Help with buying first telescope please.

[Dan990]

Hello, I am looking at buying my girlfriend a telescope for Christmas as she loves star gazing, meteor showers. I was looking for something which is good enough to see planets, view the moon closely as well. I have had a look at some forums on here but as I don't know much about this thing and it all sounds quite hard to understand on here as I don't know much about it haha. I'm just looking for a good telescope with good focus that can view planets and also preferably comes with a tripod and if it can take pictures of what you can view with the phone as I've seem some do that would be great.

 

I have in the budget of £100-£150 for this and was wondering if there was any out there that can do this and what the best one would be? I have found one so far called sky watcher 707 that seems quite good. But wanted to know your guys opinions.

 

If you could help that would be great, thank you..

[toshapetriji]

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html

 

The problem is supply in time for Christmas, Covid has played havoc with the supply chain. You might be better looking at the classifieds and trying to find something secondhand.

The for sale forum here is good and you could take a look at 'Astro Buy and Sell' too, then there is always the bay of dreams but you'll need to be careful there.

Good luck though, it is a wonderful hobby when we get clear skies!

[Cosmic Geoff]

Astronomy is not a cheap hobby, and £100 to £150 will not go far.  The Moon looks great through any telescope, but views of the planets may disappoint.  I suggest you  find and  read the "What can I expect to see" thread here.  There are a few outfits for under £150 that are much better than toys, but it might be wise to discuss the purchase with your girlfriend.  There are secondhand bargains to be had, but you need to be able to tell the difference between a good buy and a dud.

An alternative is a pair of binoculars.

[Ruud]

Better buy her one like this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html 

It is a bit over budget, but excellent for visual observation of the Moon and planets, and it will show her dozens of deep sky objects too. A wonderful all-round telescope that will keep her interested for years.

[jonathan]

I agree with Cosmic Geoff, right now and probably for the next few months a pair of binoculars will be an excellent choice to get you started, and you'll still use them if you buy a telescope later on.  You could spend a long time trying to buy a scope, not find the ideal one for you, and by the time things come in stock it could be summer and light skies.

Have a look at these Helios bins, I don't have experience of this particular pair but they tick the right boxes for astronomy.  For a better pair with an apparently shorter restock time check these too.

Edited December 8, 2020 by jonathan