Costco telescope for a beginner gift? ?

[peaceandquiet]

I'm thinking of getting DH a telescope for Christmas. He's always been interested but we've never had the money.

I've seen the below on Costco that is in budget, any idea if it's any good or if I'm chucking my money away! He is a bit tecchy and likes the best equipment so I don't want to get something that really can't do the job at all.

Its a Celestron AstroMaster LT76AZ Telescope.

There is also one in Aldi on offer this week but I'm assuming that will be really rubbish?!

Thank you all in advance sorry to be so clueless.

http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/cos_5,cos_5.7,cos_5.7.1/176025

[rwilkey]

Hi Peaceandquiet, welcome to the Lounge. I think this will make a good starter scope, and will show the planets and the Moon, though very limited on deep sky objects (DSO's) as the mirror is not big enough to capture enough light to show any detail.  It will be a good scope to show him the ropes though and to see whether he likes astronomy with a telescope, but don't expect detailed images.  I always believe in getting telescopes from dedicated astronomy shops, however, the price of this scope from a good maker is quite good.  If it were me, I would pay a bit more and get a refractor telescope like this one: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-astromaster-series/astromaster-90az-telescope.html  It's got that little bit extra aperture and will be more rewarding in my opinion.

[ronl]

As Robin has said, it's worth spending a bit more money, and from a dedicated dealer,

this is one I can highly recommend  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/evostar/skywatcher-evostar-90-eq2.html

it was my first scope, and I have had many hours of very enjoyable observing with my Evo,

and still do, and Skywatcher is a very good brand, this is a very good starter scope.

[bill_reed]

there is the Lidl BRESSER High Performance Telescope, its a 70mm object. 700 focal length with a 4mm and 20mm eyepiece, not a bad telescope and I use it on my 6" refractor as a tracking scope.

http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=18719

[bomberbaz]

+1 for ronl suggestion. Slightly cheaper but also a shorter focal length (dont worry about what this means for now) so it should be a little easier holding objects in your eyepiece view. That said none of the above are bad suggestions so choice is yours. If its cost bound then bill reed's suggestion is the one.

[Craig_]

Aldi are selling the bresser 70mm too

[Ahab]

Instead of the nonsense you will get, buy a good set of binoculars and some backyard astronomy books. While  the responses here are well meaning they forget the basics.

[Dave In Vermont]

Binoculars are not a telescope. A telescope has variable magnification capability, a steady image if on a capable mount, room for expansion, and so much more. Binoculars can be a nice adjunct to one's optical-instruments, but are in no way the same animal as a telescope.

I agree with Robin and Ron above. Those would be very worthy instruments to usher one into the incredible world of astronomy and all that goes with!

Clear Skies!

Dave

[Kai]

Instead of the nonsense you will get, buy a good set of binoculars and some backyard astronomy books. While the responses here are well meaning they forget the basics.

And those basics are ???

You might want to expand on that statement as the op is clearly buying it as a Christmas present and may not have the time to reasearch " the basics " on behalf of the recipient.

My first scope was a little 114mm Newt on a EQ mount purchased by my wife nearly 20 years ago , it certainly didn't underwhelm or put me off even in light polluted sky's .

I still have it and still use it , but am fortunate to live in a nice dark part of the UK now where I can observe Andromeda naked eye

As others have said above Binoculars are not always a required first step into Astronomy , I don't recall Galileo having a pair ....

[Kai]

Peaceandquiet

If your other half has a smart phone then take a look at the app stores as there are a few Astronomy apps that will help them to find objects in conjunction with the scope , one of my favourites is Star Walk as it allows me to overlay the sky with a map using the phones camera , it will appeal to their tecky side.

If a book is a consideration then Turn Left at Orion is highly recomended as it will give them something to read when it's cloudy outside

[buzzlightyear]

Good luck in your choice buf if you go for the aldi one then at least you wont be wasting to much money if its not the hobby for him. If he does get into the hobby then he can always upgrade when money is available to spend.

[buzzlightyear]

Also I dont think there is such thing as a bad scope, its just a fact that some scopes are better than others.

[Altitude]

I would suggest to present a book or even an app on astronomy first. If there is a sign of a strong curiosity on the subject, then don't waste your money and buy something dicent. Poor quality telescope can turn away the interest, or simply make astronomy unattractive. If the book or an app will be forgotten few days later, at list you spend not so much money like on a telescope.

[hjw]

I will give my 2 cents worth even though I do all my astronomy with a camera (still). On the same Costco site at the bottom of the page is an ad for a Celestron Powerseeker 114EQ for 75 pound. For 15 pound more you get a scope with a larger aperture and a equatorial mount which makes following an object much easier. Depending on you budget I think the 15pound give you a lot more "bang for your buck".

Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ Telescope

Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ Telescope

[hjw]

I hate computers... I copied and pasted and nothing happens. Then you press the reply button and it pastes it twice!

[gnomus]

According to FLO, this is described as the "best sub-£100" scope available:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-100p-tabletop-dobsonian.html

For just a shade more, this one seems to have a number of good reviews:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

The first scope I had was an inexpensive present bought from a toyshop (I think).  I have to say it put me off the hobby for several years.  

I would also recommend a good book - "Turn Left At Orion" or "Nightwatch" seem to get consistently good reviews.  I have both.  Without some sort of "guide", there will be a lot of fumbling around in the dark (literally in this case).

[bomberbaz]

Instead of the nonsense you will get, buy a good set of binoculars and some backyard astronomy books. While  the responses here are well meaning they forget the basics.

This is the second time you have posted this comment on threads for people asking for advice about "TELESCOPES" specifically. So if the only nonsense response you have is the one above, I suggest you may be better keeping it to yourself until you have read the OP's question.

Steve

[bill_reed]

there have been a lot of people that have started off with a simple 60mm refractor and went on to bigger things once they gained more experience. you can learn a lot with a have decent 60mm refractor. it requires little setting up and maintenance and good for anyone starting.

[Reeny]

Hello peace & quiet.

I have that scope, we bought under a different name for £100 about 15-years ago.

There were so many things wrong with it, I had to spend another £100 on upgrades.

I now have a £200 scope which nearly works.

The Celestron looks like most of the problems have been sorted.

It has the upgrades I needed - a robust finderscope, better eyepieces, stronger tripod mount, different focus tube.

If you get a good one for £60 out of the box, you are likely to still find it a struggle to see things properly with the very small 3-inch / 76mm diameter.

The moon, Jupiter, stars, and brighter objects like andromeda, hercules cluster, dumbell nebula, orion nebula are all do-able, but you won't see much else.

70x to 100x magnification is the maximum that this scope can do.

I would recommend a refractor if you are going for a small diameter like this one - then you can use it in daytime as well.

The image is upside down in the Costco reflector scope.

Or try to get a larger reflector scope, but not the 114mm short tube with 1000mm focal length that Costco sell for £140-ish pounds.

The Celestron 700/76mm will work, it won't break the bank, and the tripod is very easy to use (if it doesn't wobble too much like mine).

However, the scope won't have the wow factor.

If your budget is set - this one will get you started for £60. We still use ours often as a lightweight "Grab & Go" travel scope.

Or you can go for something bigger on a similar mount - i.e. a larger diameter reflector scope with mirrors.

Or you can go for something without the upside down image - i.e. a refractor scope with lenses to use in daytime.

Edit: Robins comments on the second post are spot on.

This one will do the job on a budget - but there are better alternatives available.