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Telescope Gift Recommendations


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I would like to buy my husband a telescope for Christmas this year but in all honesty I don’t know where to start, other than writing on here of course. He is obsessed with astronomy and always pointing planets out to me either in the night sky or on various astronomy apps he has on his phone. I would love to buy him a telescope so he can pursue his interest further but it’s a lot more confusing than I had hoped. 

We live in a fairly rural area but there are a few street lights nearby - will that affect things? I had initially imagined him using the telescope from indoors but if I’ve learned anything from my small amount of research it’s DO NOT view from indoors. I imagine he will be happy to go into the back garden but as I’ve mentioned there are 1 or 2 street lights close by. 

 

Budget is anything from £150 to £300. What would you recommend please? 

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A highly recommended telescope that comes into your budget is the SkyWatcher Heritage 150P

The link is to the sponsoring company for this forum - they're good, though I think that most dedicated Astronomy Shops would be as good - if you have one local to you, then you might prefer to go there instead. I think most people here would say to avoid shops that aren't specialists though, assuming your husband wants to take the hobby further, he'll be grateful for the advice that specialists will be able to give - so buying from a specialist is the best way to start. 

If you're not sure, they'll be happy to take a call from you. 

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Binoculars are a good option to start out with (that is what I did) as the learning curve is low, lets you sweep across the sky fairly easily with a wide view and they can be used for other things too if he doesn't really get into observing.  However if you go down that route I found quickly that I personally needed a tripod to hold them still which adds to the cost and you can then be better off with something like a small dobsonian scope.  But you are correct he will have to go outside.

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How near are the lights?

For looking at anything except the moon and planets you don't want lights shining on you. If they're lighting up your garden then you'll need to either get the lights dealt with - the council may fix a shade if you raise it with them. Or observe elsewhere.

If they're a bit further away and you can see them but you're not really in the beam then it's less of a problem. Some people build portable blackout screens to deal with that kind of thing.

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4 hours ago, AstroMuni said:

The venerable 60mm slow achromat was THE go-to Christmas gift telescope for decades.  Back in the day, the mounts supplied with them were a bit better than today's mounts (vintage scopes came with a cast iron head and hardwood legs).  The scope isn't the issue with a 60mm f/11 achro, it's the mount they come with nowadays.  They typically can't handle the long moment arm.  The fact that little kids have great difficulty hovering over an eyepiece and keeping their hands off the scope and mount when observing tends to doom these scopes today.  They go off target at the slightest touch and/or shake incessantly long when touched.  Focusing and nudge tracking become aggravating in a hurry.

Edited by Louis D
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@C_H if you could stretch the budget to 250 quid @wookie1965 has an excellent Meade refractor on offer! It is a bargain which makes the Heritage 150 seem a cheap toy!

It does not come with a mount, but if you husband can use a few tools and a bit of imagination, a mount is NOT hard to fabricate 🙂 

Having typed the above re- Skywatcher scopes I am outa here as once again I am bound to set the natives on the warpath 😞 sighs....

PS Maybe consider purchasing a used Celestron C90 from USA, they cost around US$100-150 and are excellent scopes. Be up for import duties due to the C90's being scarce within Europe (more likely owners of them wont sell em) 🙂 PM me if you want the 'for sale' USA sites. 

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52 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

@C_H if you could stretch the budget to 250 quid @wookie1965 has an excellent Meade refractor on offer! It is a bargain which makes the Heritage 150 seem a cheap toy!

It does not come with a mount, but if you husband can use a few tools and a bit of imagination, a mount is NOT hard to fabricate 🙂 

Having typed the above re- Skywatcher scopes I am outa here as once again I am bound to set the natives on the warpath 😞 sighs....

PS Maybe consider purchasing a used Celestron C90 from USA, they cost around US$100-150 and are excellent scopes. Be up for import duties due to the C90's being scarce within Europe (more likely owners of them wont sell em) 🙂 PM me if you want the 'for sale' USA sites. 

Sorry but the Refractor is now sold.

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That's a fair starting budget giving you more than a couple of options, so.. have you considered a FLO voucher? Your husband, I am sure would very much like to be part of the selection process and this would enable him to spend the time that we all do, having a good look around. Obviously you want to give him something now, so how about the book "Turn left at Orion" or a planisphere to go with the voucher. All the best.

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A voucher or cheque would be the safest option.  If you are determined that it be a surprise, I suggest a classic long-focus achromatic refractor on an alt-azimuth manual mount.  Some people are in love with these traditional scopes, so your husband is unlikely to dislike it.  Aim to spend at the upper end of your budget.

Something like this, but maybe with the longer Evostar 90 OTA.

Sky-Watcher Evostar-90/660 AZ Pronto | First Light Optics

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On 03/11/2022 at 15:24, allworlds said:

How near are the lights?

They’re quite close (<100m away) but we have large trees around our garden boundary which seems to block most of the light. Our garden definitely isn’t lit up by the street lights and some areas of the garden are very dark. Hoping this will be ok 🤞🏻

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On 03/11/2022 at 11:33, bemak187 said:

Binoculars are a good option to start out with (that is what I did)

Thank you for commenting. I’m not against buying binoculars instead although I’m sure he’ll be a bit confused at first. After doing some research I’ve realised that telescopes are a lot larger than I was expecting and I probably need to look for something more practical. Can you recommend a decent pair of binoculars please? 

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15 hours ago, C_H said:

Thank you for commenting. I’m not against buying binoculars instead although I’m sure he’ll be a bit confused at first. After doing some research I’ve realised that telescopes are a lot larger than I was expecting and I probably need to look for something more practical. Can you recommend a decent pair of binoculars please? 

Binoculars certainly have a place, I treat them as a quick grab and go look thing. There is a section within the site on binoculars plus the astronomy magazines do have a binocular tour. Just be aware that much as you will be able to see planets, in mine,  that bright dot becomes a larger bright dot. In saying that, I have a set of Celestron skymaster 20x80 (not the pro version) and recently enjoyed looking at Jupiters moons through them. You will be able to see the Andromeda galaxy plus Orion is amazing. They are also heavy, so budget for a good tripod. So my shopping list would be a set of 20 x 80 binoculars, a good tripod, a planisphere and a wooly hat :D

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On 06/11/2022 at 19:17, C_H said:

Thank you for commenting. I’m not against buying binoculars instead although I’m sure he’ll be a bit confused at first. After doing some research I’ve realised that telescopes are a lot larger than I was expecting and I probably need to look for something more practical. Can you recommend a decent pair of binoculars please? 

Telescopes range from small table top dobsonian models through to massive reflectors which you need to get on a set of step ladders to look through, there is a massive range with respect to size.  With regards to binoculars another one for the Celestron Skymaster.  I have owed the large 25x100 model (these are VERY heavy) but if you take a look on their website you can look at the range and prices.  Just keep in mind for anything but the smallest binoculars you likely do need to factor in a tripod to the cost/size.

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Without knowing the recipient, it is always difficult.

However, the https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope.html
 

Is a low risk choice.
It is big enough to be considered a 'proper' scope.
As a reflector, the mirror is big enough to gather light.
It is not so big that it will dominate your lounge or dining room when not in use.
It is small enough to throw into the back of the car in search of a darker sky.
A dobsonian mount is intuitive to use.

Buying anything new - avoid Currys, ebay, Amazon, etc. Use ONLY a specialist astronomy retailer.
Do not buy used unless you know the seller is a decent person who can look after astro equipment.

Finally. If it doesn't work out for whatever reason, and you buy new from FLO, you can always send it back after Christmas.

HTH, David.

PS. If it all works out, we look forward to a new member on the forum around boxing day with questions.😀

 

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