Request| Telescopes which to buy?

**~~thegsg~~** · December 16, 2010, 11:05 AM

I was saving some money for a telescope and finally iv'e decided to buy one. im putting this request here as i know that you are ordinary people like me and will give me a "simple" answer. now i know that there are two types of telescopes at least i think i know the first one is for viewing our solar system they are the thin and long ones. and the second type is for viewing a stuff like galaxies and they are the fat and short ones etc.
i personally prefer the one for viewing farther out of our solar system although i know the view is not great im not buying a telescope for the pretty sight so can anyone suggest anything im really desperate.

all help is appreciated

**Godfrey I of Leuven** · December 16, 2010, 12:34 PM

There's much more to it than that mate. First of all, a good beginner telescope costs about 300-400 euros. Second, how's the light pollution in your area ?

**~~thegsg~~** · December 17, 2010, 03:37 AM

Originally Posted by Godfrey I of Leuven

There's much more to it than that mate. First of all, a good beginner telescope costs about 300-400 euros. Second, how's the light pollution in your area ?

Very very bad when your at the city at night the only things you can see are the moon and venus some times you can see some dim stars but thats rare althought i can still drive somewhere where theres no polution like a forest a deserted place and set the telescope there also i do have around 550 euros so i guess i can afford that

**Godfrey I of Leuven** · December 17, 2010, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by thegsg

Very very bad when your at the city at night the only things you can see are the moon and venus some times you can see some dim stars but thats rare althought i can still drive somewhere where theres no polution like a forest a deserted place and set the telescope there also i do have around 550 euros so i guess i can afford that

You should be at least 10 miles or so from the city in order to properly discern any constellations. If you're committed to the hobby, prepare to make loads of trips.

You should also try and contact a local astronomy club for some additional info. Your budget's ok though.

**~~thegsg~~** · December 17, 2010, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by Godfrey I of Leuven

You should be at least 10 miles or so from the city in order to properly discern any constellations. If you're committed to the hobby, prepare to make loads of trips.

You should also try and contact a local astronomy club for some additional info. Your budget's ok though.

Thanks ill keep that in mind but iv'e heard theres telescopes you shouldn't buy like the ones that work on their own power or something so are there any i should stay away from?

**Godfrey I of Leuven** · December 18, 2010, 07:55 AM

Not that I know of.. Motorised mounts are better than manual as you don't have to manually change your telescope's position all the time. For a beginner, I'd recommend SkyWatcher, Celestron or Meade because they have a good price/quality ratio. Your choice of telescope depends on whether you want to see nebulae or planets

**~~thegsg~~** · December 18, 2010, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by Godfrey I of Leuven

Not that I know of.. Motorised mounts are better than manual as you don't have to manually change your telescope's position all the time. For a beginner, I'd recommend SkyWatcher, Celestron or Meade because they have a good price/quality ratio. Your choice of telescope depends on whether you want to see nebulae or planets

If Nebula's are my choice which one should i get?

**Kanaric** · December 19, 2010, 04:31 AM

I had/have a Celestron telescope and it is excellent. We bought it in the mid 90s and we did stellar photography with it and it was fairly easy to set up to do so, if you are interested in that kind of thing check it out. The so called "fat and short ones" are the best IMO. We viewed pretty much everything with it, galaxies, planets, nebula, etc. Its called a smith cassegrain telescope and they are usually more expensive. The one we have was ridiculously expensive around $5500 IIRC so idk how much you want to spend. New ones for what we paid for have USB connections to computers that pretty much automatically set up everything for time lapse photos or finding specific objects in the sky. Now you can get one like ours for FAR less because of this so you might want to check out to see if you can get one used.

If I were home where it is I could send you pictures we have taken with it. I've had cheap telescopes but using that one was like a whole new kind of awesome.

With that telescope it was awesome to look at Saturn or Jupiter where you could even see the phases of the moons in relation to earth. Like I said I was able to see every type of celestial body clearly with it. Nebula you had to do photos of otherwise it looks like a blur but all the images you see of nebula are all time lapse images.

I wish I had it with me out here in Nevada. It only takes like 20 minutes to drive out to place where there is literally no light at all.

If Nebula's are my choice which one should i get?

If you want to see nebula like this:

You will have to take time lapse photos, you will need a telescope that rotates with the earth to take the photos, and you will need a digital camera that does time lapse or film.

My dad was the one who took these photos but I believe you HAD to have a camera that can take lenses and attachments to mount it. Those have gone down in price if you do not own one. We used film so idk how a digital camera would work for this. I am not a camera person so I am uncertain on this part of it.

**~~thegsg~~** · December 19, 2010, 09:18 AM

Well i certainly don't have more than 1000$ but buying a used one is an option hmm if they were only selling one here

**Godfrey I of Leuven** · December 19, 2010, 09:47 AM

Astrophotography is not a cheap hobby and is pretty time-consuming. It's best to just go out with your telescope and explore the night sky as a beginner.

If you want to see nebulae you'll need a telescope with a large mirror (8" or more), The length of your tube should be at least 1000mm which would make you capable of enjoying the planets as well.

I'd recommend a Newtonian reflector or a Dobsonian.

Newtonian:

Dobsonian:

Just so you know, you'll never see any nebula or galaxy in colour because the pictures you see on the internet are enhanced. They'll always be grey, but they're breathtaking nonetheless.

**Old_Scratch** · December 19, 2010, 11:02 PM

Long time astronomy enthusiast here. For a first scope I'd recommend a small refractor, the long thin ones as you call it. A refractor was my first scope and it served me well for a long time. The advantage of a refractor over a Newtonian reflector or a catadioptric is in its ease of use. It's a closed optical system so you don't have to worry about mirror collimation or temperature equilibrium/tube currents. So with the type of scope narrowed down, which brand? Meade and Celestron made some decent first scopes, it really depends on how much money you're willing to spend and if you want a goto mount. I'd personally recommend what I started with, a plain old alt azimuth mount. It's nothing fancy, but it's cheap and easy to use. Use it to see the planets and the moon for a bit, and then try for something more challenging. You will of course have to know something about the night sky though to use this.

If you have no intention of learning the sky then a goto might be for you. They need polar alignment and some sort of star reference, but after that they will point to whatever you want. If you're willing to spend a little more money, many beginners swear by the Meade ETX scopes. One type is a refractor and the others are Maksutov-Cassigrains. I've never used the ETX but from what I hear it's a pretty easy goto scope with good optics. It can even be used for astrophotography if you were so inclined.

I personally use an Orion 10" Dobsonian, a reflector. Dobsonians provide the biggest bang for the buck, but can be a little more difficult to use for a beginner.

Cloudy Nights is a good website for all sorts of astronomy info if you want. Here is a link to their beginner forum, but all their forums are full of helpful info.
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthrea...oard/beginners

**Old_Scratch** · December 20, 2010, 10:53 AM

Here is a video with some good information too.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

EDIT: Also, you may even want to consider a nice pair of 7x50 binoculars. Because you're using two eyes you will be able to resolve things 40% better than with one eye, and the wide field of view is easy to use for a beginner. They aren't powerful enough to use for planets but are spectacular for deep sky at a dark location, and very portable. I've used a set of Fujinon marine binoculars for years and have seen more deep sky objects with them than I ever have with a telescope. Here is a video with more info.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**~~thegsg~~** · December 20, 2010, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by Old_Scratch

Here is a video with some good information too.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

EDIT: Also, you may even want to consider a nice pair of 7x50 binoculars. Because you're using two eyes you will be able to resolve things 40% better than with one eye, and the wide field of view is easy to use for a beginner. They aren't powerful enough to use for planets but are spectacular for deep sky at a dark location, and very portable. I've used a set of Fujinon marine binoculars for years and have seen more deep sky objects with them than I ever have with a telescope. Here is a video with more info.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Good to know ill jump right into that when ill be done with me homework

I cant thank you all enough for all of your help im not really a beginner iv'e been studying astronomy and astrophysics for quite some time now the only problem that i don't want to order from Ebay cause of the ridiculous shipping cost. moreover i don't know what telescopes do they sell in this one shop that i have in my region and its 4 hours of driving away so thats what i will do: instead of waisting your time ill just go to that shop see what i can afford make 3 picks and ask you for the winner

**~~thegsg~~** · December 20, 2010, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by Godfrey I of Leuven

Astrophotography is not a cheap hobby and is pretty time-consuming. It's best to just go out with your telescope and explore the night sky as a beginner.

If you want to see nebulae you'll need a telescope with a large mirror (8" or more), The length of your tube should be at least 1000mm which would make you capable of enjoying the planets as well.

I'd recommend a Newtonian reflector or a Dobsonian.

Newtonian:

Dobsonian:

Just so you know, you'll never see any nebula or galaxy in colour because the pictures you see on the internet are enhanced. They'll always be grey, but they're breathtaking nonetheless.

I know its the X rays that make them pretty