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Best Telescope for Beginners

  • 03-08-2003 10:44pm
    #1
    Pythagoras
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24 ✭


    I'm a bit of a newbie at astronomy, but am willing to get stuck in to it. And the best start is probably to read up on the net and getting myself a telescope. So what type would you advise that I get (and from where) to get started on? something good enough and also not very expensive and also one that I'd be able to see Mars pretty good with when it comes close this month.

    Thanks for any advice,


Comments

  • #2
    GuanYin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15,552 ✭✭✭✭GuanYin


    don' by anything that is advertised by power rating (aperture is more important) and generally avoid argos and department/camera stores.

    Your best bet is to contact a vendor that specialises in telescopes and discuss your needs with him (how serious you will take it, when will you upgrade etc).

    If you can attend a "starparty" talk to others there and get advice.

    This is a good site for looking at moedls.


  • #3
    Saruman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,389 ✭✭✭✭Saruman


    Your first scope... Binoculars... seriously!!! Before spending money, get a set of 10x50's for about €80 or less and use them. Its enough to see the moons of Jupiter and if you can hold it steady with a tripod you might even see Saturns rings. In dark skies you should be able to scan the milky way and even see nebulae and galaxies.

    As for the best scope? The best you can afford...

    As SkyIrl suggested a star party is good. Astronomy Irelands one is on August 22nd weather permitting. Its €25 now so think about it. You can sample different scopes there. Im going for the first time myself. I own a Celestron firstscope 80EQ myself.


  • #4
    albertw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 395 ✭✭albertw


    Binoculars are best if youre on a budget, or unsure whether this is a hobby you want to invest in, you can always use them for something else. I've happily used binoculars for years.
    As for the best scope? The best you can afford...

    If you want a telescope you need to get at least a 3 (~ 70mm) inch refractor or a 6 (150mm) inch reflector. Anything less than that isn't worth the trouble. The best you can afford isnt necessarily the best for you, as there are a lot of different kinds of scopes, and prices here are ridiculous!

    Going to a starparty (or just an observing night) is a good way to see whats there. Have a look on www.irishastronomy.org and get in touch with you local club and they will be able to show you a good variety of scopes and binoculars. Though do shop around and get advice and prices from several places, thats the best way to avoid shops peddling their own wares.

    Dave Lillis from Shannonside Astronomy Club has a very good article on choosing a telescope at http://www.geocities.com/shannonsideac/choose.htm which is worth a read. One to bear in mind about telescopes though is that you will want accessories, you will want several eyepieces (for different magnification), some filters etc. Which can typically cost a few hundred euro.

    If you do want a scope rather than binoculars, then I'd say something like an 8" Dobsonian would make a good choice, though it all deoends on your requirements (budget, photography? deepsky? planets? etc.).

    Chers,
    ~Al


  • #5
    Saruman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,389 ✭✭✭✭Saruman


    Oh yeah by the way.. i will sell you my firstscope 80EQ if you are interested. Im not too pushed but if i sell it i can get a bigger one :D


  • #6
    bartificer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 113 ✭✭bartificer


    A good pir of Binoculars is the way to go seriously. Getting a telescope before you know you way round the sky is pointless and counter productive because you will just end up getting so frustrated that you give up on the who astronomy thing.

    If you have dark skies you can see an awfull lot with a pair of binoculars. I have observed Galaxies, Nebulae, open and globular clusters and even some planetary nebulae. You will also become very familiar with the sky so you will be able to make good use of your first telescope when you do finally get one.

    My first telescope was a 6" Dobson and I really think that was the way to go. Dobsons are very easy to manouver around the sky, simply grab on to the tube and point it where you wish! With a 6" scope I could pick up so many more objects than I could with my binoculars that it was enough to keep me going for a few years before I moved on to a Meade LX200 !!" Shmid Cassagrian. I know for a fact that if I had gone straight for the LX200 I would not have been able to get anything usefull out of it!

    Despite the fact that I have access to the LX200 (it technically belongs to the Exp. Pghysics Department in NUIM) I still love going on a clear night with just my binoculars or if I am at home in my parents place my 6" Dobson, I don't think I will ever get rid of either no matter what telescopes I buy in the future.

    Bart B.
    Astro2 (Astronomy & Physics Society, NUIM)


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  • #7
    Pythagoras
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24 ✭Pythagoras


    so, you'd all agree to just use binoculars to get used to the night sky and various positions? I'm intending to do the physics and astronomy course in NuiG so this is something that I do intend to stick at. so i guess I should start out properly at it....must dig out the trusty family binoculars....... thanks all!


  • #8
    halenger
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 2,094 ✭✭✭halenger


    Family binoculars are all well and good but you might need to get ones that are recommended by an Astronomy organisation. Take a look on the web(google's always handy). Look at some reviews/suggestions.

    The ones you have may be grand but I wouldn't be sure.

    Also a tripod is a HUGE help. You'll see so very much more with a tripod. Unless you've got unbelievably steady hands, unlike me!


  • #9
    albertw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 395 ✭✭albertw


    It depends on what your family binoculars are like I guess. I started using an old pair of 7x50's which served me well for years. The 7 is the magnification power and the 50 is the diameter of one of the front lenses in mm. The 50 is the more important number as the larger the lenses the more light they can capture and hence the more things youll be able to see. Any half decent pair that you have is good enough to get started!

    http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/scopes/article_154_1.asp is a nice article on binoculars.

    As halenger pointed out mounting on a tripod is a must! Any camera shop should be able to help you out here, a basic tripod will cost under 30euro and the adaptor to connect it to binoculars will cost about another 10.

    Get advice from a few places on getting new binoculars. Like telescopes thay can get very expensive quickly, with large aperture, image stabilising, high transmission coatings etc. etc. All of which are probably nice to have, though possibly overkill for your first purchase. Have a look in your local camera shop and see what they have, then check for reviews online, this will filter out the dodgy brands, and let you compare prices.

    Cheers,
    ~Al


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