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Telescope for a beginner?


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Basically I've been watching stargazeing live and have decided to buy a sub £100 telescope.

I came to this site as somebody (via google) said;

Jessops 800-80 Astronomical Telescope - Jessops - Telescopes

was a bit ****. A bloke of a non astronomical forum linked me to a site with these on;

Sky-Watcher Astrolux 76mm (3") Newtonian Reflector kit

are they any good? Will I need a moon filter?

My plan is to drive to somewhere dark (ie away from town), give me eyes half an hour to settle, then look via an android app to see what's what, then look at the moon/plannets, hopefully not get suspected as a dogger, then go home and get warm!

Ta. :D:) :) :)

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I got my first scope off ebay second hand, a 4.3" reflector, much better than anything I could have bought new for the same price.

you would also be better off spending £25 on some celestron 10x50 binoculars for now and saving the money for the 150p dobsonian.

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Hi

For observing the moon/planets a dark sky is not required.

These objects are bright enough to be observable even from central London.

Double stars and a lot of open clusters can also be observed quite well from urban locations.

None of these require great dark adaption and you can use your android app, BUT.

Almost everything else benefits from not only a dark sky but good dark adaption. This is easily ruined by looking at mobile phones and other electric devices.

Best to use a very dim light and a star atlas.

Regards Steve

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Basically I've been watching stargazeing live and have decided to buy a sub £100 telescope.

I came to this site as somebody (via google) said;

Jessops 800-80 Astronomical Telescope - Jessops - Telescopes

/QUOTE]

Dave, welcome to SGL.

Don't waste your money on the Jessops offering. You would be better off spending £100 on a nice set of binoculars and a small field tripod.

If you have set your heart on a scope then £100 is a tight budget. I have to agree with what the others have said in that it's worth saving up a bit more and get the 150p dobsonian.

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Hi Dave, I`ll be upfront here, the 76mm would be pretty much useless if you have average light pollution - as a hobbyists `secondary` travel scope where it may be used when one find themselves in a dark site it would scratch that itch, but unless you are a fair distance from suburban lighting then I would say avoid. The thing is, if you have a habit of getting bored quickly (as per your admission) you will take one look through the 76mm and pretty much call it a day on this whole astronomy lark - and trust me, its a fantastic hobby but you do need to make a little outlay upfront to enjoy it from the off. As otehr have said, a 6" Dob would be perfect for you. Hope I havent come across as arrogant, just trying to keep you interested in the hobby but save you blowing your cash on something that will get 30 mins use.

EDIT - why not pick up a good pair of binoculars - I got a pair of Celestron Skymasters (15x70) for about £60 when I started out and I still use them alongside my 8" newtonion when I am imaging - far more portable and you will get some stunning views. Pick up a cheap tripod and you`re all set!

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So do you still reckon I'd be better with 15x70 binos than a 76mm primary mirror scope?

Ta. :D

No contest !!! - the bino's having such a wide field in comparison, and being "faster" than the focal length of the scope will be excellent for constellations, M31, M42, M45, etc especially given your dark skies

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The 15x70 will get a lot more use than a 76mm reflector, the bins show a very rich field of stars and fuzzy stuff but you'll need some way of holding them steady and comfortably, not always easy. The 76mm reflector will be better on the moon, though.

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I'm in the peak district (N Derbyshire), so light pollution isn't that much of a problem.

So do you still reckon I'd be better with 15x70 binos than a 76mm primary mirror scope?

Ta. :D

Yes, 15x70's are almost a 76mm scope for each eye. If you wait for your eyes to dark adapt, then look at your android app you will ruin your eyes again.

The problem with getting a small and unsuitable scope (like the 76mm on a drinking straw tripod) is that it will be so poor it will put you off astronomy for good, you won't get a chance to get into it. For reflectors a 114 is the absolute minimum, a 130 is good and a 150 better for a first scope.

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If you buy bins, try to buy them from a store, not online. In any case, make sure you can return them if they are miscollimated or otherwise faulty. You'll know if the left-eye and right-eye images snap together or not.

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I go completly against the grain for this subject-the jessops TA80-800 whilst often written of as junk was enough to get me hooked on astronomy and i wrote a review here..

http://stargazerslounge.com/member-equipment-reviews/137878-jessops-ta800-80-novice-perspective-2.html

It will explain what to exspect and its shortcomings (what to be fair there is plenty) however it IS enough to spark interest if you know what to exspect from it.

But it would only be a tempory scope to decide if you might enjoy astronomy and would want to be quickly upgraded..at this point you can sell on ebay probably for roughly half its price of £39.99 or give to a friend, or you could go on ebay yourself and pick one up for 20 quid..it will show you the moon like you have never seen it before, for an extreamly cheap price.

The moon will look stunning, saturn will be tiny but the rings will be visable , you might be able to get a glimpse of the great orion nebula, and that will be it. basicly this scope will give you your first decent lunar views.

Binoculars are fantasic and would stay in your collection should you take to astronomy..but you will need a tripod.

IMO the moon is a hard object to beat to grab someones attention!.

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The moon will look stunning, saturn will be tiny but the rings will be visable , you might be able to get a glimpse of the great orion nebula, and that will be it.

So the purchaser would then be left frustrated as he's limited to three possibly four objects :D

I also note that in your review thread you had pass the scope on to a relative with in a month of purchase and then jumped in and got a 250mm light bucket ! I think the fact you did this clearly demonstrates the point that a decent set of binoculars are better than a cheap telescope, or that you really need serious investment in the £500 - £800 range for a decent scope that won't dissapoint

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Check out the Sky Watcher Mercury 705 AZ3 Telescope :-

Available at £99.99 from Meade Sky Watcher Mercury 705 day & night starter telescope kit although it's currently showing as out of stock :)

One possible benefit (opinions from other posters appreciated) would that since it is dual purpose should you either 1) Not get bitten by the astronomy bug or 2) Get bitten and instantly want to upgrade to a better scope then it may be easier to sell it on :D

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Hi Dave, welcome to SGL, I am afraid you will only be disappointed with the Jessops scope, they claim 399x magnification, however, that is impossble with this scope, it's when you see impossible claims like this that alarm bells should ring. Save your money and get a decent scope from a dedicated supplier like FLO, don't go for the toy ones, they'll only dissappoint. Binos have been suggested if you only want to spend a few quid, that is your best option on such a limited budget.

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So the purchaser would then be left frustrated as he's limited to three possibly four objects :)

I also note that in your review thread you had pass the scope on to a relative with in a month of purchase and then jumped in and got a 250mm light bucket ! I think the fact you did this clearly demonstrates the point that a decent set of binoculars are better than a cheap telescope, or that you really need serious investment in the £500 - £800 range for a decent scope that won't dissapoint

I have to agree the amount of objects that can be viewed is extreamly limited..but i remeber at the time being blown away that i could get such amazing views of the moon for less money than a computer game!

I did quickly grow out of the scope and bought a 250px, but i could have never made such an investment without the jessops confirming that i will enjoy the hobby:)

Dont get me wrong, binoculars are awesome..and from a dark site scanning the skys will show a lot of objects in the night sky, but how many they will show from a light polluted area (op said he would have to drive to dark skys) is news to me-i know my 10 x 50s show next to nothing where i live. And the question is how often can dark skys be gone to on a day to day basis?

I would never be without a good pair of bins for grab and go, but im not sure they would have captured my interest like the jessops did! but each to thier own, i know the general idea is bins are the best first step even endorced by sir patrick himself.

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Save a bit more and get the 130p dob

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Heritage 130p Flextube

The two scope you listed will turn you away from astronomy. If those scope doesn't turn you away from astronomy, it would be a case of buy cheap buy twice.

A good pair of binocular will stay with you even after you upgraded your scope.

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