x 50 binoculars, a telescope is pretty useless.

I didn't do either of those before buying a telescope, and I didn't find it useless.

[CharlotteVRWC]

I recently bought a 6” dobsonion with extra lenses (worth over $600) for $300 on Craigs list. (about 5 years old - barely used)

You need at least a 4” or 6” to see anything.
check out sky & telescope web pages for general information.

[w4women]

I will use it at a NC beach, great view south and west. Not much city light. No street lights. Thanks!

[BitWielder1]

When I was a kid I started with binoculars, then a 2-inch scope; I managed to spot 8 of the 9 planets with it.
There were 9 planets then, Uranus and Neptune were only barely visible pinpoints of light at the predicted location.
The only way I knew it was them is that I had a good star chart to compare with.
But I did see them, and that was from a suburb backyard despite street lights.

[paintriot]

I am an avid amateur astronomer, and I would recommend for $500 or less, a Meade etx-90, etx-125, or a Celestron Nexstar 4se. These are great entry level go-to telescopes.(they have an electronic drive and database that will find your target for you.) and they have good optics yet compact design. It is easy to spend thousands, even tens of thousands on amateur telescopes. This is a good amateur site for info. http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/Cat/0

There are also links to retailers there. They are hosted by http://www.astronomics.com who usually has some good deals.
Good luck and clear skies.

[KGeorge]

I don’t know anything about telescopes, but I can recommend checking with BH Camera- once you decide what you’re looking for.
Their website is bhphotovideo.com

We’ve bought 3 Macs from them & AppleCare over the years. They had the best price, great service, & fast (I think free each time) shipping.

[smokingfrog]

These are pretty amazing little scopes for the money. Small and easy to set up too.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/meade-astro-etx-90-maksutov-cassegrain-telescope.html

http://www.opticsplanet.net/celestron-nexstar-4se-telescope.html

The Celestron is slightly larger.

[Las Vegas Dave]

I have two “inexpensive” telescopes that do not do a satisfactory job at all, they set in the basement with a dust cover over them.

I stumbled upon a deal At Gandor Mtn several years ago on PENTAX binoculars, one is a 16x60 pcf v and the other is a 20x60 pcf v. Each was clearance at $99, I purchased both.

I suggest waterproof, fogproof and nitrogen-filled! My above two are not nitrogen filled.

IMO: any astronomical viewing requires a tripod mount to hold the binoculars steady, you will also need an adaptor to attach the binoculars to it.

http://www.cloudynights.com/
and
http://www.cloudynights.com/category.php?category_id=182
http://www.philharrington.net/sw8.htm

[LachlanMinnesota]

Point straight - see far

[chimera]

Any kind of catadioptric system is best for portability (Schmidt-Cassegrain, i.e., "Celestron"), which is a consideration if you're older. I can't lug a big Dobsonian around anymore, too old for that. Make sure you have a good, solid mount and decent motorized tracking. Manual tracking just blows beets.

If you really get serious, consider some kind of CCD imaging system. Its more or less the standard when it comes to capturing astro images. But keep a good set of long eye relief (lets you hold your eye back from the eyepiece a comfortable distance) eyepieces for "live" viewing. The neighbors (especially kids) will love that.

[Jack Hydrazine]

You could make a 10” diameter Dobson telescope for about $500 if you wanted to put the time in to construct it.

[Las Vegas Dave]

You may find a local astronomy club in your area, they can also assist you in your selection.

http://www.astronomyclubs.com/country/United%20States

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/organizations