Newbie Seeking Advise Please

Hiyas,

I have always wanted to gaze upon the universe, but never had the funds or time to do so. Well, I have been looking at getting into Astronomy and am seeking some advise from you elders out there. I have some experience in this hobby, but it is very limited.

A friend of mine use to have a TeleVue Refractor Telescope with tons of eyepieces. When I was able to gaze upon the rings of Saturn, I knew I was hooked! I have always had an interest in Astronomy and life beyond our System. So, what I'd like to know is this:

What is the best buy for the buck? I am looking at spending $200-400USD to start off with. My friend said that I can probably start off with a decent Reflector and enjoy the performance. He spent well over $10,000 total at that time, so I don't want to go that extreme (yet lol).

So, what brands, telescope type, size, should I look at.. etc.. ? I may also look into taking photographs through the telescope, but that can be done at a later time.

Thank you for all the input,

Mike

I am just getting back into the hobby. You don't have to spend a lot of money, but try to think about the type of observing you will do. You will often read that the best scope is the scope that is used. This is vey true! Will you be observing in your yard, or will you need to travel? Do you need to lug a scope up and down stairs? This will greatly determine what scope is "best" for you.

My opinion, for the money, you can't beat a reflector, commonly called "dobsonian" or "Newtonian" depending on the mount. My first scope (which I wouldn't recommend - but still have & use) is a small 4.5 inch tasco reflector. This is essentially a department store scope. Its performance was greatly improved with some decent eyepieces, a moon filter, a nebula filter and a barlow. I have had some amazing view of planets, nebulas, the moon etc with this scope. The point is, you can do very well without too much money.

I guess If I were to start over again, I would get a decent pair of 7X50 binoculars and a 6" or 8" dobsonian, 2 or 3 decent eyepieces with a decent barlow (doubles the usefullness of the eyepiece collection) and a moon filter (the moon is actually uncomfortably bright through even a small scope).

You don't have to get everything at once. Keep in mind you will probably have the eyepieces, filters and barlow forever. They will generally be usefull when you upgrade or change scopes.

I guess I would look for a sale, shop price from a dealer and/or manufacturer with a good return policy and/or customer service. For example, I have read a lot of gripes about some Meade products, but most posts conclude that the customer service and support were very good.

I'll leave it to others to make more specific recommendations.

Good luck. Enjoy! Scope shopping is fun.

Mike,

In my opinion one of the most capable scopes for the money is the Orion XT-8 and similar scopes made in the same factory and sold by other retailers (an example would be the Hands on Optics 8XL). I have used a couple of these at star parties and have been quite impressed with all of them. Since they are a Dobsonian design they are easy to use and point and the 8 inches of aperture offers a good balance of light gathering power and portability. The 2 inch focuser is a great feature as well, it allows you to get a wider field of view which can be very useful for finding objects and looking at large objects. The XT-8 is a bit out of your range at $450 plus shipping but I think it's worth it to spend a bit more for the 8" scope as opposed to a 6" scope. Taking photos can get pretty involved in terms of equipment but it can be done with a dobsonian and a tracking platform (really short exposures of the moon don't require a tracking platform).

Joplin

Mike,

Repeat after me, "I will not spend one penny until I go to a star party."

These folks have been bitten by the Astro-Mart spending bug. That's why you're seeing all these dollar signs flying around these posts.

Someone can only state their preference for a type of scope they like. Until you look through a wide variety of telescopes you will not know what your preference is, and that may change with every view you soak up. So one more time; "I will not spend one penny until I go to a star party."

Gerald

Those are all great suggestions and opinions! Thank you guys for taking your time to write back! Yeah, it would probably be a great idea to go to a Star Party and gaze through the different scopes people brought out.

I was once invited to check out a private observatory at Table Mt. (Wrightwood, CA; Not Goldstone lol), but had to stay behind to watch our equipment. I am just outside of Las Vegas, NV, where the sky conditions are typically great. At night when the moon isn't shining, I can see a tremendous show of lights overhead.

We are just outside of Death Valley, which is where some astronomers go to gaze through telescopes. Clear Atmosphere, little or no light interference, etc.

A small reflector, say 6-8" would be ideal. You'll want something that is easy to use and one that gives views that show enough detail to keep you hooked.

I own a refractor and I love it...but when I started out the best thing was a 6" reflector. It was easy to use and it showed me enough detail to make me want more and because it was easy to setup and hassle free, it allowed me the time to develop a sense of what I truly wanted to view.

In short, a small, easy to use reflector will serve you well, while you develop your observing habits, likes and dislikes, etc. Only after a few years of observing will you find what really interests you, in the types of objects you observe the most and also what kinds of equipment you may feel you need to accomplish that type of observing.

Also, you'll find that one type of scope won't be enough anyway. You WILL develop aperture fever and a severe case of GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome)...a sickness all astronomers fall prey to at some point.

Orion, Celestron, or GTO 6" f/8 dobsonian mounted newtonian reflector would be my recommendation. Find one here in the classifieds for $200 or less.