Looking for a good telescope.

Hey everyone, I was wondering which brands have the best beginner telescopes?
The only stipulation, is I would like it to be easily portable.

I have never used one before, but would love to take up the hobby. I really love science, and space exploration. So since I probably wont be going to space anytime soon..

I live on an open marsh, so the night sky is already gorgeous from my deck, but I would like to see the moon/constellations etc..

Any advice would be helpful.

i need help to! i was just about to post a topic XD i found a kessops

"telescope with 800mm focal length, 80mm objective and a maximum magnification of 800x when used with a 6mm eye peice and 3x barlow lens. the more powerful jessops 1100-102 model has a 110mm focal length and a larger 102mm objective for brighter and cleaer images, and a maximum magnification of 550x when used with 6mm eye piece and 3x barlow lense"

Someone explain that to me please ^_^ i need to know if its good or not and which ones better

SkyWatcher makes good beginner telescopes. They've also got a knowledgebase on their site.
For star positions I recommend Stellarium

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Hav a peek through the above thread also! You may get som ideas,
Also this one www.abovetopsecret.com...

I will give you a bit of advice.

Don't buy any telescope by how high the power is rated!

If you are near an amateur astronomer or club, pay a visit, they'll be more than happy to give you the proper guidance.

It really depends on budget and what you want to do with it.

The most important part is the mount, preferably an equatorial if you plan on doing any imaging, unless you just want to observe with it.

The rule of thumb is 50 power or times per inch of aperture. Be careful of any telescopes which claim more. Aperture is the size of the objective lens or mirror.

There's nothing like taking a look through a good instrument.

Beware of the high power rated scopes, its not a lie, they can go to that power, but you won't be impressed with the image. I personally like 8" mirrors, they are not too heavy and give good power for the money.

Good luck.

Mob

A good pair of binoculars is a great place to start. You'll can learn your way around the sky and if you find you're not really into it, they are good for other things. Whatever you get, don't get caught up in magnification at first. Light gathering and optical quality are much more important. If you get binos first, that means full size with large objective lenses.

There's a lot of info on the net and it would pay to do a little googling. The equipment gets pretty specialized and it's usually best to get something less so at first. With binos or spotting scopes you can look at terrestrial objects as well as some pretty neat stuff in the sky.

reply to post by Carlthulhu


I agree about skywatcher, I use their 8" dob for my moon imaging.

It uses a thin mirror and cool down is quick.

Its views are stunning under higher powers as well as wide field.

I don't have anything to do with the Skywatcher company, just like their prices and equipment. I also use Meade's stuff as well and their optics are very nice, the mounts can be troublesome, but for the most part there optics are as good as it gets. I have an 8" SCT of Meade's, built up a new mount myself for it and its great!

Mob

Ive been using binocluars for the past year, and i pretty much know my night sky XD
Those telescopes i listed our my choice. Im thinking more of the second one. but there bascily the cheapest bestest ones i could find. cause im a student and cant afford real things

For people like me who have never used one, how much detail could you see on the moon for instance, from a place like london. Does light pollution, mess around with the image, viewing from a city?

Plus can you tell all the constellations, from a city like london, with all the light pollution?

Good questions, Andy1033.
I live in an opposite situation. I live where there is minimal light pollution. Nothing like the lights in a large city like London. But i wondered the same thing about nearby lights.

I think I might try some good binoculars first. I think i will also get a book/map, to get acclimated.

Thanks for all of the advice.

Someone just tell me if this is good
Specifications

* Configuration: Newtonian Reflector
* 1100mm Focal length
* 102mm objective diameter
* Red dot finder scope
* 3x Barlow lens supplied
* 6mm, 12.5mm & 20mm eyepieces included
* Maximum magnification of 400x
* Including tripod & counter balance weights
* Micro adjustment controls

Well, I'm a big fan of Dobsonian telescopes. They are basically big Newtonian reflectors. They are not that portable but will fit nicely in a mini van or small suv. What they loose in portability they make up in quality.

10-15" will let you explore the heavens like never before.

If portability is still an issue I would recommend a Schmidt cassegrain. This is a combination between a reflector and a refractor.. I would recommend about the same aperture. (about 10-15") They are nice and compact but also make for some nice deep space viewing. The only catch is, it will cost you an arm and both legs.