Can someone recommend a telescope?

[Kebsis]

I was just looking at telescopes at amazon.com. Alot of them look nice but I don't know enough about them to make a decision on my own. So, can anyone recommend a good one for me?

[yuzuha]

Try asking here http://www.bautforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52 but tell them your requirements.... a 16 inch dob. isn't going to do you any good if it just sits in your closet except for rare camping trips and a cheap little Wally-world refractor may wind up just being an irritant that you'll throw in the closet and forget. You want the best quality you can get for the money and as much size as you can get, but it has to be small enough and portable enough that you will actually use it, otherwise it will just gather dust.

[Impium Orexis]

You may also want to try this site: http://www.opticsplanet.com I got my telescope from them. Prices were good and they even have a forum where you can tell them your needs/wants and price range and they will do the footwork and give you several options in and around your price range. Very convenient. I highly recommend them.

[Maksutov]

I was just looking at telescopes at amazon.com. Alot of them look nice but I don't know enough about them to make a decision on my own. So, can anyone recommend a good one for me?Try the 200" that's in California, on top of a mountain called Palomar.

If that's out of your price range, then we need to know what you plan to do with it: planetary research (no more looking at Pluto, BTW), deep space objects, photography, solar, etc.

And there's always the question about availability of the all-mighty dollar.

[Paul Beardsley]

I was recommended a Meade ETX125 Maksutov-Cassegrain (by none other than Sir Patrick Moore) which cost about £1000 (not including tripod). It's big enough (125mm) to do real light gathering, but not too big to move around.

But of course it does all depend, as others have said, on needs and budget.

[Nereid]

Moved, from OTBB.

[Dave Mitsky]

Kebsis,

A long focus (high f/ratio) 4" achromatic refractor of reasonable quality is a good choice as a starting telescope, although a 6" or, better still, an 8" Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount, commonly known as a Dob, is probably a better one for most beginners. Vendors such as Orion (http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?itemType=GATEWAY&itemID=4) sell Dobs of good quality at very reasonable prices.

Here are some sites to consult on purchasing a first telescope:

http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=ss&id=9

http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/scopes/article_241_1.asp

http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html

http://www.company7.com/library/begin.html

http://stupendous.rit.edu/richmond/answers/telescope.html

http://www.r-clarke.org.uk/starting_astro.htm

http://www.celestron.com/education/tel4ast.htm

http://www.astronomics.com/main/category.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/How%20to%20pick%20a%20telescope/Page/1

http://www.floridastars.org/telescop.html

Dave Mitsky

[Kebsis]

I'm interested in looking at planets. Jupiter and Mars in particular. Money isn't that big of an issue.

[Maksutov]

I'm interested in looking at planets. Jupiter and Mars in particular. Money isn't that big of an issue.Get the biggest, objective-wise, refractor you can afford. And have fun!

Make sure the mount is steady, i.e., no noticeable oscillation after touching/moving it at high magnification. This is where either having access to a showroom or a trial period would be a real bonus.

Remember, no looking at Pluto, or the IAU will get you.

[Van Rijn]

I'm interested in looking at planets. Jupiter and Mars in particular. Money isn't that big of an issue.

Now you may know this already, but before you spend money on a scope I'll say it anyway - you aren't going to get much detail at all on Mars. You'll get a bit more on Jupiter and you will be able to see the Galilean satellites as dots. Just don't expect too much, especially if you are looking through the scope (careful astrophotography can sometimes do a bit better).

I would strongly recommend you check around for a local astronomy club - perhaps contact a local university - and see what the different options are. Yuzuha makes a very important point about size versus portability. Big scopes will gather more light, but are difficult to move around. You have to decide what would be best for you.

[Peter Wilson]

Another "standard suggestion" is to take yourself to a star-party, if practical. You can look through every type of telescope. Also, you'll talk to the owner(s), instead of the seller ;)

[Dave Mitsky]

I'm interested in looking at planets. Jupiter and Mars in particular. Money isn't that big of an issue.

In that case, you may want to consider a 5" or larger apochromatic refractor, which will be very expensive, or a 5 to 7" Maksutov-Cassegrain reflector. An 8 or 10" Newtonian on an equatorial mount might be another good choice.

Dave Mitsky

[Madam Captain]

I would recommend a reflector on a dobsonian mount. They are easy to use for beginners and easy to assemble. I have a 6 inch dob reflector and I can fit it into my car with ease. Dobs are great planetary scopes, especially if you can afford some good eye pieces aswell. I can get a good view of Saturn and Jupiter with my 6 inch. It also depends on what you want to look at in the night sky. I love looking at planets but other people love looking at galaxies, globular clusters and comets. My particular scope is ok for big galaxies like Andromeda but smaller galaxies require a bigger scope. Dobs are reasonably cheap too, which is why I bought one. I'm now considering buying a refractor or a Schmidt- Cassegrain, which are more expensive but I think Im ready to move onto a scope with more power.

[aurora]

The OP said mostly planets, which was why the suggestions were tending toward large refractors.

If the person wanted to look at mostly deep sky objects, then the suggestions would have been more toward large refractors (including Dobsonians).

At any rate, doing homework by reading some of the intro material already linked to should be the primary recommendation.

[Bokmakierie]

I was just looking at telescopes at amazon.com. Alot of them look nice but I don't know enough about them to make a decision on my own. So, can anyone recommend a good one for me?

Before you go out and buy, listen to this week's podcast on Universe today where Fraser and dr. Pamela Gay discuss exactly this subject.
http://www.astronomycast.com/

[Peter Wilson]

The OP said mostly planets, which was why the suggestions were tending toward large refractors.

If the person wanted to look at mostly deep sky objects, then the suggestions would have been more toward large refractors (including Dobsonians).

What's the difference between a large refractor and a large refractor?

[Kebsis]

How about this one?

http://www.telescopes.com/products/takahashi-fet-200-observatory-system-10228.html

[Blob]

How about this one?

Hum,
This Bresser Skylux 70mm f/10 Refractor (2-element achromat) Telescope with Equatorial Mount looks very similar, but a lot cheaper...

It comes with 3 eyepieces, 4mm, 12mm and 20mm, (giving magnification powers of x175, x58 and x35 respectively), 5 x 25 Viewfinder, and x1.3 Erecting Lens.
Price £89.99
(£49.99 from Lidl stores)

Read more (http://www.telescopeplanet.co.uk/ViewProdDetails.asp?name=Bresser%20Skylux%2070mm%2 0Equatorial%20Refractor%20&prod_code=PON05K000001)