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Good telescopes to buy

Razako

Razako

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Ok, so I'm a total noob when it comes to telescopes. (think those people who come on here asking about what lasers are good to buy). I was wondering if those $150ish telescopes on Ebay are actually worth a crap, or if they're a waste of money. Not looking for an amazing telescope. I just want something that I can see some cool stuff with.
 





Oh man. This is my area of expertise. I'll be back in a bit, but feel free to PM specific questions.

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Edit:
Okay, I've assessed the ~$150ish eBay telescopes. Some look decent, and some look so-so. Most of them are NOT what I'd recommend to a beginner though.

If you're totally new to astronomy and want to see cool stuff, you should start off with a good pair of binoculars before buying a scope. If you really get into using a telescope without binoculars, you're going to regret not having them for some views. I think the 60mm or 70mm Celestron brand binos you can get off of Amazon are pretty great for the price. You should find them new for a lot less than $150.

My club and I usually recommend scanning the Milky Way's band in the summer sky with something like these. You'll be surprised at what you find. The 70mm and bigger can give pretty good views of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus as well. Be aware that 70mm and above can get hard to hold steady, but most can be mounted on camera tripods or even more advanced mounts if you'd like. Download a good astronomy phone app or get star charts that tell you what's best and brightest in the night sky, and you'll be able to find them with binoculars like these.

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Now, if you're set on a telescope, you should go for a dobsonian/alt-az mounted newtonian reflector. They give you the most optical bang for your buck, and the mount is much easier for beginners to set up and use than the equatorial mounts companies like to pedal on beginner scopes. You won't get anything particularly spectacular vs the binos for around $150 though.

Probably the best I usually see are the over 100mm Celestron FirstScope, Orion SkyScanner, and Meade LightBridge tabletop setups. They'll give you very slightly better and brighter views with the option to change eyepieces, but I wouldn't really recommend them unless you only want to take a slight step above binoculars. If you want to go over $300 though, you can get some pretty good small scopes.

Edit 2: Just another FYI, the Celestron SkyMaster binoculars are specifically intended for astronomy, but most decent binoculars in the same price range will do just as well.
 
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Rivem said:
Oh man. This is my area of expertise. I'll be back in a bit, but feel free to PM specific questions.

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Edit:
Okay, I've assessed the ~$150ish eBay telescopes. Some look decent, and some look so-so. Most of them are NOT what I'd recommend to a beginner though.

If you're totally new to astronomy and want to see cool stuff, you should start off with a good pair of binoculars before buying a scope. If you really get into using a telescope without binoculars, you're going to regret not having them for some views. I think the 60mm or 70mm Celestron brand binos you can get off of Amazon are pretty great for the price. You should find them new for a lot less than $150.

My club and I usually recommend scanning the Milky Way's band in the summer sky with something like these. You'll be surprised at what you find. The 70mm and bigger can give pretty good views of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus as well. Be aware that 70mm and above can get hard to hold steady, but most can be mounted on camera tripods or even more advanced mounts if you'd like. Download a good astronomy phone app or get star charts that tell you what's best and brightest in the night sky, and you'll be able to find them with binoculars like these.

***********************************************************************

Now, if you're set on a telescope, you should go for a dobsonian/alt-az mounted newtonian reflector. They give you the most optical bang for your buck, and the mount is much easier for beginners to set up and use than the equatorial mounts companies like to pedal on beginner scopes. You won't get anything particularly spectacular vs the binos for around $150 though.

Probably the best I usually see are the over 100mm Celestron FirstScope, Orion SkyScanner, and Meade LightBridge tabletop setups. They'll give you very slightly better and brighter views with the option to change eyepieces, but I wouldn't really recommend them unless you only want to take a slight step above binoculars. If you want to go over $300 though, you can get some pretty good small scopes.

Edit 2: Just another FYI, the Celestron SkyMaster binoculars are specifically intended for astronomy, but most decent binoculars in the same price range will do just as well.
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Thanks for the info. I'll definitely look into those celestron binoculars. Are there any in particular that you'd recommend? I see a lot of different types and prices on them. How would a $150 pair of binoculars compare with a $150 telescope?
 
I'm following this discussion also. Always been interested. The high powered binocs would need to be mounted on a tripod, correct? Celestron Skymasters from $65 to $300 on Amazon, which one? Same ol story I guess, get the best you can afford?
 
Sorry for the delay guys I was pretty busy today. RB's suggestion from before is pretty spot on.

The specific benefits of telescopes usually won't really start to appear until you're spending around or over at least $300 due to simple supply/demand and manufacturing costs of quality instruments.

There's a lot of good stuff around $300, but I think that binocular are the best price ranges below $300. You can buy 80mm binoculars for around the price of a cheap 80mm refractor, but the binos will have better views, and it'll involve both your eyes.

I'd say comparing a $150 pair of binos to a $150 telescope is going to be misleading. For magnification, a $150 telescope will win. For optical quality and wide field views, the binos will win. Brightness of dim objects, it'll be close, but I'd lean towards one of the telescopes I've suggested being a bit brighter.

For selecting binoculars, keep in mind that the first number is magnification, and the second is aperture. Magnification is straightforward and not all that necessary for beginning astronomers. More aperture means more brightness.

I like the 25x or 15x 70 (mm) ones, and they're the upper limit for handheld use. More magnification, you'll want a tripod to keep from shaking, and more aperture, you'll want a tripod to help with the weight. More magnification will be good for planetary objects. More aperture is good for Messier type deep sky objects and other clusters.

Though the impulse might have you max out your budget, consider what I've said so far. You can easily spend the $150 on binos, but they will almost exclusively be for tripod use (not comfortable). I'd go for something usable for handheld use but still heavy enough to pop on a tripod and look at planets. Really check Amazon reviews for these sorts of tips though. To me 80mm binos aren't too bad, but some people can't get stable handheld views at all.

Again, if anybody wants to PM me, I'd be happy to help with scope or bino selection. This is admittedly a misleading area for new amateur astronomers.

Edit: Just to throw a bit more useful knowlege in, binoculars are equivalent to refracting telescopes. Different types of telescopes have different optical problems, but in general, refractors have color distortion problems, and reflectors tend to distort shapes. There are a lot of other issues that set them apart, but these are the big ones for light visual observers. Worth considering since reflectors will only be available in telescope form.

Affordable binoculars will have colored images set apart from bright objects. Look up "chromatic aberration in telescopes" to get an idea of what it will look like.
 
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GSS said:
This internet never seems to stop scareing me, I can see if I logged on to some telescope sights but I didn't and still got a popup for a scope from a place called Tmart.
350/60mm Professional Monocular Space Astronomical Telescope Magnification Science With Tripod - Tmart.
For a sake of joke what do you think:)
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Not the worst I've seen, but I doubt anybody's going to enjoy that much for astronomy. Probably a waste of money. Just what the manufacturers want you to buy. This is the kind of stuff parents buy their kids so that they're never interested in astronomy. :crackup:

Just as another FYI, buying the celestron binoculars around $60 will give you two much higher quality telescopes side by side, and you can put them on the camera tripod of your choosing. ;)
They won't have the same high magnification, but your image will be much better.
 
Rivem said:
Not the worst I've seen, but I doubt anybody's going to enjoy that much for astronomy. Probably a waste of money. Just what the manufacturers want you to buy. This is the kind of stuff parents buy their kids so that they're never interested in astronomy. :crackup:

Just as another FYI, buying the celestron binoculars around $60 will give you two much higher quality telescopes side by side, and you can put them on the camera tripod of your choosing. ;)
They won't have the same high magnification, but your image will be much better.
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But it says I can enjoy the fascinating craters and mountains on the moon "plus" the rings of Saturn!:eek: Rivem:crackup:
Seriously though its seems your pushing for the binoculars which were I live most of the time would be much more useful and a bit easier. A tripod though is a must for me as I can't even use a sport type bino as my hands tremor at times.
I'm hoping someone like Razako who seems to be somewhat of a beginner on scope's might chime in when he finally chooses one and buys it.
Thanks Rivem
 
GSS said:
But it says I can enjoy the fascinating craters and mountains on the moon "plus" the rings of Saturn!:eek: Rivem:crackup:
Seriously though its seems your pushing for the binoculars which were I live most of the time would be much more useful and a bit easier. A tripod though is a must for me as I can't even use a sport type bino as my hands tremor at times.
I'm hoping someone like Razako who seems to be somewhat of a beginner on scope's might chime in when he finally chooses one and buys it.
Thanks Rivem
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No problem pal. I really hesitate to recommend anything other than the good binos for beginners wanting to spend under $300. I'll give you some more telescope tips if you want to PM me what you're looking for. There are some decent telescope options under $300 for people that have trouble with binos, but lots of really good options present themselves at $300.

I help beginners all the time with my club, and the binoculars are always surprising people at star parties.
 
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Razako said:
What are some of the 'good' options beginning at $300?
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Real dobsonian telescopes, quality refractors, some of the lower end computerized scopes that work, good cassegrain telescopes, etc. Really quite a lot.

I don't think I can recommend anything particular to someone who's really just starting out unless I get more details. You really can't go wrong with an 8" dobsonian scope at all, but that'll be around at least $400. Best all-around visual scope at the price for sure.

I really don't think anybody should seriously buy a telescope until they meet up with a local club or observatory for a star party though. It's a good way to get a taste of the skill it takes and the limits of hobbyist scopes. Really helps with understanding the conditions in your area as well. Heck, if you like the club, you can just meet up and use somebody else's expertise and ridiculously expensive telescope. That's what I do half the time since a club member has a massive $10k+ telescope that puts mine to shame. Visiting planetarium shows can also help understand what you're getting into a lot.

I'm sure you can find a club if you're in a reasonably populated area.

Razako: I don't know where you are in Utah, but you could probably meet up with some of my friends' clubs on the Western Slope if you're in the Wasatch front (Not that there aren't good clubs around SLC.)
 
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I've been looking at some of the astronomy related buyers guides and they all recommend starting with binoculars. 10X50 seems to be a common recommendation as it does not require a tripod. I could see going with a bit more magnification as Rivem suggests though.
 
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The 10x 50 and 10x60 binoculars aren't bad at all, and you can use them without a tripod for a long time. You should be able to see the eliptical nature of Saturn's rings, Jupiter and the Gallilean moons, and most bright deep sky objects. Depending upon how shaky and strong your arms are, handling up to 15x70mm binoculars should still be very doable. Some people handle 25x80s okay, but that's pushing it for most people. 10x-50 is the safe bet if you haven't tried anything bigger before. They're still going to be tolerable for daytime nature spotting while the astro binoculars will definitely need a tripod for day use and might still be too powerful. I think 10x or 15x should probably be the max magnification you look at, and anything 60mm and above, you should at least have a backup tripod for if you want to look at smaller objects or your arms tire.


For Razako:

Now, I'd definitely say the second binoculars look a bit higher quality, and you're going to need some quality for astronomy.

That telescope you linked is VERY good though. Best telescopes like that for the price are the Zhummel's, and it's not expensive at all in the array of 8" telescopes you can purchase. It will require skill and a lot of space to use, but you can see most of the amateur objects. Really, you need to decide if you're going to dedicate a at least a few decently long nights outside a month if you're going to buy this though.


For Everybody:

If you do get anything, make sure you get some well-regarded literature to help you learn the sky and the tips and tricks you need. There are plenty books on binocular and telescope observing with reviews online. Turn Left at Orion is pretty good and proably the most highly regarded among amateur astronomers.
 
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Thanks for the information. I have been thinking off and on for several years whether or not to get into amateur astronomy. This has answered several questions I had and has pointed me in the right direction to get the answers for the others.
 
paul1598419 said:
Thanks for the information. I have been thinking off and on for several years whether or not to get into amateur astronomy. This has answered several questions I had and has pointed me in the right direction to get the answers for the others.
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Glad it helps. :)

Again, anybody feel free to PM me if you have any questions or if you want advice on a purchase.

Often times, astronomy gear does not have a "one size fits all" solution, and a lot of us end up starting off poorly.
 
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