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Hi :)

johnwardlaw

By johnwardlaw
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johnwardlaw

johnwardlaw

Posted
Posted

Hi!

Came across the forum on google earlier today and decided to join up because none of my friends or family are really into astronomy or anything like that so thought it would be good to get to talk to some people with the same interests as me.. got to love the internet! 

So yeah, I'm 20yrs old from Scotland, just ask if you want to know anything else.

I was wondering if anybody could recommend a good beginner's telescope that's not too expensive but still good quality? I really want to get one but don't really know where to start, had a look on amazon and put a few on my wishlist but not sure which one to go with.  So any suggestions would be great.

Cheers! :)

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swag72

swag72

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Hi and welcome to SGL. Take a look on the FLO website..... Top banner on the forum. They have a beginners scope section. Best bit of advise is to buy from an astro retailer, not Amazon. Be realistic about what you will see, look in the sketching section and also think about scope size.

Apart from that.... Have a ball!! :)

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi John and welcome to the forum.

Before buying a scope, you might want to consider going along to a local astronomical outreach meeting to get your eye in on some of the scopes that are normally set up at these events. They are usually organised by your local astronomy society or observing group during the this time of year, are free to attend. These events will also provide you with the opportunity to ask further questions like set up times, cool down times, to check out the size of some of these scopes and also to make a note of the eyepieces that you are being used which in themselves can make a difference to the view you can see. It's probably the only way of getting a real understanding of what all a scope's specifications actually mean and whether what you can see will meet with your own expectations. The best selling scope in the UK is the Skywatcher 200P and there's a good chance that this scope would be available at such meetings. A scope containing a mirror that is 8" in diameter is a very useful scope indeed for resolving plenty of detail and if this is a little beyond your budget, it is one that is worth saving up for and also and one that holds a good resale value should astronomy not be for you or you wish to upgrade to another scope later on. Please don't hesitate to ask plenty of questions under the relevant sections to help you make the final decision.

Clear skies and hope you enjoy your stay here. 

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michaelmorris

michaelmorris

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Welcome to SGL,

swag72's advice about buying from a specialist astro-retailer is very sound advice.

I would suggest that you don't rush in an think long and hard before making any purchase.   A bad scope is worse than not scope at all.

Think about weight, size, easy of set up, transport etc. before making a decision.

Again as swag 72 says, have a look at the FLO (First Light Optics) website. 

Please note - FLO only sponsor SGL, not run it.  There are many other good retailers out there.

However, from my experience, few will go that extra mile that comes as standard with FLO's customer service.

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Lorne

Lorne

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Hiya John, welcome to SGL :)

I'll echo what James M said above, look for a local astro group local to you, or you could check out the Central Scotland Observers Group, google CSOG, a forum based group who meet - usually at short notice - at various dark sites in the Central Belt, you would be more than welcome to come along and get a look at - and through various different set ups to help you decide what you want to buy.

L.

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laudropb

laudropb

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Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL . Take your time before making your purchase. I would advise that a major consideration to keep in mind is how easy it is to set up the scope. A scope that takes a long time to prepare is a scope which is likely to be seldom used.

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HIP3802

HIP3802

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Hi, John, and a warm welcome to SGL! As others have said, 'FLO' (link at top of page) has a whole range of beginner and advanced telescopes. If you want more details try pasting the scope into the search engine on this site - the likelihood is that someone here will have used or have knowledge of the most obscure equipment!

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glowjet

glowjet

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Hi John and welcome to SGL, take into account what experienced Astronomers have to say before deciding on any equipment, which will eventually be dictated by what you really want to observe or involve yourself in, within the subject of Astronomy. As has been said, when it comes to purchasing, care should be taken in dealing with dedicated Astronomy outlets, rather than camera shops or on line web sites :)

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johnwardlaw

johnwardlaw

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Thanks guys for the welcome, still shopping around for a good beginner's telescope.  I'm moving house in May so probably buy one when I'm moved in then I can start getting into things properly, look forward to the good conversations to come with everyone on here! :)

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