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Hi all, Im completely new and wish to ask a

(probably stupid) question Ive just seen a Jessops 800-80 Astronomical Telescope on Jessops own site for £49. Is this as I suspect, not of any use or would it be suitable for a complete novice. (I'd like to be able to see the basics + maybe take the odd photo). Would this be suitable ?

I realise Im talking cheap but im medically retired and so on disability benefits only but am looking for a way to stay sane.

Many thanks if anyone can answer my question.

nshotter@googlemail.com

The link to the scope is below, thanks again :icon_salut:

Jessops 800-80 Astronomical Telescope - Jessops - Telescopes

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These are terriable questions. I assume that more then 50 is out of the question.

Really the scope isn't great, but it is a scope and as such will show you quite a few things that are floating around up there.

At 800/80 I assume that it is a reflector and that the mirror is spherical. Again spherical isn't great but at f/10 shouldn't really be a problem.

Usually the mount is the real area they skimp on, don't expect to look through it and for the image to be rock solid, there will be shake.

If you go for it then stick to magnifications of 100x or less - 8mm eyepiece. No idea what the box says but guess they are advertising magnifications in the many hundreds.

The supplied eyepieces will again be budget. At some time look to pick up something like am 8mm, 12mm and 25mm or 32mm. Those will cover most. Check of used plossls, they go pretty cheap.

Start with the simple (obvious) things. Moon (biggish bright thingy), Jupiter, Orion nebula, several other Messier objects.

Alternative is to find a club that you like and join. Clubs often have scopes to loan and one of these may be an option.

There are only a few nights a month when observing is possible, do not expect to be out there every night.

Delete your email address in the post.

People can always send a PM if they need to.

Where abouts are you?

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Hi Nshotter and welcome to SGL, if it is possible to put a hold on your enthusiasm for a telescope for a little while, this will give you a chance to investigate the basics through the forum, an alternative with a limited budget is to invest in a reasonable quality pair of binoculars, although this will not be as powerful as the Jessops outfit you may find it less frustrating than a cheap telescope, there are many people who enjoy viewing the Heavens with nothing else :icon_salut:

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Hi many thanks for such a fast response. Sorry for the standard of my questions afraid I had a dibetic coma that did some damage so ive had to relearn everything from how to put my socks on up so have only been typing for about 18 months, sorry. You wouldnt believe i was once in mensa im so thick now. I will try and leave you in peace until i communicate better.

sorry and many thanks again

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Hi nshotter, welcome to the forum.

I agree with the suggestion about binoculars- they're pretty much all I've used on any regular basis over the years. A neighbour did donate an old scope to me once but the mount was such poor quality and shook so much that it drove me bonkers! I gave up using it in the end.

By the way I don't think ronin was suggesting the way you phrased your questions was terrible rather that he was sympathising with your plight and the reasons for your tight budget.

Good luck with your new hobby :-)

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Hi many thanks for such a fast response. Sorry for the standard of my questions afraid I had a dibetic coma that did some damage so ive had to relearn everything from how to put my socks on up so have only been typing for about 18 months, sorry. You wouldnt believe i was once in mensa im so thick now. I will try and leave you in peace until i communicate better.

sorry and many thanks again

Hi Nshotter...

Don't you dare go away or apologise!!

On this forum you will find all sorts of people, some more knowledgeable than others and that's what makes it so great to belong.

I once read a post on here that said "The only stupid question is the one you don't ask" and that is exactly right.

You say in your post that you have to start to learn again and that you want to take up this great hobby, well this is a great place to start. On here we are all learning from each other, so get those questions in and don't worry about how you put them. It's the answer that's important to you ... this is not an English examination.

If it makes you feel better, look through my posts and you will see some questions of my own which some might think pretty stupid. However, I don't care. They were all answered properly and no-one put me down and I learned something useful.

So please come back and join us, I'm sure you won't regret it!

By the way, I agree with the advice on getting some binoculars, but if you really do want a telescope then go for it and just have some fun.

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Welcome to the forum nshotter...you'll find this a great place to learn more about the hobby.

If you can resist I would avoid jumping in with this scope. The reason is that you will inevitably be disappointed and risk being turned off before you have even started.

I've found that one of the most useful things to get early on is a healthy dose of patience. It's all too easy for some to splurge thousands on the best and fastest kit, but without the interest or patience to learn how to use it.

For me (and it's quite different for others I'm sure) the hobby has been a gateway into learning lots of new things and skills, from electronics and basic engineering that helps with the kit, to astrophysics and theoretical musings about what it is we are actually looking at. The gamut of interest is vast and accessible from all number of angles.

My advice is to keep asking questions and not take personally any that seem blunt or sharp. Sometimes when sat behind a computer we often forget our basic conversational skills and also the fact that intonation doesn't come across.

I'd also get hold of some binoculars or set yourself a target to save for a better starter scope. This will also give you a good way to gauge if this is a hobby you want to invest in. If after a few months saving you are ready to go then you'll have a much better understanding of what you're pointing at. It will also ease your frustrations, since you'll probably be star hoping quite a bit to find interesting targets and a basic understanding of the constellations will help no end with this.

Hope that helps and by all means keep posting whenever you need a bit of advice.

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Hi many thanks for such a fast response. Sorry for the standard of my questions afraid I had a dibetic coma that did some damage so ive had to relearn everything from how to put my socks on up so have only been typing for about 18 months, sorry. You wouldnt believe i was once in mensa im so thick now. I will try and leave you in peace until i communicate better.

sorry and many thanks again

please do not leave us in peace,we love to chat about all things scopes and general things ,were abouts are you,may some members may able to pop round and show there scopes if you not that mobile your self,can you not put the scope on hold till you save a little more ?

if not get the scope am sure it will give you some thing to look at and the moon and other things will be seen

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Hi Nshotter

As already suggested a pair of binocular would offer the best value for your budget.

Get yourself a planisphere or a binocular focused night sky guide book and you will be well away with many hours of enjoyment and discovery.

Have a look at the SGL sponsors website FLO, they have many bins listed at the right price to browse through.

Also have a look at the Observing-binoculars sub-forum on here, plenty of info and help in there. There's also a link to a fantastic bins website belonging to one of the members on here.

Have a good read up and make sure you come back with plenty of questions!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi All, I have taken all your kind words and advice and am back for another go !

I'm sorry about seeming cowardly but in short my illness and nervous breakdown which followed when they took away my security clearance and hence my job, conspired to leave me scared of everything. My apologies.

Anyway, enough of my rubbish.

I am holding fire on the telescope front, I have an old but good pair of 12X60 bino's + an old 2000mm camera mirror lens which gives an OK view of the moon. So I've enough to be getting on with I guess ?

:D

I'm afraid I have to ask another stupid question again though.

Ive absolutely no idea what so ever of where to start as regards looking at celestial objects (apart from the moon).

So what do I need to get in order to find my way around the sky ?

Thank you in advance and again my heartfelt thanks for your kindness.

Neill.

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I dont have any advice except to agree with the other posts, I just wanted to say I know how hard it can be to pick yourself up after life has pulled the rug out from under your feet [again]. However as you seem to be getting interested in new things and moving on you may find astro is very good for making you forget your problems. Courage nshotter, the universe is waiting for you.

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Hi and welcome to SGL.

Bins are a great way to learn the night sky, either with planetarium software or a planesphere. Also, Staragazing Live is just around the corner so this programme could also offer a few ideas.

Depending on your mobility issues could you find a local astro group as a number of clubs and societies will be holding events in conjunction with SGL2012. You could try a few scopes to see what suits your observing interests.

Hope this helps.

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Hi

Welcome to SGL

I need to correct you ?

I'm afraid I have to ask another stupid question again though.

No such thing as a stupid question on here

If there was, I'd be in the running for top award !

(although I bet a few people will jump in here to say otherwise :D )

Have fun, and ask away, that's how we all learn on here.

Regards

Neil

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Hi,

Just wanted to add my welcome and second stellarium as a way of helping to learn you way around the night sky.

Your certainly not alone as a beginner on this forum! in the short time that I have been active on here I have seen loads of posts about first scopes, and many asking exactly the same questions as youself.

If you stick with this hobby it wont belong before you'll be able to add your advice for another beginner who is starting out!

All the best and hope you get clear skies to start using your bin's

Stu

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A huge welcome to the forums - the amount of help and useful advice from these forums is just immense. Don't you dare leave us - one of the best things about all the members on here is seeing how much we learn from each other. In some cases i have witnessed people drive a considerable distance to help another member out - in the name of a shared hobby.

There is nothing worse than giving up on a fascinating hobby due to struggling on your own trying to master something that you think might be impossible (for me it was Polar Aligning my telescope mount) and a very kind gentleman on here didn't just tell me how to do it, he showed me. The interest in this hobby just grew from there onwards.

I completely agree with what has already been mentioned. Don't rush in just yet, you already have some good tools and together with the planetarium software already mentioned (which is free) ie, Stellarium. Together with your binoculars you can make a start looking at the night sky. There are lots of star charts online too so you can see what is above for the month.

Depending what kind of astronomy takes your interest (lunar, solar, planets, deep sky objects - visual observing or imaging etc will dictate what kind of scope and setup you may want).

These are really big forums with a wealth of useful information and photographs and while the nights are pretty cloudy it is great to spend some time browsing through them and picking up useful tips and eventually perhaps, a direction :D

We all have to start somewhere and if the interest is keen then the learning curve is a lot easier. I have found astronomers are a rare breed and all the ones I have met have been courteous and all to eager to help beginners get the best out of the hobby and as already mentioned, STOP you from spending money on something that will not perform to your expectations.

I am also wondering if you might have any local astronomy clubs that you could visit and see what they have ?

Good luck and a very Happy New Year.

Just remember, no questions are daft questions.

Best wishes,

Steve

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  • 2 weeks later...

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