economy telescope brands help!

[Lomitus]

Greetings All!
I'm new to this forum...as well as to astronomy in general, so please bear with me :-)

I'm looking for an affordable, but relatively decent telescope...I'm sure thats probably an oxymoron, but I've been out of work for quite some time and need to keep this under $200...i.e. no Meades.

I had just purchased an "Edu-Science" brand 600x from a local department store for $100 as it -looked- like a good deal, but after trying to use it tonight...nadda. I just can't keep the bugger stable enough to focus it beyond a blur. From what I've read and seen, Bushnell's and Tasco's are of the same low quality. A local sporting goods store has a brand named "Galileo" and they look like their a lot more heavy duty then this one I have now (which is going back in the morning). The model I'm lookin at is a Galileo 1000mm X 120mm reflector type and its on sale for $150.

I guess to cut this down to a nut shell, how good are Galileo brand telescopes (at least compaired to the other "bargain" brands) and is that a good deal on the one I'm lookin at? Obviously, I'm lookin to get the most bang for my buck here..I at least need something thats going to be stable enough to focus it! I would like to go 600x or better (sorry...still learning the correct terms I guess...I do realize that the amount of mag is dependant upon the lenses, Barlow lenses, etc). Basically I want something thats gonna be powerful enough to maybe get a decent view of the rings of Saturn, maybe a good focus on Jupiter, the Moon (of course), etc.. Also, as I get more into this, I'm gonna be interested in seeing deep space stuff (if possible with this level of scope). I have a couple of decent software programs to help me find everything (which is really cool!), now I just need something to see them with!

BTW, just for reference sake, I was able to "see" Jupiter tonight (at least I -think- it was Jupiter! LOL!) with this Edu-Science model using a 9mm lense attached to a 3x Barlow...just could not get a good focus on it as every time I tried to adjust the focus, the scope moved and I had to realign....-very- frustrating!

I have looked around on the web for reviews and such on brands (which in fact is how I found this site), but am not finding anything really helpful, so I am greatful to anyone who can provide some insight and assistance...thanks!

I have had a long time interest in Astronomy, but as with so many other people, just never got around to really learning it beyond simple star-gazing. My interest was recently reignited and I'm one of those people that when I get on about something, I try to learn as much as I can about it :-) Now that I have a good software package (Distant Suns - SETI version) and actually know what it is that I'm looking at and what/where to look...I just gotta have more! (MWAHAHahahahah!)

Anyways, thanks again to anyone that can be of help!

Bright Blessings & Gentle Breezes to all!
Jim

p.s. Once I get a decent scope, I'm sure I'll be back with a ton of questions :-)

[Kaptain K]

First of all, magnification is not as important as light gathering power. If the biggest, most prominent advertising point is: XXX power, be very wary.

Second, you are not going to be able to get 600 useable power out of any scope in your price range. The "rule of thumb" is 50x per inch. To be able to use 600x, you would need a 12 inch or larger scope.

Third, The most useful magnifications (even in bigger scopes) are in the 40-120x range. Using a 9mm with a barlow on such a small scope will just result in blurry wavering blobs (sound familiar?).

Start with your lowest power eyepiece (25mm or 40mm - the larger the number, the lower the power). This should be plenty to see craters on the Moon, the rings of Saturn and the bands and moons of Jupiter. Give your scope a chance, by backing off on the magnification to something within its useful range before throwing more money at the problem.

Lastly, if you must get another scope, realise that Meade, Celestron Orion and other reputable brands make scopes in your price range (Wal-Mart sells Meade scopes).

[JohnW]

Greetings All!
I'm new to this forum...as well as to astronomy in general, so please bear with me :-)

Welcome aboard.

I'm looking for an affordable, but relatively decent telescope...I'm sure thats probably an oxymoron, but I've been out of work for quite some time and need to keep this under $200...i.e. no Meades.

I had just purchased an "Edu-Science" brand 600x from a local department store for $100 as it -looked- like a good deal, but after trying to use it tonight...nadda. I just can't keep the bugger stable enough to focus it beyond a blur. From what I've read and seen, Bushnell's and Tasco's are of the same low quality. A local sporting goods store has a brand named "Galileo" and they look like their a lot more heavy duty then this one I have now (which is going back in the morning). The model I'm lookin at is a Galileo 1000mm X 120mm reflector type and its on sale for $150.

DON'T DO IT! You need to talk to a telescope seller, not a sporting goods store. As you're not sure what you're doing, you should find someone who does. A sneaker salesperson is not that someone.

I guess to cut this down to a nut shell, how good are Galileo brand telescopes (at least compaired to the other "bargain" brands) and is that a good deal on the one I'm lookin at? Obviously, I'm lookin to get the most bang for my buck here..I at least need something thats going to be stable enough to focus it! I would like to go 600x or better (sorry...still learning the correct terms I guess...I do realize that the amount of mag is dependant upon the lenses, Barlow lenses, etc). Basically I want something thats gonna be powerful enough to maybe get a decent view of the rings of Saturn, maybe a good focus on Jupiter, the Moon (of course), etc.. Also, as I get more into this, I'm gonna be interested in seeing deep space stuff (if possible with this level of scope). I have a couple of decent software programs to help me find everything (which is really cool!), now I just need something to see them with!
Nothing on Earth is going to give you 600x magnification. I mean that literally. Almost all the deep space photos you see from Palomar, the Keck, even Hubble were taken at much lower magnifications that that. Above a certain level (which I forget, but it's less than 600x) the Earth's atmosphere is just too wobbly. Any reputable telescope maker knows this, so you should avoid at all costs anything which claims to offer 600x magnification.

But that's not really a problem. The problem with most things in the sky isn't that they're small, it's that they're faint. What your telescope is doing isn't making them bigger so much as making them brighter. You'll want high power for the planets, but 150-200x is plenty. The usual rule of thumb is 50-60x per inch of aperture (up to a point...), so a 3-inch scope will probably give you all the magnification you'll need. Anything bigger is for light-gathering, not for magnifying.

BTW, just for reference sake, I was able to "see" Jupiter tonight (at least I -think- it was Jupiter! LOL!) with this Edu-Science model using a 9mm lense attached to a 3x Barlow...just could not get a good focus on it as every time I tried to adjust the focus, the scope moved and I had to realign....-very- frustrating!

I have looked around on the web for reviews and such on brands (which in fact is how I found this site), but am not finding anything really helpful, so I am greatful to anyone who can provide some insight and assistance...thanks!

I have had a long time interest in Astronomy, but as with so many other people, just never got around to really learning it beyond simple star-gazing. My interest was recently reignited and I'm one of those people that when I get on about something, I try to learn as much as I can about it :-) Now that I have a good software package (Distant Suns - SETI version) and actually know what it is that I'm looking at and what/where to look...I just gotta have more! (MWAHAHahahahah!)

If you haven't done so already, lookm at cloudynights.com and scopereviews.com. Both tend to review stuff which is out of your league (and mine), but there is some good introductory material there, and a few reviews of moderately-priced stuff. You might also want to check out Orion telescopes - they make a couple of under-$200 reflectors which seem to be regarded as the best available at the price (I have no connection to Orion; in fact I just bought a Stellarvue - nice refractor, but more than you're willing to spend.

Alternatively, for the money you're talking about, you could get a really good pair of astronomical binoculars, and start saving for a telescope when you're able to. They'll serve you much better than a cheap sporting-goods-store piece of...

Anyways, thanks again to anyone that can be of help!

Bright Blessings & Gentle Breezes to all!
Jim

p.s. Once I get a decent scope, I'm sure I'll be back with a ton of questions :-)

Looking forward to it. Have fun out there.

[Lomitus]

Hi Bat,
First off, thanks for the info. I've been researchin stuff via this website and am finding a ton of info (now that I've sound -this- site with some links!)...including some bad words about those Galileos, so at the very least, I'll look at them a little more objectively tomorrow when I return the other. I'm also planning on going to a couple of camera places tomorrow and see what they all have available...I did check our local WalMart and all they had was a basic Tasco telescope/microscope set...nothing even close to serious stuff...all WalMart's all carry different stock...i.e. if it don't sell at one store, then that store just stops selling the product (I guess it is good business sense).

I know I saw a Meade advertised somewhere on the web for around $200, but was "seduced" by the bigger numbers of these "cheapys"...as I'm learning more, I'll be a little more discriminating. Actually, when I could get this one I have now to hold still, the focus really wasn't that bad...it was just getting it to hold still while I tried to focus it! Really really crappy mount. Thats what I had noticed about the Galileo's I had looked at earlier today...they seemed like they had pretty decent mounts...they were counter-weighted...over-all seemed pretty solid (at least comparatively speaking), and I know they had -much- smoother focusing then this piece of crap. I did read the review that was posted on this sight on Galileo's, but would still be interested if anyone has other opionions on them as well.

I guess I probably should have expected this...I had gotten taken when I bought my first electric guitar (20+ years ago)...I should have expected to get flogged buyin my first telescope as well! The good thing is, I shouldn't have any problems returning it and I can chaulk this up to "live and learn".

I am still gonna take another look at that Galileo, but again with a more discriminating eye tomorrow, but will probably see if I can find a Meade. I know there are not many places in my area that sells them. I've seen a few Meade's around, so that seems like a good place to start now :-).

I would still be interested in anyone else's opinion's on brands/models...I am still reseaching this tonight, but I also know there's no better reseach then those with experience!

One dumb question to all...say with something like those $200 range Meade's...how much can I expect to actually see with one? I know that how much you see is relative to size...but honestly, how much am I gonna get out of a $200 telescope (even a Meade)?

Thanks Again!
Jim

[Lomitus]

John,
If your still lingerin out there...after recommending Orion, why did you go with Stellarvue...and how do you like it? Just curious :-).

Jim

[Kaptain K]

Because he could afford one! Completely different price range. It's like asking: "Why did you recommend a Toyota, but buy a BMW".

[JohnW]

John,
If your still lingerin out there...after recommending Orion, why did you go with Stellarvue...and how do you like it? Just curious :-).

Jim
Like Kaptain K said. I had more money to play with.

It's due to arrive Tuesday, so I apologise in advance to everyone in Western Washington for the next six weeks of dense fog.

[Lomitus]

Thanks a ton guys!
Yea...I looked up some Stellarvue's and I see the difference...and the prices.

Something I probably should have mentioned in my first post is; I'm a musician :-) I don't often have "disposable" cash and when I do, it usually goes into music gear. I'm still tryin to come up with $800 for an Ardvark Q10 multi-input system for my studio recording equipment...dont worry if that sounds like gibberish to you...terms like reflector, refractor, dobsonian, etc sounded the same to me a few hours ago! Like I said, this was originally an impulse buy on my part...but at least I kept the reciept!

After doing a lot of research on the web...thanks in great part to this web forum/site (mucho thanks to the folks in charge!), I think I've gotten it down to a few brands and models...would like your opions on if your familiar with them.

1.) Celestion Firstscope 114eq short Newtonian reflector w/114mm mirror.

2.) Orion Spaceprobe - either the 3 eq or the 130 eq relector models with 3"/76mm and 5.1"/130mm mirrors (respectively).

I'm also lookin at a Meade...I don't have the model written down yet, but it seems to run consistantly on the web for around $299...which unfortunatly is gonna be pushin it price-wise.

A lot of it is really going to come down to what I can find in the stores tomorrow (again camera-type places) when I take the Edu-Science piece of crap back (its already boxed back up and ready to go back). Again, I know there's a very limited number of places in my area that sell telescopes and even less places that sell decent entry level models...I can get a $2500 Meade, but thats simply not going to happen. I've seen numurous places on the web that look like they have decent prices, but especially for my first (ok...second) telescope, I'd rather buy local in case I have any more problems.

I would be greatful if you folks could maybe give some opinions on those brands at least...I know I've seen Orion and Celestion mentioned as better entry level brands, but would be greatful for some first hand expeience if anyone has any with those brands.

I'll be checkin the forum first thing in the morning before I head out, so please feel free to keep those comments a rollin! Again, I am truly grateful...this has been a real learning expeirience for me!

Bright Blessings all...and pleasant (not to mention warm!) star gazing to you all!

Jim

[Charlie in Dayton]

Lomitus -- welcome to the BABB! Always good to have another Buckeye around...we are the only ones here who can legitimately claim to be nuts...ahem...

Regarding scopes...ask around at your local astronomy club. They'll talk your ear off about their faves, and you can get some hands on experience with some. That being said, everything else here I'm going to say/recommend falls under Caveat Emptor!

Inexpensive scope? This may fit your bill -- I bought one awhile back, and while I'm still doing an eval on it, it's worth consideration. The bowling ball with a smokestack (http://www.opticsplanet.net/bushnell-100x45-voyager.html) is lightweight, compact, easy to use (forget that viewing-with-a-shoulder-strap stuff, though). Comes with a table mount (that has a 1/4-20 threaded hole on the bottom so you can stick this on top of your standard photo tripod). Easy to throw in the car on the spur of the moment. The viewing ain't that bad, either -- but the eyepieces that come with it aren't worth the biomass it would take to bury them.
Check here for eyepieces (http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=264&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCa t=6&iSubCat=36&iProductID=264) and check here for barlow lenses (http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=253&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCa t=6&iSubCat=25&iProductID=253). (NOTE -- this series eyepieces and barlow are on sale...). Might I suggest two eyepieces (a 26mm and a 10mm) and the 2x barlow? That gives you the equivalent of four eyepieces (26, 13, 10, and 5mm -- magnifications with the above scope of 17x, 34x, 45x, and 90x). I must stress that this setup will be acceptible for CASUAL stargazing. You want something with higher magnification, or for a more specific purpose, all bets are off.
Oh yeah...if you watch the shipping and handling, the stuff above comes in right at 200 smackaroonies...like I said, ask around a whole lot, and let the buyer be EXTREMELY beware...

That being said, if you have no optics at all, and are just getting started, serious consideration should be paid to binoculars. Something in the area of 7x50/8x42/10x50 will do to start (7x35's are just a tad too small in aperture for stargazing, according to the cognoscenti), and a copy of Phil Harrington's 'Touring the Universe Through Binoculars' is an excellent start. The book and a decent brand name set (Tasco/Bushnell used to be cheapies, but the quality has improved noticeably in the last few years) will get you started very nicely in the $100 - $125 range. Again, ask around, check prices, do some research. Binoculars are more utilitiarian, and if it turns out stargazing isn't your cup of tea, there's always a use for a pair of binoculars on vacation, or checking out that wasp's nest under the garage eaves from a distance, or the like.

I know the coincidences are coming fast and furious, but it turns out that I have both the 76mm and 130mm scopes you mentioned. The 76 is an old Tasco that I rejuvenated with help of a friend. The 76 you are looking at is the equivalent -- just make sure it has the 1 1/4" eyepieces. The 130mm scope isn't bad -- I'm still learning to properly use that one for astrophotography. The balance in the eq mount and polar alignment take a little time.

The 76 was my first one. The 130mm was bought for serious astrophotography. The 105mm (the bowling ball special) was bought on a whim because of the dynamite price and the desire to have a quickie scope that I could set up in 30 seconds, and the kids wouldn't mess it up at astro club show'n'tells. That's why I have all this cr@p. By no means do I claim expertise -- just some experience. I can't stress this one too highly -- ASK AROUND!!!

When in doubt and the budget can take the hit, aperture is king.

The human eye is not a time exposure device. No matter what you're looking at, no matter what you're looking through, IT NEVER LOOKS LIKE THE PICTURES!

I should say that I have no commercial connections with any manufacturer or dealer noted above -- I have the equipment described, and it seems to suit my purposes quite nicely.

Remember -- there's more stuff out there than what's been spoken of here. Go look around - you may very well find something out there that fits your needs perfectly.

Good luck!

P.S. That statement about '...there's nothing that will give you 600x...'? Not quite true...but I do believe it's a bit out of your price range...
http://www.unavowed.net/charlie/VariousesForTheWeb/MeBigScope75pct.jpg

[Kaptain K]

I'm still tryin to come up with $800 for an Ardvark Q10 multi-input system for my studio recording equipment...dont worry if that sounds like gibberish to you...
Not to all of us. I'm a part time soundman. I have about $15-20K of reinforcement and recording gear laying around the house. If I had spent all that on astronomy stuff, I would have a real nice observatory in my back yard! #-o

[Lomitus]

Well, I'm gonna be headin out shortly to take that other beastie back and to to see what I can see. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for me, that I might find a decent scope that I can afford that will serve me well :-).

I've seen the thing about the astro-binoc's mentioned a couple of times...I probably should have mentioned right off the bat that me and binoculars don't get along well. I have an eye condition that binoc's really mess with and even with the best pair of them, I can't get my eyes to focus...its kind of hard to explain. My brain I guess just don't put the images back together in my head, so I really do see two seperate images in binoc's. I can't even really use basic field glasses. My regular glasses have special prism's in them that allow me to see normally, but using binoc's (or even a scope with an eye piece) while wearing my glasses just doesn't work. It's a good suggestion...it just don't work for me.

As I said last night, I'm sure that a great deal of this is simply going to come down to what I can find in the local shops...I know there's not a huge selection, but thanks to you guys and my research, at least I have a better idea of what to look for! Again cross your fingers and wish me luck! I'll drop a post here later this eve and let ya'll know how it goes! Will probably have multiple questions later when I do...I already have some questions about lenses and camara mounts and such...but I'll deal with that a little later :-).

Kaptain K...yea...this music stuff is an expensive hobby (LOL!). I'm actually hoping to open my project studio to the public sometime later this year (barring having to move out of state as my wife is looking for a new job). At this point, I couldn't easily put a price tag on everything we have here...not counting all the PA and recording gear, I have 16 guitars and basses, 3 drum kits, multiple keyboards, violin, mandolin, numourous pieces of hand percussion, etc., etc., etc.. My wife is also a musician, she's my lead singer most of the time and plays flute and hand percussion as well...I guess it take a musician to live with a musician! Music is my first and foremost love and unfortunatly, anything else, such as astronomy will always have to take a back seat. With that said tho, I'm pretty stoked and do want to get a scope that will keep me happy for a little while at least!

I'll let ya'll know how it goes today,
Bright Blessings all...and thanks again!
Jim

[The Bad Astronomer]

Hey Charlie! Any chance you could shrink that image a bit? It's making the thread a bit wide. :-)

[parejkoj]

After doing a lot of research on the web...thanks in great part to this web forum/site (mucho thanks to the folks in charge!), I think I've gotten it down to a few brands and models...


Don't forget that this forum is attached to a website:

http://www.badastronomy.com/bitesize/scopefaq.html

The BA does not have anything good to say about Galileo, as linked from the page above. I have no experience with them, but what he says sounds like good advice.


A lot of it is really going to come down to what I can find in the stores tomorrow (again camera-type places) when I take the Edu-Science piece of crap back (its already boxed back up and ready to go back). Again, I know there's a very limited number of places in my area that sell telescopes and even less places that sell decent entry level models...I can get a $2500 Meade, but thats simply not going to happen. I've seen numurous places on the web that look like they have decent prices, but especially for my first (ok...second) telescope, I'd rather buy local in case I have any more problems.


Not a bad idea, but keep in mind that many online places have good return/repair policies. The online store that I've had most dealings with (haven't bought from them yet, but they've been very helpful answering questions) is astronomics (http://www.astronomics.com/main/) and they also have a classifieds section...

Also, though it was mentioned above, http://www.scopereview.com is a good place to look. The author, Ed Ting, now writes for Sky & Telescope and covers quite a bit of ground on that site.

And I'm surprised that Charlie didn't mention it, but as they say in this business: aperture is king! Generally the best rule is to get the largest aperture you can afford and be able to easily tranpsort, then look at other things. For $200 you can get the Orion 4.5XT, which Ed gives a very good review (http://www.scopereviews.com/page1s.html) (it is about halfway down the page). Dobsonians are often the best scope for a beginner, because they are incredibly easy to use, require minimal setup and generally get you the best aperture for the money.

Good luck, and make sure and keep us informed about where you go with this! Observing is always a lot of fun!

[Hale_Bopp]

Well, you have a lot of good advice here, and I am going to add my two cents :)

Think about what you want to use the telescope for. What is important? Portability? Ease of set up? The ability to track an object? Good planetary views or good deep sky views? No single telescope can do all of these equally well, so you need to set some priorities.

I have used the Orion 4.5"XT (a friend has one) and it is a good intro telescope. Very easy to set up and use, good optics, and good aperture for the money. It is easy to transport as well. Disadvantage : no setting circles, no ability to track an object. Better for deep sky viewing than planetary (although you can get decent views of planets, see the Galilean moons, Saturn's rings, etc).

I also have a Celestron Firstsceope 76. I saw you were looking at the Firstscope 114. It has some slow motion controls on it which are nice. It is an equitorial mount which takes longer to set up. It also is better for deep sky than planets like the Orion.

If your primary interest is star clusters, maybe check out the Orion 15x70 binoculars. Never discount a good pair of binoculars. I have a pair of 20X80 binoculars on a parallelogram mount. There are many objects I would rather view throug these binoculars than any telescope.

I know its old advice, but the best telescope is one you will use. If it is too difficult to set up, too heavy to move easily, or does not show you the objects you want, you probably won't use it much no matter how much it costs.

Lastly, don't rush. Go to a star party or astronomy club and see what other people have. Look through several different telescopes and then decide. Generally, telescope prices have been coming down the last several years, so you won't lose money by waiting. Of course, its not like a computer where it will be obsolete next year...a good telescope lasts a long time. My Celestron 8 was bought by my parents in 1978 and still gives nice views. Yes, an original orange tube :D

Rob

[SarahMc]

I know it's a little late to post this, but take the scope back and don't buy another one - at least not right away,

Get yourself a pair of binoculars and a couple beginners books. Learn the constellations and the brightest stars within them. Take your time.

While you're doing that, join an astronomy club. Go to their meetings, talk to the other amateurs. When the spring arrives, go to their star parties and look through everyone elses scope. Talk to them about the scope - what they like best, what they like worst about it. Ask about the prices and portability of them. Watch them set them up and tear them down. Get the prices of the eyepieces being used and see difference that the quality makes in the observation using them.

After a few star parties, and learning the night sky, you'll have saved up enough to buy a decent beginner's scope, rather than spending what you have saved right now for something that will end up in the closet and never get used.

My opinion is that you should save up at least $1,000. That gives you a wide variety of telescopes to chose from, and it also leaves you leftover cash for the necesary extras, like eyepieces, barlows, filters, charts and books. But that's just my opinion on a starting price, that's not to say you can't start less expensively and add on.

The best advice is to get some experience first, then make an informed decision based on **your** needs and budget. What I see as necessary, a hundred other amateurs will see as unnecessary, and vice-versa.

[Kaptain K]

SarahMc and Hale_Bopp,

You didn't read his post where he said:
I've seen the thing about the astro-binoc's mentioned a couple of times...I probably should have mentioned right off the bat that me and binoculars don't get along well. I have an eye condition that binoc's really mess with and even with the best pair of them, I can't get my eyes to focus...its kind of hard to explain. My brain I guess just don't put the images back together in my head, so I really do see two seperate images in binoc's. I can't even really use basic field glasses. My regular glasses have special prism's in them that allow me to see normally, but using binoc's (or even a scope with an eye piece) while wearing my glasses just doesn't work. It's a good suggestion...it just don't work for me.

[AGN Fuel]

And I'm surprised that Charlie didn't mention it, but as they say in this business: aperture is king!

You must have been distracted by that pretty little scope in the photo.....

When in doubt and the budget can take the hit, aperture is king.

[Lomitus]

Hi Folks!
I'm gonna keep this post short for the moment...on a break to warm up a little before I head back out (even with a heater on my butt, I'm still freezin out there...but its worth it).

I decided to bite the bullet and went ahead and got a Meade DS2114 ATS this afternoon :-) It was a lot more then I was planning to spend, but I decided that this should definatly keep me/us happy for a while. I'm still tryin to figure out how all the AutoStar stuff works...while tryin to adjust the speed control, I guess I hit the wrong button and the sucker took off lookin for Rigel! LOL! Just in manual mode with the two lenses that came with it, we were able to see Jupiter tonight and -4- moons! First time I've ever gotten to see the moons on another planet...what can I say, I'm giddy as a school girl :-)

I am still tryin to align the freakin viewfinder...I can get it close, but not exact in the cross hairs (using a local traffic light...nice little red dot to focus one)...if any Meade owners out there have any time saving suggestions, I would be very grateful!

I haven't read all the post's yet...will get caught up a little later this evening when I come in for the night, but I just wanted to share my excitement with everyone!

I'll drop a post a little later on this evening...again thanks to everyone for the help and suggestions!

Bright Blessings,
Jim

[skyglow1]

.......P.S. That statement about '...there's nothing that will give you 600x...'? Not quite true...but I do believe it's a bit out of your price range...

Yes, I have to agree on that. Many of the well known people in history used magnifications even higher than 1000x.

skyglow1

[Aquarianperry]

Hello all, I've been a lurker here for quite a while but thought I'd give a suggestion to this topic, just in case you might decide to send that Meade back to the store here's another for your consideration:

Heres a pretty good starter scope for you, a Meade Model # 4504 4.5" F8 Reflector with GOTO EQ Mount :

http://www.apogeeinc.com/meade.html

For $169 this is a steal with a few minor exceptions that you can upgrade once you get the money. Those exceptions are:

.96" Eyepieces/focuser - not sure about this one but it's what I've heard, you can upgrade the focuser to 1.25" or 2" for a little more money

5X24 Finder - not so good but you can bump this up later to say a decent Telrad finder or bigger finder.

3X Balrow - Get a 2X barlow down the line somewhere, until then just use the eyepieces by themselves which will give you good magnification.

All in all, for a GOTO mount alone this is an unbelievable price and the Telescope itself is pretty nice and down the line a few upgrades I mentioned above you would be off to a great start.

Okay, back to lurking :wink:

[Lomitus]

If I had of seen that scope for that price in the store, I would have probably gotten in it a heartbeat, but again, for my first scope, I really didn't want go get one online and while price-wise, I payed -a lot- more for what I got, I'm not going to complain either...I'm happy (so far at least) with the 2114. It's got the same size dish, just a shorter focal length. It looks like its got the same controller as mine...the Autostar unit.

I do agree that it does look like a steal....make me wonder why its so inexpensive...hmmm. What exactly does "GOTO" mean anyways...does that just refer to the fact that its got an autolocator (meaning is my 2114 a GOTO as well)?

Anyways, thanks for the suggestion...a little late, but was worth lookin at. One thing I've learned about shopping...now matter how good of a deal I find, I always find a better one right after I puchase! LOL!

Jim

[Kaptain K]

GOTO means "Go To". If you can enter the name or coordinates of an object and the scope will automatically point at the object, it is a GOTO scope. The next step down is digital setting circles, which give you a digital read out of the scopes position. You move the scope until the numbers match the position of the object.

Note: GOTO is not to be confused with MOTU (Mark Of The Unicorn), a maker of high-end audio equipment! :wink:

[parejkoj]

And I'm surprised that Charlie didn't mention it, but as they say in this business: aperture is king!

You must have been distracted by that pretty little scope in the photo.....

When in doubt and the budget can take the hit, aperture is king.

You're right... oops! :oops: Sorry Charlie! You were reminding me too much of what I used in college (http://www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/PHYS/Astro/pages/t2.html) that I just lost track of your words... Hmm... I wish there were a more recent picture of that thing... I'll have to take one next time I'm back visiting...


I decided to bite the bullet and went ahead and got a Meade DS2114 ATS this afternoon ... Just in manual mode with the two lenses that came with it, we were able to see Jupiter tonight and -4- moons! First time I've ever gotten to see the moons on another planet...what can I say, I'm giddy as a school girl


Nifty! :) It's fun, ain't it? Watch the moons (maybe even sketch them, if you are feeling ambitious) for a few hours: if you are paying attention, you can notice their movement over even just an hour!

And the mount you've got, altitude-azimuth, is a lot easier to deal with than an equitorial. Equitorial mounts require a lot more fiddling to get them setup correctly and you have to do it every time.

About the viewfinder troubles: What is the alignment mechanism? Are there three screws around the back and front that you can tighten and loosen to move it?


Anyways, thanks for the suggestion...a little late, but was worth lookin at. One thing I've learned about shopping...now matter how good of a deal I find, I always find a better one right after I puchase! LOL!

Heh... I think that goes along with the rule of telescope buying: you will get at least 3 weeks of clouds after you buy a scope. Hope you get some clear skies!

[Charlie in Dayton]

Hey Charlie! Any chance you could shrink that image a bit? It's making the thread a bit wide. :-)

That any better? Further shrinkage available upon request...

[Lomitus]

Hehehe...I've been droolin over the MOTU stuff for years! The main reason I'm shooting for an Ardvark or a Delta 10/10 is simply price...it's gonna be a long while before I can afford MOTU unforutnaly. At this point though, I'll be happy with 8 in's to the recording system and thats mainly for recording live drums :-).

BB's,
Jim