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The Right Hobby?

GuyWithAnOldTelescope

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GuyWithAnOldTelescope

GuyWithAnOldTelescope

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Hi there! (I apologize in advance if this is the wrong section for this post.)

I've used my dad's old telescope to look at a few celestial bodies recently, and the thing is really showing its age. The legs don't all lock, so it's hard to align. The best I could get was a decent view of the Moon, and it was really neat. I understand star gazing is an interesting hobby, and, before I invest in a telescope, I'd like to know if this is the right hobby for me. I have a deep interest in all things space, from exploration to observation, and I build models of spacecraft.

Should I try star gazing and buy a new telescope? If so what would you recommend, and what would I see with said recommendation? I'd rather not start with "the basics," and I can afford somewhere between $200-$300. Would optics under this price range be able to view the solar system with ease? I'm not familiar with the views offered by modern telescopes, but I'd like to be able to view Venus, Mars, and Jupiter with some level of detail. (If anything I've written doesn't make sense, it's because I'm entirely new to this.)

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GuillermoBarrancos

GuillermoBarrancos

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For a $200-300 Budget you sould be able to get a 6inch dobsonian. It's the best bang for buck you can get at such Budget.

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobsonian-Telescopes/Classic-Dobsonians/Orion-XT6-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope-amp-Beginner-Barlow-Kit/pc/1/c/12/sc/13/p/102028.uts?refineByCategoryId=13

This is With a beginner's kit. You can get it without the beginner's kit for $300.

For around $400 Budget you are able to go up to a 8inch dobsonian. That is a really nice aperture and will last you years of enjoyment.

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Sale-Telescopes/Sale-Beginner-Telescopes/Orion-Limited-Edition-SkyQuest-XT8-Classic-Dobsonian-Bundle/pc/1/c/378/sc/436/p/101452.uts?refineByCategoryId=436

But don't underestimate the 6inch tho. It's a fine Scope and will show you plenty!

I just showed you both options, depending if you are able to stretch your Budget a little.

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Ant

Ant

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I agree, for visual astronomy there really isn't much better than a Dob.

A 6" reflector will show you the phases of Venus (and mercury if your lucky), the moons and cloud belts of Jupiter, rings of Saturn. The moon will be awesome.

As for deep sky it will be big enough to show you many things - this is where the 8" would be better. To give you an idea of what you are likely to see check out our sketching section. This is much closer to what you'll see instead of the pretty colour pictures you see in magazines and on cheap department telescope boxes.

Maybe you could consider looking at the second hand market? Astronomers tend to look after their stuff, and it means that if you suddenly decided that visual astronomy wasn't for you or you get really into it and want to upgrade you won't lose more than a few bucks.

Cheers

Ant

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ronin

ronin

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Do you want to observe or do you like to observe?

Florida does tend to have good weather and and clear skies but you will not be able to decide to go observing any night that you want. Over here we have just really had the chance to start observing again after a 6-8 week of really bad weather. In effect people that wanted to observe were not able to.

Will not suggest a scope, the US market is different to the one here and the approach is slightly different for the different equipment. Make your own choice and decision. Couple of retailers are Astronomics, Agena Astro Products, Eyepieces Etc.

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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only you can decide if it's the right hobby for you. visual astronomy is sometimes frustrating, sometimes exasperating but after a while you start to find things more easily and then it is for me the most enjoyable aspect of the hobby although I have never really tried imaging (never felt the need). as above, I recommend you manage your expectations about what you'll see. the sun and moon will give you fine details and photographic visual images, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn will provide photograph like images albeit very small. most other objects will be very much ghosts of the images we see all over the internet. that said, if you have done some reading and understand what you are looking at and how far away, you'll be astonished what's possible for a few hundred $$

I'd also recommend the 6" dobsonian but factor in a red dot finder too.

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Charic

Charic

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Hi,  you mention an old telescope, but not its type or name? You may have an old `decent telescope` on a wobbly base! This can be updated, If Its a reflector telescope, it may need collimating, to improve its accuracy. But a clue to its identity will help us help you a little more.

Star gazing is also very effective with Binoculars, anything from 7x50 upto 15x70 will get great results. The first number indicating the magnification, may cause you problems in holding the Binocular. As the specifications increase so does the weight, meaning that they may require a tripod to support them, but higher magnifications exaggerate the handshake, and so upsets a stable image unless correctly supported.

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hippie

hippie

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If you are unsure if stargazing is for you why not consider buying a reasonable pair of binoculars first,

That old scope of your dads may be worth restoring?, What make is it? Is it a reflector or refractor?,  

You may only need a decent mount & tripod to get up and running it's Worth considering  :smiley: .

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GuyWithAnOldTelescope

GuyWithAnOldTelescope

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Thank you all for your replies! I really appreciate the feedback. As for the name of the telescope, it's a refracting Bushnell Skychief III. From what I've read, it appears that viewing planets - what I'm keen on observing - is best/easiest with a refractor. I'll look into the suggestions provided, as well.

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GuyWithAnOldTelescope

GuyWithAnOldTelescope

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If you are unsure if stargazing is for you why not consider buying a reasonable pair of binoculars first,

That old scope of your dads may be worth restoring?, What make is it? Is it a reflector or refractor?,  

You may only need a decent mount & tripod to get up and running it's Worth considering  :smiley: .

Like I posted, it's a Bushnell Skychief III. The scope and target finder are functional, but it's all dusted over and missing several thumb screws on the mount. I couldn't find the scope on the Bushnell website, and my dad says it's very very old (No specifics, though).

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Joseki

Joseki

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Google search suggests Bushnell Skychief III is a 60mm refractor x 910mm - f15 (there should be a label on the focuser that gives that information).  It may give nice views for the size it is.  Earlier models had nice all metal focusers.  Small refractors are sometimes let down by wobbly mounts but it might not be worth improving it, especially since you have a budget to buy something else.  Cleaning the optics might help too.  - but as to your original question the money would be best spent on a dob I think.  A large dob will still give great views of planets, probably better than a refractor in your price range.  To add to the confusion, a Maksukov, say the Skywatcher SkyMax 127mm (or whatever it is marketed as in America) is generally recommended as a good planetary scope.

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Myopicus

Myopicus

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Hey, you're in Florida, chances are that you're gonna get a good amount of clear nights (unlike here in windswept Britain, dammit). I say 'go for it'. Get the biggest aperture you can for your money, 8' dob seems to be the benchmark for deep sky objects and nebula, as well as good planetary colour and detail.

If you explore astronomy and decide that it's not for you, you'll at least have had some amazing views into the cosmos, and you can always sell the scope.   :smiley:   

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Charic

Charic

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...I'm sure this link will get you a manual for that 'old' telescope. http://geogdata.csun.edu/~voltaire/classics/bushnell/bushnell78-5700.pdf the download is a bit slow!

If you wish to continue as a visual observer of the night skies, and want to select a newer telescope, then a minimum of 6" reflector is my recommendation to you. 

As an example your telescope is effectively a  2.4" Aperture (60mm) That gives you  a light grasp (the ability to collect photons of light) of about 73xTimes more than your eye alone can achieve.

The 6" Dobsonian gives 459x times the light grasp than your eye alone, so you can see (excuse the pun) the bigger the aperture, the more light gathering the telescope is able to achieve, allowing you to see fainter objects in the dark skies ( Atmospheric conditions apply to the seeing conditions).

Magnification of the telescope comes second, Its achieved by dividing the Focal length of the telescope by the Focal length of the eyepiece, so a 12mm eyepiece on your telescope would give you 75x Magnification. On a 6" reflector you may get  100x magnification. a 6mm would give 151x (yours)  200x (Dobsonian)

Dobsonian is the name of the Inventor ( Died Jan 2014 RIP) that designed the base/platform that these telescopes sit on, making them very stable, very reliable, and easy to use. The actual telescope or OTA (Optical Tube Assembly) is still a Newtonian reflector telescope. The other type of scope (Reflector) your already have. There is a third telescope that combines both known as a Catadioptric Telescope.

I still suggest a Dobsonian mounted Newtonian of 6" or greater?

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Joseki

Joseki

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Just reading about the Bushnell Skychief III on the net. Japanese made and quite vintage. It might at least be nice to keep hold of it as a collector´s item.

that's what I was thinking, if it's an early model with quality metal focuser.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

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GuyWithAnOldTelescope

GuyWithAnOldTelescope

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Well, I discovered a "secret fund" the other day, substantially increasing my telescope budget. (my money + birthday money = more telescope) Followed up by some research and the posts here, I ordered a Celestron Omni XLT 120 refractor with CG6 EQ mount ($550 on OptCorps' website) with an aperture of 120 mm. This may have been a tad bit rash on my part (didn't inquire on these forums about it before buying), but as I understand, refractors are ideal for scoping out planets, and the large aperture allows the XLT 120 to peer into deep sky objects, as well. It hasn't arrived yet, but I don't see myself returning this telescope. Was it a good choice? While many of you recommended a Dobsonian for the budget, I assumed a high quality refractor like the XLT 120 would be a better choice if money permitted (and it ended up permitting!).

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