Clueless - Need Help with 1st Telescope

[borg_minion]

Hi guys,

This is my first time here. I somehow got the urge to buy myself a telescope a couple of days ago. I've been looking into getting one ever since and i've started saving. The problem is, I'm clueless as to what to get. I'm pretty sure though that i want a telescope instead of trying to start off with binoculars.

After some looking into it, I figured that I should get a goto telescope. I realize that having a goto telescope is not the best way to go about learning the night sky, but the truth of the matter is, I'm not sure I have the time/patience/desire to learn the night sky. I just want to be able to enjoy the scenery. Therefore, I DO want to be able to see the scenery. That is, I don't want a telescope where the only thing i'll be seeing are planets and their moons. I want, hopefully, to see some deep sky stuff. But, I'm assuming that since I've never actually looked into a telescope before, that anything I see (including the crators on the moon) will be spectacular - it's just that i don't want to be bored after the first two weeks of having my telescope seeing the same things over and over again.

That is why I'm thinking that having a goto telescope (to both find and track objects) seems cool. I was really interested in bushnell's telescopes because they provide real voice output (RVO) and although it may be a it tacky, I think it would be perfect for me: it's a goto telescope (so it finds and tracks objects) and it tells me what I'm looking at (ok so I'm lazy, what can i say?).

However, although the telescope didn't get great reviews from folks at amazon.com. Ok, so I'm not an expert at researching, but I find customer reviews at least very persuasive in a purchase decision - b/c all the companies tells you their telescopes are the best.

I've read several do's and don'ts about buying a telescope (like not getting any from a department store :) and the bigger the aperture the better). But, I can't make up my mind. I was considering the orion's Skyquest XT8 Dobsonian Reflector Telescope but I don't think that is a goto telescope - presumably I would get the object locator with any orion telescope if it doesn't automatically come with it.

Of course, I'm concerned about ease of setup and portability like anyone else. Like I said, I really want to spend most of my time viewing the sky. I don't expect to take many excursions (probably put a dent into trying to view deep sky stuff). I just want a reliable telescope (ie, I don't waste my money) that can provide me with bright colorful imagery and that i can probably keep for a while (at least a couple of years).

I will gladly take suggestions.

By the way, sometimes my head hurts just thinking about astronomical lingo. But, I do have a quick question: if a telescope has 150mm aperture, how can I tell if that's like 3.1, 4.5, 6, 8, or 10 aperture presumably in inches. Is that a straight forward calculation such that a 150 mm aperture would have a 5.9 aperture measured in inches? It's just a 6 or an 8 aperture would allow me to see more stuff but won't be too bulky or too expensive.

As far as price range, I don't want to go over $500, but will be willing to bite an extra $100 or so if the equipment I'm getting won't be a disappointment.

So, I guess my questions are (since i've done enough rambling):

1. What goto computer (if any) would you recommend for a better?
2. In your opinion, how reliable, dependable, and enjoyable is the bushnell RVO series?
3. What are your otherwise recommendations or considerations for me in my quest to get a good, reliable computer where I can finally enjoy the heavens?

Thanks for your help.

FYI, I wear glasses - in case that makes a difference, and like I said before, I'm a noob to this.

Lastly (and i'll shut up now), it's 2:16 a.m. in the morning and I just found your site. So, if this is a topic that's discussed frequently, I'm sorry. I'll do some searches tomorrow, but i figured I'll post here first.

Merry Christmas!

[HenrikOlsen]

I'm just an amateur, but I still think you'll get more for your money if you start with some reasonable binoculars, that way you'll get a lot more out of the telescope when you get to that.

mm to inches is just as simple as you think.

Even with a goto telescope, you'll still need to learn the sky in order to set it up precisely enough to work as you seem to want it to, no computer will help you over that first learning hump.

[planethollywood]

for learning the night sky, get to know the five brightest stars, either by googling and buy a star gazers guide (the star wheel could be a little confusing at this stage). For quality viewing checkout www.meade.com, they set the standard for telescopes.

if you do a search you will find your question answered many times over in the forums.

I had a pair of 10 x 30 binoculars for a year before on deciding to buy a scope. You may be dissapointed a the lack of detail in objects even through a a $600 scope. I decent pair a binoculars has a much better field of view, great for learning the sky, you can still see nebulas and star clusters just fine.

but good luck on your quest for star grazing, i love my etx 125c meade goto, they have improved the goto system much since i bought mine.

[borg_minion]

this is seriously so depressing. I'm rethinking my options and am now considering a binoculars. I would want one where I can do terrestial as well as astronomical viewing. I'm still looking into good ones to get. So far, I know I should try to get at least 40 mm in aperture. In your opinion, is a 20 * 80 binoculars 'better' than a 10 * 50.

I'm asking because the guide I read about buying binoculars said that the bigger the aperture the better but you probably don't want to have more than 10 magnification (presumably b/c it's heavy). So, any thoughts on the binoculars?

Also, giving the fact that i pretty much live in a city and will be doing most of my viewing in my back yard, is the binoculars still the best option for my intro to the stars?

Thanks.

PS: I'll take any suggestions on binoculars or anything. Also, am I to assume that the bushnell goto series with RVO that I mentioned in my first post is a piece of junk?

[randb]

I was in the exact same situation as you, a month ago. I bought a 8" SCT as my first scope. I didn't wanna loose my interest in astronomy cuz of the bad views with the binos. Binos cost around $100-$150 atleast. Instead, I got a used scope for $600 from www.astromart.com. I think you should consider getting a DOB (if you think that portability isn't an issue) or a SCT.

[slotdrag]

Im not a big bushnell fan. I have two great Celestron scopes. What you are going to see through a telescope will not look any thing like the pictures you see in books. Youll see color in the brighter things only.

[aurora]

Any binos with more than 10x power, or more than 50mm aperture, will require a mount of some type, like a camera tripod, to hold them steady.

Scopes that have both a large aperture AND goto AND steady mount will be relatively expensive. It's all a tradeoff. You will have to decide what to give up and to what degree (balancing cost, portability, aperture, electronics, mount stability, optical quality, ease of use, multi use such as daytime viewing)

Can you visit a local astronomy club? Do an online search and see if you can find one. Sky and Telescope Magazine and the Astronomical League are two that have pretty complete lists for the US. Similar lists exist in many other countries.

[andyschlei]

... I bought a 8" SCT as my first scope. ....

My first scope was a 4.5" Celestron Newtonian. It was great. It was a real enough scope that my interest really caught fire. And the 4" "Firstscope" series newtonians are under $200.

Clear skies!

--Andy

[desertmonk]

inch to mm
multiply inches by 25.4
4.5 X 25.4= 114 mm

mm to inch
divide mm by 25.4
130/ 25.4= 5.1

You can learn the night sky at work, at home, in the daytime, any time you have a few minutes to open a book or magazine and become familiar with the brightest stars and major constellations.

[Dave Mitsky]

The Orion XT8 would be a fine choice, IMO. You could always add the Orion DSC device later if necessary.

For most people, a 10x50 binocular is probably the best option.

Dave Mitsky

[Thanatos]

I think an 8" Dobsonian is a great choice for a starter scope. It has a few disadvantages, but it's cheap [especially second hand] and gives breath taking views. That's pretty much what you want when first starting - bang for the buck. You can resell it later after you decide what you really want from a scope.

[Fr. Wayne]

For fifteen years I have owned a $60 pair of Sears Discoverer ZOOM 8x-17x 40mm (201 ft/1000 yds at 17x) Wide Angle Fully Coated Optics Model # 473.2576500 Binoculars. Made in Japan, I don't know if they make them like this anymore, but I highly recommend this model. From comets to M31, from Jupiter's Moons to Craters on the Moon- it only needs a pole to rest on and I'm good even at 17x. It even has an adjustable left eyepiece to adjust my changing eye focus. Very decent. Might not be available any more.

[redshifter]

I hate to take the opposing view, but I had a pair of $50 Sears 10X50 binocs before I got my Orion's, and I didn't even realize how bad the Sears binocs were till I tried out the Orions. The Orions were MUCH clearer and sharper than the Sears binocs, leaps and bounds clearer and sharper.

[Kelfazin]

I think an 8" Dobsonian is a great choice for a starter scope. It has a few disadvantages, but it's cheap [especially second hand] and gives breath taking views. That's pretty much what you want when first starting - bang for the buck. You can resell it later after you decide what you really want from a scope.

This is exactly what I did with my first scope. I had tried the binoculars and was familiarizing myself with the sky when I decided to go in for a nice scope instead. I bought an 8" dobs from Discovery Telescopes (http://www.discovery-telescopes.com/) and had a great time with it. That first view of the rings of Saturn is priceless.

Since then I discovered that I wanted more from a scope, and have since invested thousands in an 8" SCT (Meade LX200GPS) and lenses, and offset guiders, and lighted reticles, and t-mounts, and laser pointer (ok so ya don't need one, but they're pretty fun :p ) and most recently, a CCD.

So all the advice given about starting with binoculars is pretty accurate. Among other reasons, it's best to start cheap because if the astronomy bug bites you, you're gonna need all the cash you can get to feed the addiction :)