Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and seeking advice on what to buy as a beginner. I read articles about aperture is the most important factor in buying a telescope. Hopefully, you can provide me with some advice on a few models: Meade ETX-70AT, Meade DS-2114ATS and Orion's SpaceProbe 130ST EQ. I'm currently leaning towards the Orion SpaceProbe 130ST EQ, because it's aperture lens is 130mm. I'm hoping to purchase a telescope, so I can view Jupiter and Saturn, but it would be even greater if I can see Uranus. Any of the above telescopes worth it? Can anyone reccommend something else with a price range of $350 or below?
Assistance appreciated
Started by astro769, 02/15/2003 11:06AM
Posted 02/15/2003 11:06AM
Opening Post
Posted 02/15/2003 01:12PM
#1
Go for the 130ST; it has the most aperture, no gimmicks such as GoTo; will take magnification pretty well and will also, because of its short focal length, do well on deep sky objects like the Orion Nebula, Andromeda galaxy or the Double Cluster in Perseus. It also comes off pretty well when looked at by reviewers; check out "The Backyard Astronomers Guide" by Dickinson (the new edition). Ted
Posted 02/16/2003 05:54AM
#2
Ack! Don't buy those! Get an 8" f/6 reflector from Astromart's classifieds. If that is too big or expensive I would recommend a 6" f/8 ("dobsonian"). They are uglier than the scopes you mentioned but their images are MUCH better. They are real telescopes with real aperture (especially the 8").
Posted 02/16/2003 06:17PM
#3
I entered astronomey about 2 yeas ago. I would recommend the Orion skyquest XT 6 or the XT 8 (if you can afford it). I had the XT 6. It was an awesome scope for the money. I sold it and moved up in apeture. I wish I would have kept it- as a second scope. It gave excellent views of the planets. It will give your feet wet to see if you want to pursue this hobby.
Jay
Jay
Posted 02/16/2003 07:08PM
#4
Hugo,
You could get the Orion XT-6 right here on AM or from one of the other AM sponsers. It does very well on the closer planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. The DS2114 is only 4.5 inches and not always of top quality. The 70ETX is just to small, period. The 5.2 Orion sounds much better than any of the others. Of course I do not have enough other information from your post to be of any real help other than to recommend the 6 inch F/8 Orion scope because I have one and its a nice scope for the money. At least if you don't like our hobby you will not have broken the bank and will have a good scope to boot. Uranus will be a very small disk with little or no detail. It takes a large scope of 10 inches or more to reveal very much about Uranus and Neptune.
You could get the Orion XT-6 right here on AM or from one of the other AM sponsers. It does very well on the closer planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. The DS2114 is only 4.5 inches and not always of top quality. The 70ETX is just to small, period. The 5.2 Orion sounds much better than any of the others. Of course I do not have enough other information from your post to be of any real help other than to recommend the 6 inch F/8 Orion scope because I have one and its a nice scope for the money. At least if you don't like our hobby you will not have broken the bank and will have a good scope to boot. Uranus will be a very small disk with little or no detail. It takes a large scope of 10 inches or more to reveal very much about Uranus and Neptune.
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