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Child Item

Argos telescope

Blankety

I picked up one of these telescopes in Argos ( Cristal 800mm Reflector Telescope. 192/8174) as a stocking filler for one of the kids at Christmas. It's a lot of kit for €36, huge box of bits and pieces.

Don't expect Hubble scope quality but it may spark an interest or hobby for a child. If nothing else it's an ornament for the study....

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10152&catalogId=14551&langId=111&searchTerms=1928174&authToken=

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biccies

Looks great just reserved one rganks

franer1970

Bizarre photo they have up for it - the telescope tube itself is missing for some reason.
Better photo here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cristal-800MM-Reflector-Telescope-/351057223819

Mantis Toboggan

Anyone have this?

Is it any good?

coffee to go

Some more (not entirely complimentary) info here:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/cristal-800mm-reflector-telescope-was-79-99-now-31-99-reserve-collect-instore-argos-1961305

endacl

If you want to kill an emerging interest in astronomy.....

Don't waste your cash. Cr4p optics. Cheap wobbly mount and tripod. You'd be better off just looking up at the sky tbh.

It's only a bargain if it works.

dunworth1

nice find reserved one thanks

tayto lover

endacl wrote: »

If you want to kill an emerging interest in astronomy.....

Don't waste your cash. Cr4p optics. Cheap wobbly mount and tripod. You'd be better off just looking up at the sky tbh.

It's only a bargain if it works.

What would be a good model to start with and how much would it cost please?

imitation

A good pair of binoculars is the best way to start out in astronomy imo. Telescopes are great, but they are bulky and after the novelty wears off it will be stuck up in the attic the next time something comes along.

endacl

tayto lover wrote: »

What would be a good model to start with and how much would it cost please?

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130.html

Something like this. Shop around and you'll get it at a better price though. All if the 'quality' makers do very respectable starter 'scopes at around the €100-150 mark. Any of them would be a good buy. If you do a hunt on the astronomy forum you'll find plenty of info. I'll PM you later with more details/links. On the phone at the moment, so it's a bit more tricky.

Tbh, to get started, you'd be better off with the old reliable MK1 eyeball. You'll get to know your way around using your built in optics. If that sparks your interest the most sensible next step would be a decent set of 10x50 binoculars. Keep your eye on lidl for these. They have pairs by Bresser (Meade) in every few months for about €20. Not 'pro' quality, but well made and decent enough performance. If you're still interested at that point, you'll probably spend a bit more on a 'scope, in the knowledge that you'll be using it for years to come. Those Argos jobs are designed to gather dust in the corner of a shed.

Blankety

endacl wrote: »

If you want to kill an emerging interest in astronomy.....

Don't waste your cash. Cr4p optics. Cheap wobbly mount and tripod. You'd be better off just looking up at the sky tbh.

It's only a bargain if it works.

Yeah I am concerned that this is too cheap to be any good, given the sheer size of it and transport from China €36 must be close to cost price.
I couldn't find a review anywhere but the cash outlay isn't huge so I'll take a chance. I think the binoculars route would be too heavy for younger kids... thank god I have lots of Velux windows in the attic, if it finds it's way up there it still might get used

Did you actually try out this model or are you working from general knowledge of cheap telescopes?

Banjo String

Great addition to any pirate ship.

Arrrrrr.

The_B_Man

tayto lover wrote: »

What would be a good model to start with and how much would it cost please?

I got this one for me ma, and its great:
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

no setup or alignment required. Just open it and point.

Thargor

130 mm provides disappointing views no matter how much you pay for it, you cant see much with them, Saturn for example looks no different to a star through a 130 mm scope except for 2 little bumps either side, Jupiter is the same, looks just like a star with a couple of smaller stars dotted around it for the moons.

130 mm is the aperture of the scope by the way, the width of the tube which measures the scopes ability to gather light in the first place and the correct way to describe a scope, the fact that the one in the OP is called an 800 mm scope which I assume is the length of the tube just goes to show how much thought has gone into it, Im guessing its just 76 mm or something pathetic like that, you might get a nice shot of the moon some night but apart from that its useless.

If you want to see proper detail like the Red Spot on Jupiter or Saturns rings then you need to go big, Dobsonians are the cheapest way to do this.

The_B_Man

The one I linked above there, you can see the bands on Jupiter, and on a clear night you can make out the storm.

ThePhilip

Is this telescope fairly portable? Would I be able to take it with me for walks? It's 6.5 kg which isn't too heavy.

endacl

ThePhilip wrote: »

Is this telescope fairly portable? Would I be able to take it with me for walks? It's 6.5 kg which isn't too heavy.

Taking a telescope for a walk! That's a new one on me....

Although something like one if the smaller Meade etx series would be perfect for that. It's not called the 'observatory in a backpack' for nothing.

ThePhilip

endacl wrote: »

Taking a telescope for a walk! That's a new one on me....

Although something like one if the smaller Meade etx series would be perfect for that. It's not called the 'observatory in a backpack' for nothing.

Thanks for the info

Mantis Toboggan

I've just ordered this one! Anyone know if it's any good?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006MCYAH4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The_B_Man

Be grand for looking at the moon, but you won't get any proper view of the planets, bar a white light surrounded by smaller lights (moons).

Mantis Toboggan

The_B_Man wrote: »

Be grand for looking at the moon, but you won't get any proper view of the planets, bar a white light surrounded by smaller lights (moons).

Perfect for what I'l be using it for. (Stalking the neighbours :pac:)

Blankety

So being the curious sort, I couldn't help but open the package and have a proper snoop. Experts please remember I have never laid eyes before on a telescope and there is just a 6 page instruction guide how to set it up - so go easy.

Tube size is 120mm diameter, 710mm long.
I set up the mount which appears to be sturdy with the type of adjustments you get on a laser level tripod.
Stuck the scope on top, looks grand, the adjusters look a bit agricultural, knurled metal finish,nothing fancy.
3 eyepieces 6mm, 12.5mm & 20mm and a Barlow which has 3X stamped on it. A moon filter is in there too.
After assembly it requested the red dot finder to be added and calibrated. I am guessing this is used to find objects roughly and then focus in using the different lenses.

I started with a 20 mm lense which should give 40X according to my Chinese friend.
I trained it on a aerial pole about 250 Meters away. Easy enough to find and I adjusted the red dot finder.
I added the 3 x Barlow and the magnification was good, should be 120X according to the instructions, see picture I took through the eyepiece with my phone.
I then looked for a sign on a galvanized farm shed about 500 Meters away, took a little time to find, I then went for the 6mm lens with barlow should be 399X, eventually I found the sign, there was no text on it but I could count the ridges in the galvanize sheet, 10 across the width of the sign, I think these are 3" ridges so the sign was 30" across and it just about filled the eyepiece at 500 meters but it was a darker image, no doubt there was a serious degradation in image quality. My phone was almost dead so I couldn't take a picture, I tried but it is a lot more difficult that at 120X.
Just for the hell of it I swung back around 180 Degrees and used the red dot to try find the aerial pole with 399X setup, got it first time, just needed to fine tune the elevation. So the setup of the tripod appears to be repeatable.

Unfortunately this tells nothing about the usefulness of space observation and it is very cloudy tonight, if I get a chance I will try to glimpse through the cloud breaks.

[IMG][/img]

Kersh

Thargor wrote: »

130 mm provides disappointing views no matter how much you pay for it, you cant see much with them, Saturn for example looks no different to a star through a 130 mm scope except for 2 little bumps either side, Jupiter is the same, looks just like a star with a couple of smaller stars dotted around it for the moons.

If you want to see proper detail like the Red Spot on Jupiter or Saturns rings then you need to go big, Dobsonians are the cheapest way to do this.

Honestly, having looked through lots of different scopes, by many manufacturers, I couldnt disagree more.

A 130mm aperture scope, like that 130P Flextube linked by a poster, will easily show Saturns rings, and the 2 main cloud belts on Jupiter, through the supplied eyepieces (10mm & 25mm). If you can get your hands on a 5mm eyepice, its even better.

Yes, of course, the bigger the aperture the better, but also the more expensive. Your thoughts on the lack of aperture being mentioned is spot on though! More often than not I get calls off people wondering can I help them see anything through "toy shop" scopes, and usually the answer is no, even going so far as having people drop them up to me to try out.

The original scope the OP linked isnt a manufacturer I recognise, it doesnt say what the aperture is, which is worrying, as all reputable brands define their scopes by aperture. From looking at the pics (and the price), its a very cheaply designed scope, and I would worry where the corners have been cut to reduce the cost.

A beginner scope, at minimum, should be 60mm, with proper glass lenses, and glass lensed eyepieces.

To the OP, does it give any indication at all as to how big the mirror is?

Blankety

Kersh wrote: »

A beginner scope, at minimum, should be 60mm, with proper glass lenses, and glass lensed eyepieces.

To the OP, does it give any indication at all as to how big the mirror is?

Hi, I woke about 30 minutes ago, looked out and could see stars...... Yipee. ran down got the scope out and looked for the brightest thing I could find in the sky which was almost directly above. Found it no problem with 20mm & Barlow (120X) it was a bright clear star, went to go to 399X but damm clouds had moved in. I tried a few other bright stars but clouds were always rolling in, after a few minutes there wasn't a star to be seen.

Kersh, the measurement at the opening is 120mm outside to outside, and 110mm inside to inside this is the end the light goes in - I assume it the aperture.
As far as I can tell the mirror on the other side sits on a plate with 3 large screws and 3 smaller set screws, the manual warns not to adjust any of these screws, the plate is 100mm across, the mirror could be the full size of this plate even slightly larger. It look the full size of the tube (110 mm) when you look from the other side.

the tube length is 710mm

Until I get a fix on a planet and see if finer details are visible I won't be able to say for sure if the scope is toy shop level or more.

Back to the land of nod.

Kersh

From rooting around various links and sites etc, im sure its an 80mm mirror.

The 3 adjusters at the rear are for collimating the 2 mirrors in it. These need to be kept aligned to get the best out of it. You need a collimator to do that.
Try not to knock the scope around too much, as that can knock the mirrors out of alignment.

The moon should make a very easy target when its up. After that, try Saturn, as its up in the evening sky.

Stars, regardless of the size telescope, be it 80mm mirror or 5 metre, are always point sources. So dont be too disappointed if all you see are dots!

dingding

Code for sligo if anyone is interested.

Has to be collected by 6:00pm this evening (30th).

rameire

currently only 4 left in stock around the country
Wexford (Extra) In stock: 1
Tullamore (Extra) In stock: 1
Dundalk Retail Park (Extra) In stock: 1
Cavan (Extra) In stock: 1

Akrasia

The_B_Man wrote: »

The one I linked above there, you can see the bands on Jupiter, and on a clear night you can make out the storm.

Yeah. I've got an explorer 130 and you can see some details on Jupiter and you can see the rings of Saturn

Also, using the equatorial mount is half the fun. I had great craic trying to figure out how to get the telescope to point the right way, and properly polar align it and figure out how to use the clock drive...

For me, that's the fun part.