Noob needs a little more advice

[Jared185]

Hello all,

So I have found an astronomy club nearby and am going to join. I talked with them and mentioned that I travel a lot. So they said I should get either the celestron travel 60mm or 70mm. And I mean they are cheap and look pretty nice but idk how good they are I heard celestron makes a good scope. And I have a local store that carries the celestron national parks foundation travel 60mm scope. It's 90 dollars and I have a 40% off cupon would this be a good scope to get

[jetstream]

What is your budget and how much room do you have when traveling?

[Jared185]

Well I'm saving up for a nice stationary scope at my house. I'm going to dedicate a room to it. I don't have a ton of room when traveling, but I can fit an extra backpack in the car. I'm a complete noob I literally don't know much about astronomy but I'm definitely wanting to learn and got some books and a subscription to sky and telescope magazine. So I'm learning. As far as budget goes well most of my funds I'm saving up are going to the big stationary scope. However I'd like to start now and learn as much as I can until I get a really good scope. My funds right now are 120.00 dollars or under. I picked up some nice Nikon aculon binos in 10x50. The club recommended the bushnell power view 12x48. So I got some decent binoculars now I'd like to get a decent scope I can travel with. Lol I looked at the celestron it's small and seems like it's decent quality.

[jetstream]

Your bins should serve you well, lots of objects visible. No need to rush to buy a scope, taking time to figure out what scope you want pays off.

[Jared185]

Thanks for advice I do plan to use binos first to learn my way around the sky and the astronomy club I am joining said it was better to start with binos. However with that said I know the celestron travel 60 isn't a top of the line scope but I can get it for less than 50 bucks after the sale their having and the cupon. Has anyone had experience with this scope at all. Read a review a guy posted that said the only bad thing about it was tripod but the scope was awesome. It comes with 2 lens's a Barlow lens, moon filter etc. do you all think it would be worth getting for around 50 bucks.

[John]

I'd save the $50 towards a scope with a larger aperture. A 70mm F/5 achromat refractor (which the Celestron travel 70 is) will not show you much more than your Nikon 10x50 binoculars will.

Save for something like this:

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/TableTop-Telescopes/Orion-SkyScanner-100mm-TableTop-Reflector-Telescope/pc/-1/c/1/sc/416/p/102007.uts

or better still, this:

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/TableTop-Telescopes/Orion-StarBlast-6-Astro-Reflector-Telescope/pc/-1/c/1/sc/416/p/102011.uts

Meanwhile, your 10x50 binoculars will show you quite a lot of stuff.

[Jared185]

The Orion is in my budget if it's a better scope I'll go with it. I just hated to pass up the celestron if it was decent because 48 bucks is cheap.

[Jared185]

Thanks for input. With the sell the store is putting on and the cupon I can get the celestron for around 48 bucks after tax I'm thinking of picking it up still. Like you I read the reviews and it seems to have a great reputation. And it would be a good thing to waste my cupon that's about to expire on. So win/win. Lol. I'll probably pick it up Tomarrow. But my main optic for now is the binos.

So I guess my next question is I'll have around 2800.00 budget to spend on my big scope. The thing is I need a scope I can grow with. I'm needing something I can enjoy as a beginner and also something that I can grow with Till I get more experienced. I've been researching but there are a lot of scopes and being new I'm not sure of where to start. Any opinions? I won't be getting this scope till I've done a lot more research bc it's a big purchase for me. But suggestions would really help

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi Jared,

As John has said already; "...will not show you much more than your Nikon 10x50 binoculars will."

Personally I would put the money on a photo tripod or monopod to mount your binoculars if you do not already own either. It is surprising how different the view is with tripod/monopod monunted binoculars as opposed to handheld.

[ronin]

Returning to the original of scope or not, I have a 70mm and I take that out as my "grab and go" scope - it is not something for a plane however as it is a goto and the bulk of the motors forbid that - I have a bag with a 5mm, 8mm and 25mm eyepiece (your A-T Paradigms our BST Explorers) and that covers me for a lot of observing. The 8mm give 40X and will allow me to see banding on Jupiter, one day I will try the 5mm when Jupiter is better placed. Not sure if the 5mm will allow me to see Saturns rings, I doubt it but will try.

A lot depends on what it is that you want to see/do when you travel. If you are going to good dark locations then a scope is a good option, if it is to stare at the stars from somewhere else (light pollution levels maintained) then binoculars are simpler.

An achro will show some CA on objects but by now that should be well known and the decision is yours.

My idea of a travel scope would be a William optics ZS71 and a good camera tripod. Cost somewhat more then $50 however. :grin:

Concerning a larger scope look around the club first and get an idea of what attracts you and why. Remember that if astrophotography is to be a factor then there are certain factors to be taken into account for this, and they are different to visual. Do not buy a sort of dedicated visual set up at first then expect to go using it for imaging. The change of functionality does not really cross over.

One odd aspect to people in the UK is that the US seems to like the old Tasco 60mm, and similar. They have a following and people will rebuild then back to original at greater cost then they ever started at.. If you could get one at a garage sale I suspect you could get dragged into the club and people would start sorting it out. :rolleyes:

[Putaendo Patrick]

Personally I think in your case I would get the small 60mm scope, providing you buy in the full knowledge it has its limitations. It's light and portable, and along the line if you put in a better eyepiece (which you will have when you buy your main scope), you may be pleasantly surprised. Meantime, it will compliment your binoculars and shoud give some quite acceptable views above all of the Moon.

[Jared185]

Thanks for all the great input guys I'm still researching scopes so my big scope will take some time before I buy it. Plus I'd like to get in some more experience before purchase so I at least know some of what I'm looking for in a bigger scope.

In the case of the little scope, well I bought it. Cost was so low and they had them in stock so I just went for it. I have to say for the cost it's a pretty good little telescope at least from an inexperienced standpoint it looks nice. Good images. (Didn't get to look up its to cloudy here but distant objects where pretty crisp and clear.

The only things I'm not happy with is the finder scope and the tripod. Tripod is going to be replaced. And the problem I'm having with finder scope is it seems to go out of alignment pretty easily. It's got the three screws you tighten to move crosshairs. Is there a way to combat the crappy finder scope or a way to add a red dot?

[Jared185]

One good thing about cloudy rainy days are the fact you can study. Ive learned so much about star charts how stars are made nebulas galaxy arc minutes and seconds it's unreal how celestial poles right Ascension celestrial declination etc. it's unreal how much you need to know about in this hobby. But I'm loving every minute of it.

[Jared185]

Oh I bought the celestron travel 60. Even when I get a big scope I'll still pack this one for trips. It fits really nicely in my car. I can live with the tripod until I get another but I've got to get rid of the finder scope as soon as I can. Every time I take it out of pack I have to realign that thing. And being a noob it can take some time to get it dialed back in especially with it upside down and backwards

[Putaendo Patrick]

Anyone who buys a telescope is punished by cloudy skies - the more expensive the telescope, the more cloudy nights!

If you can use the tripod without extending the legs, it will be more solid. You might be able to hang a bag of sand or similar wieght from the centre of the tripod too. I suggest you live with the finderscope for the moment. Tripod, mount, EPs and finderscope are all typical weaknesses in cheap telescopes. Upgrading the finder could cost you as much as you paid for the scope.

First anf foremost, when conditions improve, get out and enjoy youself!

[brantuk]

All I can add to the already great advice above is that finder scopes do vary in quality and, with a travel scope, it's very likely you will have to re-align it with the main scope every time it's used. I have a lot of good quality gear and whenever I travel somewhere with any scope - the finder alignment always needs a tweak. It's usually only the scopes that are fixed permanently in place (eg in an obsy) that the finder remains well aligned between sessions.

But if it's a naff finder that's difficult to use - they can be a pain in the behind and worth ditching for a better one.

[happy-kat]

Don't extend the tripod legs and use it on a table and sit or put it on car roof (rubber feet soft on paint) and stand to observe.

[happy-kat]

What about a red dot fixed flat to the tube so it wouldn't need aligning and it would be so close it would be there or there abouts to where the scope pointed.