Looking for telescope recommendations

[CanadianShari]

Hello all!

I was wondering if you might be able to provide me some recommendations on a decent telescope for observing the planets? I am just a mama who has no two clues when it comes to this sort of thing. I want to purchase one as a gift for my daughter (22). She has a special interest in Saturn, if this helps. I have  a budget up to $1200. What would you recommend?

Thank you!

[Guest]

If possible find a astro club and go look at scopes.  This is the best way to find out what works for you.  Ameture astronomers love to show off their toys and will gladly answer any questions you might have. 

Look at the moon, planets and even the deep sky through different kinds of scopes and find out what looks good to you.  Also this will give you an idea of how you will have to store and transport it.  Once you figure all that out then you will know exactly what scope to buy. 

You budget is decent but bear in mind you will have to be various accessories as well.  The telescope itself is just the tip of the iceberg. 

Welcome to SGL. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Mike Q

[Ricochet]

$1200 is a lot to spend on a surprise gift so I would consider whether it would be best if your daughter was involved in the decision making process as she is more likely to know what she wants from a telescope. Assuming that your daughter only wants to make visual observations and not take photographs then I think there are two main contenders within your budget range.

The first is the 8" F6 Dobsonian telescope. If you are looking for an all round telescope that can show everything well visually then this is the one to go for. It will show the planets well as well as deep space objects (DSOs) if your daughter discovers that she likes those too once she starts looking through a telescope. The downside of this telescope is that it is a relatively big and bulky telescope. It is not one for carrying long distances, up/down stairs or taking on public transport. In addition, a height-adjustable chair is a must as the eyepiece is too low to the ground to stand. I use a drum stool with mine but ironing chairs and dedicated astronomy chairs are also options. Technically, "Dobsonian" refers to the mount so you know if you buy a Dobsonian you are buying both the telescope and the mount that it sits on as a single package. A nice model of this type of telescope is the Celestron Starsense which has a special phone mount that uses your phone camera to guide you to objects, which isn't really necessary for Saturn, but will make finding DSOs and the faint planets (Uranus, Neptune)  much easier. For a lighter option you could also consider the 6" F8 Dobsonian, which won't show DSOs as well as the 8", but will still be very good on planets.

The second option I would consider is the 5" (127mm) Maksutov. This is a much smaller telescope physically, but the mounts available for it range from small and lightweight to big and bulky. This type of telescope is also sold as an OTA without a mount so you need to make sure that you buy one that is bundled with a mount or account for the additional cost of buying your preferred mount. This type of telescope is more geared towards planetary observation, although some DSO observation is also possible (it can't show as wide a field of view and it is difficult to get a large enough exit pupil in order to use nebula filters). I like the look of the manual mount bundled with this Explore Scientific Maksutov, which should give steady views at the expense of it being a relatively big and heavy mount. Alternatively, this Skywatcher Maksutov comes on a mount which is much more transportable, and uses a phone app for full Go-To functionality (finding and tracking objects). The downside is that the tripod is known to not be great, however, it uses the standard 3/8" photographic thread so could be replaced with something better in future whilst keeping the AZ Gti head.

[Astronomist]

If you do go with a >6" Dobsonian, be aware that to non-astronomers they seem quite enormous. I woud be hesitant to give one as a surprise gift. I would concur with Ricochet that a 5" maksutov is probably the best choice at this price point, as it is easy to transport and takes up very little space to store.

[dweller25]

Hello @CanadianShari and welcome to SGL.

It would be a good idea to connect with your local astronomy group and/or a local telescope retailer to see some scopes in person.

If this is not possible then I would suggest a Dobsonian telescope, these gives excellent views of all objects - not just the planets and are easy to setup and use.

A 6 or 8 inch Dobsonian like this would be a very good choice…..

https://www.atlanticphotosupply.com/shop/sky-watcher-dob-6-traditional-telescope/cdd64400-d8c0-012e-87b7-20cf30bab63e?variation=743974

Other makes are available (Orion, Celestron) but fundamentally they are all the same.

Don’t be fooled by the price these are VERY capable scopes.

Also to help your daughter find out what is where is the night sky you could download “Stellarium” which is free and excellent.

Hope that helps

Edited September 10, 2023 by dweller25

[CanadianShari]

Thank you all for your very detailed recommendations! I am looking at each and every scope that was suggested. And, I think the advice that my daughter should be brought in on the decision was very wise! Thank you!

[Gfamily]

Be warned, that Saturn's rings are not going to be particularly prominent this year or for the next 2 or 3 years as their inclination angle is quite small. If you can get a 'scope this year, they'll be moderately well ❤️‍🩹 visible, but less so after that. However, Jupiter is a very rewarding alternative target, as it's bigger, has visible surface bands, and it's moons are constantly changing.

I'm terms of what telescope, I can recommend the Skywatcher 127mm Maksutov, mentioned above as it's got a long focal length, so will more easily give a larger image. 

It's also outstanding on the Moon. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Gfamily

[Elp]

Have a read through my observation thread as I've included some images through the eyepieces I was using to give you an idea of how large things will appear (some people can be underwhelmed by the size of planets in reality for example), and I think I'm using a fairly decently long focal length via my C6 SCT telescope (generally the longer the focal length the more magnified the view will be, larger aperture (diameter) scopes tend to have longer focal lengths the larger you go too, this also makes finding and framing your targets more difficult unless you have a goto system (more cost, and a short alignment procedure is require before using it)):

 

 

 

[Elp]

Personally I would not recommend a long focal length scope for a beginner but the intended recipient is mature enough to understand the pros and cons and decide what they'd like. It's the general consensus there isn't one telescope which can do it all, you either had widefield scopes, long focal length (for planets and smaller targets), larger aperture for better light gathering capability (for a better chance of seeing dim targets). The individual have to decide what they want to concentrate on. There's more than solar system objects to see, you have closed star clusters (globulars), open star clusters, the odd galaxy (most are very small other than Andromeda and a handful of others which are also dimmer than Andromeda), double stars, if youre lucky to have access to very dark skies (in that you can only see a handful of metres ahead of you dark) you may also be able to see some nebulae maybe with added filters.

[bwj]

19 hours ago, CanadianShari said:

Hello all!

I was wondering if you might be able to provide me some recommendations on a decent telescope for observing the planets? I am just a mama who has no two clues when it comes to this sort of thing. I want to purchase one as a gift for my daughter (22). She has a special interest in Saturn, if this helps. I have  a budget up to $1200. What would you recommend?

Thank you!

If you haven't already, I would recommend that you also look at the forum "Cloudy Nights". It is based in North America so may get you more localized help.

https://www.cloudynights.com/

There is a member on there with the username Kathyastro.  I believe she is also on here occasionally.  She is also in Nova Scotia.

I would also recommend for both you and your daughter getting a copy of "The Backyard Astronomers Guide" It is very complete and has specific telescope suggestions for beginners to more advanced. You may be able to get it through your library instead of buying it.

https://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Astronomers-Guide-Terence-Dickinson/dp/0228103274/ref=asc_df_0228103274/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=509199198673&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16842329637490796064&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021375&hvtargid=pla-1212477164638&psc=1

Whatever you end up buying. enjoy the learning

Clear Skies!