Your REAL first scope

[Pete Presland]

i also had the rather fetching red 60mm Tasco refractor on a steel alt-az mount but bought from one of those "club book" things and paid for weekly circa 1980,found the legs last year during a major spring clean offensive!

[Mr Spock]

Looks like around half of astronomers started with a Tasco!

[RedCoat]

Certainly looks like it!

[Luke]

Our first scope was a 76mm reflector from Jessops for £35. We popped into the shop to look at a zoom lens for a camera and we saw what looked like a massive scope! We were just curious at what you could see through it.

I appreciate that cheap scopes can put some people off, it's a shame if anyone misses out because of a bad experience, but our scope worked a treat for getting us into this amazing hobby.

Our jaws dropped looking at craters on the moon through it, and we were stunned to be able to see a galaxy through it! Good job we didn't see Saturn as I think we would have passed out!!

[philhas]

White late 70's Tasco refractor for me as well although I could have sworn the light pollution wasn't as bad then!

[russ]

White late 70's Tasco refractor for me as well although I could have sworn the light pollution wasn't as bad then!

It does seem like the skies were darker back then but perhaps that is just the memory fading.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

It does seem like the skies were darker back then but perhaps that is just the memory fading.

In my case, I know they were darker. Simply looking at photographs of times past shows this. The village where my parents live has expanded, and ore houses means more street lights. Likewise a nearby hotel has built an annex, which is also illuminated rather brightly.

[Mr Spock]

I remember the power cuts. You didn't need a telescope.

[Si W]

The first scope i used was my dads 60mm Tasco when i was about 10, the first scope i personally owned was the 4.5ins Tasco Relector. I was luck that i lived in Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, the skies were so clear back then.

[bluesman81]

My first scope was a SW 130m on an EQ2. Still have it, boxed, but realised I wanted something a bit more substantial so now have a de-forked 8inch LX10 on an EQ6pro Synscan mount.