Reflector or Refractor?

Hi as a novice about to start into Astromony, I need to know some basics. Which is Best, a Reflector or Refrector telescope? What should I buy (brand) for about $300 Dollars? Any other details may be more than useful.

Thanks,

Andrew.

There is no "best", only good fits between scopes and owners.

However, if $300 is your budget, I'd be looking at reflectors, as they're more cost effective. You can get a 6 inch dobsonian mounted reflector for somewhat more than $300; for only about $200 (plus shipping) you can get Orion's 4.5 inch dobsonian which is a nice little package.

But, make sure you're informed *before* you buy, not after. One of my favorite "Beginner's Information" pages can be found at www.scopereviews.com, Ed Ting's review website. Look for the Beginner's Advice page link on the front page.

My essential advice: start with books and binoculars before thinking about a 'scope. If you can't find anything with binoculars, you won't find anything with a 'scope.

A 6" Dob, such as the Orion XT-6, would be around your budget, and a better choice than a $300 refractor. Is there an astronomy club in your area? There is no better way to find out about telescope and to get a start on figuring out what you want than visiting a star party held by the local astronomy club.

Nightwatch was recoemmended once, and I will second that recommendation. A must read before buying anything, and far less confusing than trying to make sense of the numerous reviews on the web.

Orion has an XT6 in the "Clearance" section for $279.00. Regular price is $329. The scope is sold with its full 1 year warranty. These may have a cosmetic blem or had just been a return from a prior sale.

These scopes are supposed to offer the best of both worlds (lunar and planetary / DSO's).

I bought a 9 x 50 RACI finder from the clearance section and couldn't find any thing wrong operationally or visually.

Good luck with your choice.

Clear skies,

Tim Hornbeck

Hi Andrew,

I've owned and used every major type of popular type of scope with the exception of an SCT. I currently own 2 4" APO refractors, a 5" Mak-Cass, and a 10" Dob. The refractors are the most often used by far. So You think I'd vote for a $300 refractor? NOPE. Take some others advice and get a 6" reflector. Don't rush out to get binoculars either, upgrade your finder to a 9*50 instead. The reflector, especially a 6" f8, is a wonderful scope that will show you every major class of object with excellent detail on most Messier's and solar system objects. A cooled and collimated 6" reflector is hard for most scopes to equal let alone beat. Inexpensive refractors can be a good instrument but I personally have never seen one that beats a halfway decent 6" Newt at anything.

My .02

Steve

Hi Andrew,

Top 10 Reasons to spend your $300 on camping gear and star parties while you save up a bit more.

10. You learn a LOT in intense 2-3 day focused events
9. You get to drink lots of hot cocoa and eat cookies galore
8. You meet all sorts of interesting folk
7. You get to look through 36" reflectors and $50,000 refractor set ups for free...
6. You may find a reasonably priced small dob or refractor at the flea market
5. You'll figure out quickly what type of scope tickles your particular fancy
4. Can you say "BBQ"?
3. You may end up grinding your own 6" dob and rolling your own for under $200
2. You could win a scope or eyepieces worth more than $300 ( Heck, the last star party I attended had a 10" dob and an 8" Meade GPS as door prizes! )

and the number one reason....

1. You can ask this question again, sit back, and listen to the pro's argue Fords and Chevy's. Uh... I mean 6" dobs and 70mm Refractors.

And 5 years from now, I hope to read your comments on why you love your 12.5" reflector equally as much as your 5" refractor, as each has its advantages.

Hope you find you enjoy the hobby as much as the rest of us, once you have a scope in hand...

Karl

There's lots of good advice here. I agree, the best bang for the buck is a 6" dob. However, small refractors, in my opinion, aren't useless. I currently have a Stellarvue AT1010, which gives great widefield views, and a C8, which gives higher magnification, narrower views. I use the AT much more. It's small and easy to get around.

Before I got the AT I had a Celestron Firstscope 70 AZ (alt-az mount). You can get the EQ model from Anacortes for $175. Its optics were almost, but not quite as, good as the AT's. With it I could observe the Moon, planets, and most, but not all, of the Messier objects. With a Baader solar filter (under $50) you can observe sunspots.

I have a friend who knows the sky far better than I do, and he learned it with a pair of binoculars; he got his first telescope (an 8" Newtonian) only very recently.

1) There are camps with strong preferences out there. Some opinions based on a reality, some on a reality 10 years ago, some not at all. You may ask for general advice, but get recommendations based on experience with scopes way outside your price range and for specialized use.
2) Consider what you're interested in. Just the planets and the moon? Everything? Don't know? Don't let your initial choice be driving what you can see.
3) Consider not just the scope, but also what it's mounted on. The mount need to be stable. And, do you want to spend your time looking FOR objects or looking AT objects? If you decide you want to focus on looking AT objects, not practice finding them, the field is narrowed down a lot in the sub-$1000 price range. Consider that many beginners soon give up astronomy in frustration because with only the help of the 50 stars visible in their light polluted backyard, they can't find anything to look at even though their scope still are capable of showing them interesting things once found.
4) Go to a star party and see what's out there (OK, that is point #1)
5) When you narrowed it down to the must-haves for the scope, get the largest aperture yet still easily portable scope in you price range.

Andrew,

I can't resist! Are you following all of this? What do you make of the arguements put forth?