NA anyone know about telescopes?

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TommyG

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So daughter wants a telescope for her birthday. I don’t know anything about them! Trying to research and look up on Amazon. What is the better kind, the refractor or reflective? I’m not looking to spend thousands, also I don’t want to buy a piece of garbage. Any guidance is appreciated.
 
You can spend somewhere between $150 and $500 for a decent reflector telescope setup. I'd most def go with a reflector vs. a refractor.
 
Sac Arrow said:
You can spend somewhere between $150 and $500 for a decent reflector telescope setup. I'd most def go with a reflector vs. a refractor.
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Refractors are just fine for small telescopes tho and usually less expensive.

There's POA for ya. First two posts out of the chute disagree....
 
labbadabba said:
Refractors are just fine for small telescopes tho and usually less expensive.

There's POA for ya. First two posts out of the chute disagree....
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I don't disagree with you, but reflectors are more compact and easier to deal with.
 
Just a suggestion. Help the daughter learn to use whatever telescope you decide to go with. Show interest and support. Far to often ya hear the "they used it once and walked away" when that was mostly from frustration with seeing more than the moon.
 
Why the heck are you asking us?


Ask an expert on space.



looney_tunes__telescope_by_masterof4elements-d9dyqyw.jpg
 
You didn't say how old your daughter is and this actually makes a big difference. If you have any interest in astronomy, then if I were you, I would look on craigslist for a good schmidt-cassegrain with at least 6" diameter. The cheapest "new" option would be a 4.5" reflector with the "go to" mounts. Anything less will be junk and/or your daughter will quickly outgrow if she likes astronomy...
 
She is 16, it’s just more of she love the sky. Definitely not looking to go into astronomy or any of that.
 
My dad bought my brother and me a Celestron 8 probably 3 decades ago. Fine telescope and absolutely clear. While not cheap, it's an heirloom device that will continue to perform for many years. Here's an example of a Celestron 8 on eBay.

As a coincidence, it does great job at looking into the hot neighbor's window a half mile away. Speaking hypothetically, of course.
 
Cloudynights.com is a great resource (they have Forums!).

If she's serious, a 6" or better schmidt-cassegrain is a great solution. I've been looking myself. Look out for scammers. Several "way below market" sellers on Amazon and Ebay have set off my fraud alarms. "That one is gone, but if we work outside of Ebay's system, I can get you a great deal on this other one."

If you're looking for a "starter scope", Astronomers without Borders has a very functional 130MM (~5") reflector at a good price. Probably the best value you'll get in a new 5" scope.

https://shop.astronomerswithoutbord...tpage/products/awb-onesky-reflector-telescope
 
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TommyG said:
So daughter wants a telescope for her birthday. I don’t know anything about them! Trying to research and look up on Amazon. What is the better kind, the refractor or reflective? I’m not looking to spend thousands, also I don’t want to buy a piece of garbage. Any guidance is appreciated.
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I have a reflector - got it maybe 10 yrs ago. It's on a Dobsonian mount with a 6" mirror. That's a pretty good starter scope. Anything smaller (4") is just not big enough to grab enough light to catch much deep-space stuff. Larger (8"+) is just too big a PITA for a beginner to drag outside. I think mine cost around $200. There are a few brands out there, Orion is probably cheapest, then Celestron, and then Meade. I'm not sure if they all make reflectors or not. Do some searches for "Dobs reflectors" and check out the backyard astronomy websites.

There are a couple things to consider with a reflector - the size of the mirror, the quality of the tube and mount, but one of the biggest things is that lower end scopes will include lower end eye-pieces. The eyepiece has the magnifying optics and slides on and off easily so you can swap out low magnification and high magnification. Low mag is normally best for general purpose. You can buy your own eyepieces, there are a couple of different sizes, though, so make sure you get ones that fit.

John Dobson sort of invented what's become known as the Dobsonian mount. No motors, not even a very good way to take photos. Just a simple, easy way to look at the stars. Get a decent star chart and star-hop. Find a bright star, use it as a waypoint, then scan over to where there's something faint to look at.

Dobs reflectors are pretty dead simple.

I have this for finding my way around:
https://protelescope.com/index.php/...lUjEY8ylrdTrG6r-A9cqA2jdPiMcs30YaAn2AEALw_wcB

And this is a nice resource for finding out what's visible each month:
http://whatsouttonight.com

Don't forget a good set of binoculars. A 50mm+ objective (don't worry too much about magnification) can grab enough light so you can see the Galilean moons of Jupiter very easily. And it's much more portable than a scope.

And have fun!

I'll see if I can find some pictures. To take a pic with a Dobs, you hold the camera up to the eyepiece and hope for the best. Dobson, I think it was him, said, "If you want to take pictures, get a book. If there's something in the sky you want to take a picture of, someone already has." He just wanted people to get interested in looking around at stuff.

Edit: I found a picture I took of the moon one night. This was at a low magnification.

first_quarter_21_apr_10.JPG
 
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TommyG said:
She is 16, it’s just more of she love the sky. Definitely not looking to go into astronomy or any of that.
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Then I would look into something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Ne...n+nexstar+130+slt+computerized+telescope&th=1

She could use this to view the moon and inner planets and not have to learn the constellations or how to star hop. It could also be used to view the sun with an appropriate solar filter. Deep sky objects will only resolve as smudges.

The thing to keep in mind is that you will never see views that are common in astronomy magazines.
 
Biggest tip-- the amount of magnification is a minor consideration. Greater magnification does not greatly improve the viewing experience. Better telescopes have options to change the eye piece to allow you to change magnifications for different applications. The biggest concern is resolution. You get the best resolution by having the widest initial lens (or mirror) and having good optics. I have a great home made refracting telescope. It has a great image because the mirror is wide, and its has good mirrors. I have a couple of different eye pieces, and a collimator to help line the mirrors up if they get out of adjustment.

Biggest bang for the buck is probably going to be reflective rather than refractive.
 
rtk11 said:
My dad bought my brother and me a Celestron 8 probably 3 decades ago. Fine telescope and absolutely clear. While not cheap, it's an heirloom device that will continue to perform for many years. Here's an example of a Celestron 8 on eBay.

As a coincidence, it does great job at looking into the hot neighbor's window a half mile away. Speaking hypothetically, of course.
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Could you see the Crab Nebula? Hypothetically speaking.
 
I'm a long time astronomy buff. Its a great thing to do with a kid. I currently have a 12" dobsonian mount reflector. It provides fantastic views of a dark sky, and it comes apart, so I can easily transport it to those dark skies.
I remember the first night I set it up, and pointed it at Jupiter. My 19 year old son walked out and asked to take a look. After looking he said, "How come I can see the moon in the telescope, but not with just my eyes?" When I told him it wasn't the moon, but instead Jupiter, I think his eyes popped out of his head!
My 17 year old daughter likes it too. She and I often travel to dark areas to use the scope. Often, we fly there to a dark field in northern Michigan, view for several hours, then fly home. Here is a pic from our last time:

upload_2018-3-1_8-59-49.png
 
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I have an older Celestron 8" dobsonian. I made my own setting circles for it and used an old Ipod touch to measure elevation. Crude but it works.

Here are a few pictures I took just through the lens with a digital camera. Obviously the one on the left is mine the one on the right is what it was supposed to look like at the time.

marswithweb.jpg

This is the moon during a lunar eclipse. Just a cell phone pic through the telescope lens and through an inside window. Harder to get a good one than you would think.
moon_zps3alulmwx.jpg
 
Oh, and one thing no one has mentioned yet:

If you are ONLY looking at the sky, the reflector is usually best bang for your buck. BUT, if you will also look at ground objects, DO NOT get a reflector, as it is a mirrored/inverted image, and it is very difficult to use for terrestrial viewing. A refractor type (even a large spotting scope) would be best for both sky and ground objects.
 
tawood said:
Oh, and one thing no one has mentioned yet:

If you are ONLY looking at the sky, the reflector is usually best bang for your buck. BUT, if you will also look at ground objects, DO NOT get a reflector, as it is a mirrored/inverted image, and it is very difficult to use for terrestrial viewing. A refractor type (even a large spotting scope) would be best for both sky and ground objects.
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True, but you can get a prizm image inverter.
 
Sac Arrow said:
True, but you can get a prizm image inverter.
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My experience has been that you don't get enough "inward focus" to use one on a reflector.
Although I've never owned one of the S/Cs, I think the prism is meant more for Schmidt-Cassegrains.
 
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tawood said:
I'm a long time astronomy buff. Its a great thing to do with a kid. I currently have a 12" dobsonian mount reflector. It provides fantastic views of a dark sky, and it comes apart, so I can easily transport it to those dark skies.
I remember the first night I set it up, and pointed it at Jupiter. My 19 year old son walked out and asked to take a look. After looking he said, "How come I can see the moon in the telescope, but not with just my eyes?" When I told him it wasn't the moon, but instead Jupiter, I think his eyes popped out of his head!
My 17 year old daughter likes it too. She and I often travel to dark areas to use the scope. Often, we fly there to a dark field in northern Michigan, view for several hours, then fly home. Here is a pic from our last time:

View attachment 60562
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When I first got started I used a cheap pair of Bushnell binoculars. Maybe 10x35 or something like that. Even with those I could see Jupiter's Galilean moons. It doesn't take much. When I stepped up to better optics (Nikon 10x50 I think) I was able to start making out colors on Jupiter, before that it was just a bright dot with 4 smaller dots that constantly changed positions.

The big thing to remember is that you won't see the spectacular colors you might be expecting. You'll be seeing black, white, and shades of gray. That smudge of gray may be that galaxy you are used to seeing in magazine pictures. Orion is starting to set now that spring is here, it has a lot of interesting things to see.

The Pleiades is way more interesting in binoculars than in a telescope because you can see the whole thing vs just pieces of it.
 
Lots of good advice here, but I'd like to add - don't go super cheap big box quality. Those telescopes have done more to DIScourage interest in astronomy than encourage. Poor optics, small mirrors and/or lenses, flimsy mounts/stands, hard to focus, minimal fields of view.

Get mid priced or better.

Also, as mentioned by others, be prepared to assist and encourage the new astronomy buff. Finding interesting things to view, while not hard, is harder than most people realize at first.
 
Matthew said:
When I first got started I used a cheap pair of Bushnell binoculars. Maybe 10x35 or something like that. Even with those I could see Jupiter's Galilean moons. It doesn't take much. When I stepped up to better optics (Nikon 10x50 I think) I was able to start making out colors on Jupiter, before that it was just a bright dot with 4 smaller dots that constantly changed positions.

The big thing to remember is that you won't see the spectacular colors you might be expecting. You'll be seeing black, white, and shades of gray. That smudge of gray may be that galaxy you are used to seeing in magazine pictures. Orion is starting to set now that spring is here, it has a lot of interesting things to see.

The Pleiades is way more interesting in binoculars than in a telescope because you can see the whole thing vs just pieces of it.
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I have a set of Orion 20x80 astronomy binoculars. One of my best nights of viewing was lying on my back, in the middle of the grass airstrip out on North Fox Island in the middle of Lake Michigan, with those binoculars. BTW, the airstrip on North Fox Island is THE darkest viewing site east of the Mississippi in the lower 48. Its amazing what you can see there.
 
I wouldn't overlook the used marked. People get bored, people upgrade.
 
Not much to add to what has already been said, but your choice should also depend on location, i.e. where the scope is going to be used most. If you live in a suburban or (heaven forbid) urban area, or most anywhere it isn't VERY dark, a GoTo model is a must and will save both of you a lot of frustration trying to find objects visually when the best reference stars can't be seen because of light pollution. I used a 6-inch (I think it was, might have been 4.5) Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain with a Goto at my previous institution for an astronomy lab for several years. Many here know that was at an urban university in the heart of Detroit. We were still able to easily find lots of interesting objects including the Hercules Globular Cluster M13, the Andromeda Galaxy M31, several less well-known nebulae, as well as (of course) planets like Venus, Mars, and Jupiter and the Moon. Doing that without Goto capability would have been unthinkable in that setting, on the roof of a 4-story building surrounded by city lights.
 
tawood said:
I have a set of Orion 20x80 astronomy binoculars. One of my best nights of viewing was lying on my back, in the middle of the grass airstrip out on North Fox Island in the middle of Lake Michigan, with those binoculars. BTW, the airstrip on North Fox Island is THE darkest viewing site east of the Mississippi in the lower 48. Its amazing what you can see there.
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Ok, but I'm sure there are comparable sites elsewhere in northern MI, and for that matter, on mountaintops in New England.
 
Telescopes - I've owned at least a dozen. I presently own four -

a 4" Meade ETX 90
an 8" Celestron SCT
an 8" Dobsonian -and the monster light bucket
13" Coulter Odyssey 1 - a Dobsonian.

I've done street viewing, I've done specific event for whole schools and school districts and I've been asked this question a million times.

First off, @TommyG why do you want one? Whats the purpose because they vary based on reasons for buying one.

If you want to look at different things occasionally and want ease of use - a Dobsonian - hands down. You can find a 10" Dob on the used market for only a few hundred dollars - maybe as little as $200 for a really decent used scope.

BUT - the downside is while its point and shoot - meaning you see it - and you point the scope at what you want to see - its not motorized so its drifts - its not a major hassle - I've never found it to be - you just nudge the scope - wait for it to settle down again and then it moves again.

The other BUT with a dob is that if you can't see it easily [ such as the Andromeda Galaxy, M13 in Hercules, M42 in Orions belt, etc] then you need to know where it is and star hop to it. This means you need to know the sky. And the way to learn the sky is to sit outside with a pair of binoculars and look around - learn the constellations - and learn where things are. This takes time - and it seems most of the interesting things to see are in the winter sky - which means you're sitting outside - still in a chair in the cold. It's also cold at night in the summer - which will surprise the heck out of you.

Second - a lot of people have recommended you buy a GOTO scope - which is all well and good - but you need to know how to set it up properly = my Meade ETX is a GOTO type scope and I know the sky, I know the names and places of the stars they want you to use to set up the stupid thing - and it still takes 15-20 min just to get it set up.

Sure- there are GPS options now - but they are $2000? or so. That's prob more than you wanted to spend.

If it takes 20 min to set up a GOTO scope - you're NOT going to use it very often. While I have a very nice 8" SCT and the 13" light bucket that gets me color in the Orion nebula - theyre all a pain in the rear to set up - I can get the SCT set up in 5 min because I know how to polar align it fast - but the 13" Dob takes forever to cool off to get good images and it weighs a ton - SO - if I just want to go out and see something I'll pull the 8" DOB out. Ease of use is definitely not overrated.

So - cost:

I bought my Meade ETX used on Craigslist - I drove 2 hours to get it for $100 - a steal.

The Celestron 8" I also bought used - also $100 about 8 years ago. Needed to tweak it a little but its set up perfect now -

The Coulter scope I bought 25 years ago - they're now out of business and I paid $600 for it = and the 8" Dob I bought used at a Pawn shop for $125.

No reason to spend a lot if you just keep an eye out . . .

BTW - any binoculars bigger than 7x50 or 10x50 will weight a ton - you'll need a mount, or a harness for your shoulders - or a monopod -
 
A lot of good in from you guys. Put in a plane I can fly it no problem. This stuff is pretty confusing. She wants it more of a hobby thing. I’m not looking to break the bank. But figure with most things if she gets bored, I will usually have more of an interest.

I was looking at either of these. And being Amazon has a great return policy is a bonus.

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-21...c=1&ref_=ox_sc_act_image_2&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-31...sr=1-7-spons&keywords=astromaster+130eq&psc=1
 
I'd go with the reflector for the bigger aperture. But that's just me. The more light it can grab and the less glass between the opening of the scope and my eyeball means the more photons I'll be able to see. Plus it looks more cooler.
 
@TommyG I think your second option is better - the refractors are good for planets and the moon but anything else can be dim and dark because of the long focal length - the Celestron 130 is a decent telescope and the GOTO feature will make finding things easier - but you [well, she] MUST take the effort to get a good alignment otherwise the GOTO doesn't work well
 
comanchepilot said:
@TommyG I think your second option is better - the refractors are good for planets and the moon but anything else can be dim and dark because of the long focal length - the Celestron 130 is a decent telescope and the GOTO feature will make finding things easier - but you [well, she] MUST take the effort to get a good alignment otherwise the GOTO doesn't work well
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I think option 2 is on an equatorial mount, but doesn't have the GOTO.
 
This is why I hate hanging out here and reading this crap. Now I want a telescope again.
 
comanchepilot said:
Second - a lot of people have recommended you buy a GOTO scope - which is all well and good - but you need to know how to set it up properly = my Meade ETX is a GOTO type scope and I know the sky, I know the names and places of the stars they want you to use to set up the stupid thing - and it still takes 15-20 min just to get it set up.
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I'm sure it depends on the type. Not all GoTo scopes take 20 minutes to set up. The one I used took maybe 5, at most, to do the alignment. I set it up with Two Star Alignment. It was fairly easy and quick. Yes, you have to RTFM and learn how to do it correctly. But, once you know how, it doesn't take a lot of time.

On cost: I did not purchase this model, but saw in a catalog that a comparable scope would cost about $800. So not a trivial investment, but necessary at some locations.

As always, YMMV.
 
Ok, thanks for the assist. Order placed. And if she gets bored of it, guess it’s mine. I went with the Celestron 130.
 
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