Absolute Beginner - Telescope Advice Needed

[diceman]

Hello all. Great forum you have here.

I've been interested in pursuing this hobby for quite some time now but the abundance of possible telescopes is putting me off.. I'm hoping someone might spend a few minutes educating a total *newb* on what to buy..

I don't have a lot of money (I'm a student) so I've picked out a few on ebay that I can afford (about £50-70 which is about 80-100USD).. If they are all too cheap, useless and nasty please be honest

I'm not too worried about mobility or longevity of the product, but more about 'how much' I'll be able to see..

a) TELESCOPE NEWTONIAN, Reflector 76/700 XXL,StarScope on eBay, also, Telescopes, Binoculars Telescopes, Photography (end time 19-Apr-09 05:27:34 BST)

ASTRO2000 TELESCOPE 76/700 REFELCTOR - NEW ! on eBay, also, Telescopes, Binoculars Telescopes, Photography (end time 22-Mar-09 21:15:00 GMT)

c) **** CELESTRON ASTROMASTER 76EQ TELESCOPE NEW **** on eBay, also, Telescopes, Binoculars Telescopes, Photography (end time 07-Apr-09 20:58:36 BST)

Any advice appreciated. Thanks

Jay

[barkis]

Jay, I may disappoint you with my answer, but If I was you, and a budget of that size, I would look for a decent second hand pair of 10x50 binoculars. To buy a scope that will be useful and not put you off astronomy for life, you should be looking to spend a bit more than you can spare at the moment.

Keep saving, and keep looking at astro For sale boards for a used six inch to eight inch reflecting telescopes that come up now and again. Please also remember, you will need eyepieces to go with a scope you buy.

Do not rush into any purchase. If you see something that appeals to you, come back and tell us about it, and we will advise you as to whether it will do a good job for you.

Ron.

[scotastro]

Completely agree with Barkis. Small aperture scopes like these will allow you to see so few things you will be bored with it in no time. Keep saving until to can at least afford a 130mm or 150mm scope on a decent mount.

Mike

Mike

[dweller25]

Yup, just like the other guys said.

Save up for one of these ....

Dobsonians - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian

[diceman]

Thanks for the punctual responses. Very good advice which I will take on board - I definitely won't rush into buying anything just yet.

Could any of you tell me what the best 'makes' are, or respectable manufacturers for around the £100-£200 mark? Is SkyWatcher one of them?

I suppose I'd like to see the moon's surface in detail, the rings of Saturn etc just to get me going..

Thanks again, any advice appreciated. Glad I found this forum.

Jay

[diceman]

These are a step up in price. What do you think?

d) CELESTRON ASTROMASTER 114EQ ASTRONOMY & LAND TELESCOPE on eBay, also, Telescopes, Binoculars Telescopes, Photography (end time 05-Apr-09 01:10:44 BST)

e) ASTRO2000 TELESCOPE 114/900 WITH PLOSSL EYEPIECES NEW ! on eBay, also, Telescopes, Binoculars Telescopes, Photography (end time 14-Apr-09 16:49:13 BST)

[John]

The Celestron is not bad although it's aperture is a bit on the small side for a newtonian - 130mm would be a better starting point IMHO. I would steer clear of the Astro 2000 scope. As the others have said it is very difficult to find a good scope for less than £150-£200. You can however get some excellent binoculars for much less than that - or try an get some more funds together.

John

[Tiny]

Have a look at the firstlightoptics site. They give good advice and all they sell is good stuff with replacement if it doesn't work. They also offer money off for people on this site if you say you are on here and buying a first scope or bins.

[The Warthog]

I agree with Barkis. Get a pair of decent binocs and a planisphere, or even the latest copy of your favorite astro magazine for the star chart, and spend time learning the sky, and spotting things that are within the reach of a 10x50 pair. A 76mm scope gathers little more light than the two 50mm lenses of the binocs.

Save a bit more money, and check out the used market, and don't get a reflector of less than 5", or a refractor of less than 90mm if you wish to have a decent entry level observing experience. I would suggest you go for the reflector.

Some of the makers have abandoned their cheaper dobsonians lately, but you may be able to find something like the SkyWatcher 8" Dob on the used market. This is the pre-collapsible model, and was one of the best deals around.

[phil_the_bassist]

on a similar vein, I've saved a chunk of money and I'm lookin for a good scope. I need to it be small, but to be of high enough spec for me to make use of the great viewing opportunities I get around where I live.

Would something like this:>> Tal - Tal 150P Newtonian Reflector be a worthwhile purchase?

[The Warthog]

It`s a good scope by reputation, but I`m not so sure about that mounting. I have my 6`Newt on a EQ3-2 with wooden tripod, which is wonderfully stable.

[barkis]

The Tal range of telescopes are always very well accepted in Astronomy circles.

This 6" f5 reflector is certainly no exception. It will not disappoint you, as it is a scope that will deliver good views of

Deep Sky Objects, Planets, and Double Stars too. A good general purpose unit, for general purpose visual astronomy.

This a personal Opinion of course, so wait for others to comment, as their opinion might differ from mine.

Ron.

[stuleah]

i hav a celestron astromaster 130 eq, i saw one on ebay the other day starting at £50 it was listed as new, unwanted gift.

Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ on eBay, also, Telescopes, Binoculars Telescopes, Photography (end time 25-Mar-09 13:48:07 GMT)

[ZOG]

If you can go to £175 then this is a great starter scope.

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130P SupaTrak AUTO

[jgs001]

I agree with Ron, get a pair of bino's to start with. You can get a pair of Bresser 10x50's from telesecope house for £30. They are light enough to handhold easily. Have good contrast, and provide decent views. They are the same as the Lidl bins that crop up from time to time. There's nothing quite like, leaning back and just getting lost in the sheer number of stars through the Milky Way that something like these reveals. They are very good for clusters too thanks to the wide FOV.

[diceman]

Thanks for all the good advice. I've decided, after much deliberation, to go for the Celestron found here:

Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ MD Telescope on eBay, also, Telescopes, Binoculars Telescopes, Photography (end time 29-Mar-09 00:14:13 GMT)

I've come to this decision based on price, reputation of the company and the specifications that people have advised me to go for.

I won't be buying it for a few weeks yet so if anyone thinks that I'm making be the biggest mistake of my life then please feel free to tell me!

Otherwise, hopefully I'll stick around this forum once I buy it and absorb all the great, helpful information on offer.

Cheers,

Jay

[Rogue Leader]

If it was me I would take the couple of weeks to save up the extra few quid for one of these

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130PM

and from this supplier as well, you will not find better in my opinion.

Mike.