Telescope shopping expert help needed (Not a solicitation for goods just opinions on whats good)

I am looking into getting a nice telescope for around 200 USD ( im not soliciting for sales) i just wanted to get some input for the brilliant people here at ATS (hopefully phage finds this thread along with any other expert) i don't want to look at Pluto or anything like that i am just upset with missing this newest asteroid thats coming close on the 8th of November. basically i just want to check out the rings of Saturn or get a cool view of mercury and catch a view at a close asteroid I thought it would be pretty easy to pick one out but i had no idea all the types there are. oh and if possible i would like to be able to hook it up to my computer via usb to take pictures

Thanks in advance for all your expertise and once i get one i will post some pics so all ATS can see some cool pictures


And yes im looking at a few like this one Meade ETX-80AT-TC Astro Telescope with AutoStar im not being lazy and just asking because i don't want to look i just want a couple views on whats good and bad

Get something that looks like this. It's on Ebay and has a camera attached too it. You just hook up to your laptop or computer. Looks cool. I'll be buying this soon.

reply to post by Manhater


This is the one you're referring to ... ( computer controlled )

TwinStar on Amazon

This isn't a referrer link, I just wanted to look this up so it would be more useful .. TwinStar appears to sell a range of items, and this is the one that looks like what was posted to me.

$349

No, that's not it. Hold on.

www.ebay.com...

But now that you mention it, I might switch to this one.

www.ebay.com...

I just cant believe how many types there are im actually really excited about this thanks for the tips
2nd line

I am going to catch my UFO.

Im no expert, but I did own a pretty nice 10" Dobsonian for a few years. What are you intending to look at? Two hundred is unfortunatly not gonna get you a whole bunch in the telescope world. If the moon and other fairly close planets are your aim you should do okay in that range. That meade looks pretty good for the money. The computer is almost a must, I didnt have one on mine and it wasnt the easiest thing to do to find your target,. In fact most of my most memorable viewings were purely by accident.

reply to post by Manhater


Check this one out its crazy cheap on sale looks real good and comes with its own software
www.telescopes.com...

We bought the Ioptron Goto GPS mount with a cheap tube last year. I'm going to upgrade the tube this year, but I have to say we're really happy with the GPS mount and with our budget glad we purchased that first. It makes finding things super easy. It's given us enough time to get used to working it and now we're ready to get a tube that can show us more spectacular sights.

Originally posted by Manhater
No, that's not it. Hold on.

www.ebay.com...

But now that you mention it, I might switch to this one.

www.ebay.com...

edit on 17-10-2011 by Manhater because: (no reason given)

I only wonder how a 1.3 MP Digital Camera could be high quality!? 1.3MP is the lowest quality possible or am I mistaking something here?

reply to post by Immune


Difficult to use (58)
Difficult to focus (41)
Heavy (36)
Unstable (36)
Poor lens quality (21)

No, thank you. I want a bad boy.

reply to post by nedined


I'm still looking. Haven't bought it yet.

To get a good look at Saturn, you'll probably need a 6-8" diameter telescope. I have an 8" dobsonian and am really pleased with it. You will also want to get a bigger magnification eyepiece with it. I purchased a 3x barlow lens with mine and a lunar filter for moon viewing (tried looking at the moon without the filter, and its like looking at the sun through binoculars ).

Anywho, the view of Jupiter is pretty awesome, to say the least. The moon is great, and you'll be amazed at how many stars you see when you actually look through it on a dark night.

Here is another thread on the topic

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Personally, buy an 8inch Dobsonian, and ensure you buy a good brand. It makes a massive difference. 8inch dobsonians are almost too big to transport but large enough to be satisfied with what you can see.

Don't get a computer because this way you have to learn the sky, and that is an important factor to astronomy.

Here's a quote from that thread:

Originally posted by Drunkenparrot
reply to post by Frira

 

This is a good/informative post worth repeating.

I would also add that while few things compare with the awe and wonder of observing the cosmos first hand, no matter how powerful the telescope, the human eye is incapable of resolving the minute quantities of light that is required to image the Messier objects in anything close to the detail that is seen in the long exposure photos seen in books and on the web.

To give a comparison here is what you might see of M42 (Orion) under optimal viewing conditions through a good pair of binoculars...

M42 through a 100MM ( 4") refractor...

M42 through a 8" Newtonian (Dobsonian)...

M42 through a 16" Dobsonian ( This is about the limit of practicality for amateur telescopes)

Compared with a 15 minute 35mm film exposure taken from a 8" Newtonian...

The Telescope GuideBook Vol. 1: What Can You See?

Hope this helps.

edit on 13-10-2011 by Drunkenparrot because: Sp

and another:

Originally posted by Frira

Originally posted by lbndhr

to look at planets up close,

That points at a refractor-- with a relatively high focal length.

see through the galaxie at other galaxies with as clear an image as I can afford, wide lens for a wider view.

That points at a reflector, with a relatively short focal length.

I think a good lens can range from 6 to 10 ? What about the telescope length, does it need to be lonjg to get the best image or can it be small in length I saw some nice telescopes that can mount onto a tri pod. my price range is around $350.00 or lower.

6 to 10? You mean millimeter? Those small mm optics (the technical term for the "eye-piece," which some call the lens) will be very powerful for magnification, and not well suited for deep sky objects because with magnification comes darkness. Galaxies will be so dim as not to be seen.

If you mean 6 to 10 inches of telescope aperture-- that would be a huge refractor and a medium sized reflector.

For deep sky (e.g., galaxies, clusters, nebula), I generally worked the sky with a 32mm on my reflector (17.5" primary mirror), and switched to no lower than 18mm for detail-- that was my preference. Comets, also, are best viewed with reflectors because they are usually quite dim. Magnification is not really an issue for most deep sky objects.

For planetary viewing, you will find increasing magnification will also lower the contrast so what you see is bigger, but with even less detail-- especially with low-end quality and price optics.

Planets and lunar observing are suited for refractors. And magnification does become a consideration-- because they are so bright. You can easily magnify beyond the abilities of your telescope-- so do not let that be a major sales point. A well known department store brand has long advertized on the magnifying "power" of their telescopes. But that "power" is useless unless in bright sunlight, looking at a deer a mile away-- even though they show pictures of galaxies and planets on the box.

Mind you, the craters of the moon, the rings of Saturn and the bands of Jupiter get pretty boring. Deep sky objects never are boring to most. I rarely saw refractors at any club gathering, and at large star parties, the owners also had reflectors.

For very casual viewing, a really good pair of binoculars on a tri-pod fits your price and has the ability to pull in most if not all Messier objects as well as allow some fun with planets and moon. The few beginners who take that advice are pleased, but rare.

As for the length of the telescope-- it tells you very little about the scope. How much light can get through the big end is a major factor-- and the quality of the primary lens or mirror is the other primary factor.

Earning my Messier Certificate kept me out in the field at nights-- because I had a goal, because I learned the sky, and because it pushed me to learn my scope and its limits-- to know what optic (eye-piece" I wanted to buy next), and was simply FUN.

I would not a buy a telescope that could not pull in the faintest Messier objects..

Here are some links I stumbled upon:

www.astro-tom.com...
www.astronomy.com...
www.astronomytoday.com...
www.astroleague.org...


You need to do some more research to find what you want.

Look for a local club offering an observing session (also known as a "star party") where you can look through a variety of different types and find what you want. Your budget is right at the low end of the serious small amateur astronomy telescopes.

You'll want to look into what size optics can be used-- the serious amateur typically uses 1-1/4" or 2" receptacles. If you buy a good instrument, you can start with cheap-ish optics and improve as you have the money with the better optics.

reply to post by Immune


For that price range i guess it's an ok telescope, but i myself would not buy that.

Better safe up some cash and buy the celestron nexstar 4SE or the meade etx90.
The etx 80 is a bit poor in stability, tracking and optical if you want to take good pictures or videos.
And it's a 400mm scope, so planets won't be that interesting with this.

Great job to all those who posted im researching them all one by one and i do agree the computer add on is a way to ruin the experience for those who dont know the sky (which i do not) i just want the ability to take pics though the scope and i really cannot afford one of the sweet scopes with a motor though if i hit the lotto here i come lol

My advice is to get in touch with your local amateur astronomy club...they're everywhere. These guys are always willing to help out a newbie to get started on the right foot.

They'll definitely steer you in the right direction and help you get what you need without paying for stuff you don't need.

Good luck.

I am really, really eying one of those (rather pricey) Meade LX200, 10" or 12"..that recent Elenin silliness really wanted me to get a scope again and back into Astronomy, after i head a cheap one as a teenager.

It's amazing what the scopes can do today, years ago you had a scope and a stand..that's it..now they come all computerized with all kinds of crazy features...