How much would a good telescope cost, one where I could pretty much see the edge of the universe. I want to also take pictures of what I see. I want to use this for mapping out the universe on my own to the best of my ability, good idea or bad? I want to put all the data i can find on paper and then figure out how to make a program that accepts all my data.

and will it be possible to make mathamatical observations with a telescope?

Your plan seems a bit overly ambitious. It is possible to see and image a handful of quasars that are several billion light years distant (assuming that that the overwhelming majority of astronomers is correct about what quasars are) with amateur telescopes but you'd be very disappointed, I'd wager, in how they'll appear, namely as very dim stars. But even those distances are hardly to the "edge" of the observable universe. Huge observatory telescopes and the HST are required for achieving images at high red shifts.

Just what kind of data do you expect to collect? Some amateur astronomers estimate the magnitude changes of variable stars. Others search for comets, asteroids, novae, and supernovae, but I don't think those activities are what you had in mind.

Be advised that a telescope and mount capable of long-exposure astroimaging are going to be rather expensive. You'll also need a manual film camera, a digital camera, a modified webcam, or a CCD camera and dark skies in order to image faint nebulae and galaxies.

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaver...29/primer.html

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/que...php?number=188

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

http://home.inreach.com/starlord/

http://skyandtelescope.com/printable...rticle_244.asp

Dave Mitsky

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How much you got? It'll cost more than that, even if you're Bill Gates. The Hubble Ultra Deep Field is the farthest we've seen yet. It was an 11 1/2+ day (1 million seconds) long exposure taken above the Earth's atmosphere. It still didn't reach the edge of the universe!

"Good" is a relative term. Again, mostly relative to the size of your bank account. There are telescopes that most amateurs would be happy with, that cost less that $1000. If you want to set up your own private observatory (dome, permanent pier mount, computerized scope and mount, autoguider and CCD camera, etc.), expect to pay a few thousand to several hundred thousand dollars!

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T. Anderson

I would choose this fine Meade scope (click the link), mind you it is over $11,000. This will, by any practical means, give you a viewing plethora that will last you the rest of your natural life.

http://www.astronomics.com/main/Mead...oduct_id/M16TU

-Kevin

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Regards,

-Kevin

Might as well really go for it:

Takahashi

;-)

Seriously, if you really want to do hard core astronomy, it'll cost a bundle. I'm happy with my 8" Orion newtonian, but it won't do anything close to what you mentioned wanting to accomplish.

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I really don't think you fully understand what kind of equipment you will need to do as you indicate. A telescope to see to the edge of the universe and to photograph such would be a huge investement and would be just a part of the equipment needed. You will need particularly sensitive and accurate guiding equipment and image manipulating equipment and software. Then you will need the training and understanding to assemble the data and interpret it to create a map that makes sense. If this is to be some kind of masters project or a research project, then it might be worth the investment. But if it is to be an excercise in amateur astronomy, you might find it a bit overblown.

Regards, tbm

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Sepmann: How much time will you have to view the sky, how much money do you have to spend, do you want to enjoy what you see or collect pictures? One way to find out is spend some time following the links the guys and gals here and other places have posted. Do you spend much time looking at the night sky now? You can determine alot that way. The old Universe Today forum had alot of info, Dave contriubted greatly as did some
others for me. You need to check the manufactures web sites to get ideas and prices as well. Good advice will make the job easier for you and take your time to decide. I built (essembled) my own scope it is a 10" reflector on an EQ waterpipe mount and wooden pier that i roll out of my garage. Pictures etc will come some day but right now i just like to see what i can. Doug

I'm not sure what your astronomy experience is, and I mean no offense by guessing that it is rather limited. First steps are exciting, and "conquering" the universe must have been on the minds of 99% of the amateur astronomers who have bought their first glass in the past several decades.

Mr. Mitsky (the first person to respond to your post) is very knowledgeable and provided some very good links, which I would encourage you to follow up on. If you are, indeed, just starting out, I would also highly recommend getting a few issues of Sky & Telescope magazine, a good pair of binoculars (My most often used piece of astronomical equipment is a pair of Pentax 8x42's), and waiting until you have established for yourself a good idea of what is involved before you spend any more money than that. You may find that, while imaging "the ends of the universe" is out of your reach, other areas of study might give you as much satisfaction and room for contribution as you could hope for.

Sincerely,
Derrick Baumer

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a bit of a monstrosity

http://www.discovery-telescopes.com/...PSwithPier.gif

That one is even better! Now just to find the perfect place for it . . . the middle of the kitchen!

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Regards,

-Kevin

Call me old fashioned, but if I'm gonna get a scope that big, on a permanent pier mount, it's gonna be as equatorial mount, not alt-az!

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Any day you wake up on "the right side of the dirt" is a good day.

T. Anderson

That scope costs 200 thousand dollars??? 8( They can't *possibly* be that good, can they? I mean, 200mm objective.. what would its resolution be relative to a high-quality reflector of four times that aperture, considering atmospheric diffraction &etc.? Do people actually buy these?

(and would a person who actually bought one use "Ultra Clarity Lens Cleaner" for $4.99 a bottle to clean the lenses with? )

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Yes they do!

Being rich does not automatically make you smart

To be fair, there are those who believe that the increased contrast of an apochromatic refractor, due to their not having a central obstruction and the lack of diffraction spikes from spider vanes, makes them worth the money.

If they have that kind of money to spend, who's to argue with them?

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Any day you wake up on "the right side of the dirt" is a good day.

T. Anderson