What telescope should I get?

[RMSkater]

Hi, I’m a beginner in astronomy and I would love some advice on where I can get a good reflector telescope I can use for looking at the planets and general use for a fairly good price. Any advice would be great. Thank you for your time RMskater.

[LotusExcelle]

Orion makes some fantastic Dobs.
http://www.telescope.com/control/main/

[RMSkater]

Thank you LotusExcelle for your comment. I will check it out. :)

[aurora]

Look at the messages in the Observing and Equipment section, there are lots of threads there on this topic.

[RMSkater]

Thank you for your help aurora.

[Neverfly]

My first scope was hand made.
I cut the Pyrex and ground the lens myself.

It did a Fantastic job

of showing me blurry stars...

After that, I turned to Edmund Scientific.
My second scope was quite a bit better.
But I still enjoy browsing the catalog. They have All Kinds of wacky things, educational things, and good beginner equipment as well.

I don't recommend checking them out unless you're rich. Cuz if you're anything like me, you can walk into Home Depot for a box of screws, and walk out two hours later with the springs of the truck bed groaning and have to go back again because you forgot the dumb screws.
Ok, I'm kidding. Check out ES.

[astromark]

RM Skater; There is a lot of very good information for you to see in the Observing and Equipment section of this forum... I have only this advise for you to concider...
Keep it simple. The telescope you will use is the easy option. Do not go to big or complex for they are to time consuming to set up, or to heavy to lift, or to big to store, or just a pain in the Glutenous Maximus... The smaller scopes can be very good and are always easy to get up and running. Its about commitment and convenience. Only you can sift through the available scopes and make the decision that is right for you. I would strongly advise you to seek out a local astronomical society or observatory. Talk of you interest with them. Ask questions and listen... From my experiences you need not spend more than two thousand dollars to get a state of the art Dobsonian telescope of about 8 inch ( 200mm ) an excellent tool for a beginner. Avoid the tripod mounted scopes... they all get the wobbles far to easy. Remember quality not size. Ask about eye pieces... thats a subject all of its own.
I wish you well.... Mark.

[mugaliens]

Hi, I’m a beginner in astronomy and I would love some advice on where I can get a good reflector telescope I can use for looking at the planets and general use for a fairly good price. Any advice would be great. Thank you for your time RMskater.

Another member just purchased a Meade 2130 (http://www.bautforum.com/astronomical-observing-equipment-accessories/76782-my-new-telescope.html#post1284598). Perhaps you can ask him how he likes his new telescope. From what I gather, it sounds like a nice model.

[redshifter]

Definitely read this: http://scopereviews.com/begin.html

IMO a 6 or 8 inch dob is an excellent first scope, and the Orion ones someone linked to above do very well, I've owned the 8" and now I own the 10" (both were the 'non intelliscope' versions which I prefer). They are inexpensive, easy to use, very stable (which is more important than razor sharp optics), and have a lot of aperature for the $. They will show you a lot and may be all the scope you'll ever want or need.

Example: here is a link to the Orion 8" dob: http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09707

Only 300 bucks, an 'astronomical' value. :)

[RMSkater]

Thank you all for you comments they have been much help. I have one more Q for you all what is the difference between a dob and any other telescope? Any help would be great. Thank you.

[Kaptain K]

A dob, named for its inventor John Dobson, is a type of mount rather than a type of telescope. It is an easy to make and easy to use alt-az mount for a Newtonian reflector telescope. It consists of a base that sits on the ground, and a fork that rolls around the base on bearings. The fork has semicircular bearings which provide a smooth surface for the telescope to move up and down (azimuth).
http://www.telescope.com/control/category/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes;jsessionid=56C53017D610C8836 0B1B4B05DB28C15.ivprod1

[redshifter]

IMO one of the greatest advantages of the dob mount besides its simplicity of use is the inherent stability it provides.

[LotusExcelle]

This is perhaps into personal taste territory but I think the Dobsonian is the way to go for several reasons.

As previously mentioned - and I think this is really the trump card - simplicity. You don't need a $1500 dollar tripod to keep your image from shaking all over the place. This translates into the *other* trump card...

Cost. This simplicity means you are paying for the scope - not the mount. Because of this you go on to the next point...

The Light Bucket. You can get a freaking huge Dob for next to no money. Look up an Orion 10". Now price out any other kind of 10" scope and feel the burn. As a photographer (more to the point the shooting style I use) I want to gather the most possible light. So the larger the mirror the better. You can go crazy with focal length all you want but if you end up at f32 then what is the point?

There are a few disadvantages but this really depends on what you are going to do with the scope. If you are going to be doing 10 minute exposures you aren't going to get very far with a Dob. The simplicity of the mount means it isn't going to track like a motor-controlled super-tripod.

[RMSkater]

I think I will go with a Dob but I’m not positive because I riley don’t have a place for it in my garage. heck I don’t even have a place for my keys. But over all I think it will be a good choice if I can find room for it . thank you all for your help it been great I’ve learned a lot.:)

[Siguy]

Dobs actually have the lowest floorspace-to-aperture ratio of any telescope I know of, as they are self contained and stand upright when stored, so if you're trying to save space, they're a good choice.

[RMSkater]

Wow, I thought Dobs would take up a lot of space. Thank you for your comment Siguy.

[RMSkater]

One more Q what do you guys think of this dob Orion SkyQuest XT10 Classic 10" Dobsonian. I think it will be a good choice but I need more info. Any help or comment would be great. Thank you.

[parejkoj]

We bought that exactly telescope for Drexel University's Lynch Observatory, as one of the external "rider" telescopes that we drag out for open nights. It is very nice. Takes two people to move it around (or one person, and two trips, since the base and the optical tube are easy to separate and then reconnect). If you are pressed for space, though, check the dimensions on Orion's website just to be sure: it is bigger than one might think!

[Siguy]

The Orion Skyquest XT10 is a good scope, with great price-to-aperture, and easily expandible. Keep in mind that, though portable for its size, it is surprisingly larger than an XT8. An aluminum Dob isn't as heavy as a Sonotube Dob (ugh), but make sure that you can travel with it. (it can fit in your vehicle) Also keep in mind that you may be wanting more accessories than you planned for, so it's good to get a scope a couple hundred dollars below your budget limitation.

[Siguy]

Oh, and if portability and size is really an issue, you could go with a Meade Lightbridge. (but they cost a bit more and take longer to set up)

[RMSkater]

Hmm I don’t think I will have trouble getting it in my Prius or my van. I think I can craft my own shed I’m good with wood. And money should not be a problem. So I think it will be a good choice. Oh one more Q ( Its always one more Q) what do you guys think about 6x50in binoculars?

[aurora]

Hmm I don’t think I will have trouble getting it in my Prius or my van. I think I can craft my own shed I’m good with wood. And money should not be a problem. So I think it will be a good choice. Oh one more Q ( Its always one more Q) what do you guys think about 6x50in binoculars?


7x50 would be a little better, and my favorite for astronomy are 10x50. By the way, that's mm, not inches.

But if you already have some, or can get a real deal on some, go ahead. Any binos are better than none.

[redshifter]

One more Q what do you guys think of this dob Orion SkyQuest XT10 Classic 10" Dobsonian. I think it will be a good choice but I need more info. Any help or comment would be great. Thank you.

I have owned the XT10 since about 2003 and it's been a great scope for me. I upgraded to it from the XT8, which is also a great scope. I don't know that I'll ever upgrade to a larger scope, as it has enough aperature to show a great many objects, but still small enough that it can fit in most cars. It's quite usuable out of the box, though there are some relatively simple mods you can do to make it more usable.

For your first upgrade, I'd recommend an eyepeice to replace the 10mm that ships with that scope. It's not too bad, but it has a small lens to look through and it has a short eye relief which isn't real comfortable. I upgraded mine to the 9.5mm version of these, which has worked well for me: http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=eyepieces/~pcategory=accessories/~product_id=E0010

The 25mm that comes with the XT10 is pretty good.

[Siguy]

I've never heard of 6x50 binoculars. But if they exist, then they aren't good for astronomy. They would have an exit pupil aperture smaller than maximum eye dilation, meaning that only some of the light would enter your eye. Better would be 7x50 binoculars, but in many conditions your pupils do not dilate to 7mm, so the most common astronomical binoculars are 10x50.

You might also want to look at other types of binoculars, with larger apertures (the second number is aperture in millimeters, the first magnification.) Celestron and Zhumell both offer economical models. Beware, though, that these are quite a bit larger and heavier than 10x50s, and some, such as 20x80s, need tripods.

[RMSkater]

Thank you for your comments they have helped me a lot.

[Torsten]

The best scope is the one you use. I have a small scope that fits into a guncase I've modified for it. I often take it on the road with me, and it certainly gets more use because of that characteristic than if I had to bring along a big scope.

Just something to think about.

[kookbreaker]

The Orion Skyquest XT10 is a good scope, with great price-to-aperture, and easily expandible. Keep in mind that, though portable for its size, it is surprisingly larger than an XT8. An aluminum Dob isn't as heavy as a Sonotube Dob (ugh),


Pssst, dob tubes are made of steel, not aluminum.

[kookbreaker]

Hmm I don’t think I will have trouble getting it in my Prius or my van. I think I can craft my own shed I’m good with wood. And money should not be a problem. So I think it will be a good choice. Oh one more Q ( Its always one more Q) what do you guys think about 6x50in binoculars?

6x50 would be too much exit pupil no matter what the design. Did you mean 7x 50?

In general, you should always have a pair of binos to supplement your telescope.

[texaswonderer]

I have an Orion XT8 w/intelliscope which I have enjoyed quite a bit.


one thing I havent seen mentioned, is where you live? The important questions would be how much light pollution do you have, and what is your elevation from sea level..


basically, I think it is possible to have too much mirror depending on how close you are to sea level.

[geonuc]

Pssst, dob tubes are made of steel, not aluminum.
I think a Dobsonian tube can be made of anything. I have one made of wood.

[kookbreaker]

I think a Dobsonian tube can be made of anything. I have one made of wood.

OK, Orion Dob Tubes are made of Steel. :P

[LotusExcelle]

How about a Dob made of an old cannon? A) the mount is pretty much there already and B) ... it would be... really heavy. Yeah. Good reasons!

[kookbreaker]

How about a Dob made of an old cannon? A) the mount is pretty much there already and B) ... it would be... really heavy. Yeah. Good reasons!

Dude, like, rifling so messes with your light path, y'know! :D

[Kaptain K]

Yeah, the light gets all dizzy and pukes in your eyepiece! :whistle:

[ctcoker]

I don't know that I'll ever upgrade to a larger scope, as it has enough aperature to show a great many objects, but still small enough that it can fit in most cars.

You might be surprised about the size issue. I measured the dimensions of my mom's car's trunk against those of an Obsession 15", and the Obsession fit (it's not a particularly large trunk, either). I may even have been able to squeeze the 18 in, but it would be tight. Granted, though, those are both premium truss Dobs, not solid tubes.

one thing I havent seen mentioned, is where you live? The important questions would be how much light pollution do you have, and what is your elevation from sea level..


basically, I think it is possible to have too much mirror depending on how close you are to sea level.

The where he lives question is more important simply because, if he's not in the US or Canada, Orion won't ship to him (read their shipping policy just to make sure). The "too much aperture for the light pollution level" is simply a myth. For pulling out fainter objects, bigger is always better.

[Kaptain K]

The "too much aperture for the light pollution level" is simply a myth. For pulling out fainter objects, bigger is always better.
Plus, the bigger the aperture, the more magnification you can use and magnification darkens the background.

[RMSkater]

Thank you all for your comments. O and the answer to that Q where do you live its North West Ohio.

[texaswonderer]

The "too much aperture for the light pollution level" is simply a myth. For pulling out fainter objects, bigger is always better.





interesting, i will keep that in mind in the future.

[redshifter]

[QUOTE=ctcoker;1290185]You might be surprised about the size issue. I measured the dimensions of my mom's car's trunk against those of an Obsession 15", and the Obsession fit (it's not a particularly large trunk, either). I may even have been able to squeeze the 18 in, but it would be tight. Granted, though, those are both premium truss Dobs, not solid tubes.


Oh, I realize a truss style dob can break down such that a pretty dang large scope will fit in a lot of vehicles, but I like that my solid tube requires no assembly time in the field, other that plunking the tube onto the mount. It's a nice compromise for me.