Telescope Info

janmike

My son has asked me a few times about getting a telescope and I think I will start looking for one. .He is only eight but really likes the stars, I know absolutely nothing about telescopes so I hope there are a few people that do. I am thinking < $1K. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

W WALDECKER

the Orion Skyquest XT8 is great telescope for around $500.00.

jvarnadoe

I also recommend Orion telescopes. http://www.telescope.com

I have the 4.5 Short Tube EQ which I believe was replaced by the Orion StarBlast 4.5 EQ Reflector. Excellent scopes for good prices.

jmwest1970

W WALDECKER wrote: »

the Orion Skyquest XT8 is great telescope for around $500.00.

This looks like an excellent choice. You may want to spring for the object finder as it will increase overall viewing time and decrease the "where is that darn thing?" time.

I haven't had a telescope in about 15 years and it appears the price of technology has finally come down. I built a 15" Dobsonian when I was 18 and the viewing was incredible!

You may also check out Celestron and Meade equipment, although I don't know if they offer as much bang for the buck as Orion.

janmike

So what mm should I be looking for. I guess it's like buying a camera lens.

Jim Shearer

janmike wrote: »

So what mm should I be looking for. I guess it's like buying a camera lens.

First: +1 to Orion Telescope & Binocular; reputable dealer w/ good service.

Second: I would recommend finding a local astronomy club & looking through other people's scopes before you buy. This is how you find out what you really want...or if you really want anything at all. You can find lists of clubs at www.skyandtelescope.com or www.astronomy.com Clubs are full nice folks who will be glad to assist you. They want you to suceed, and they can help you avoid the mistakes they made along the way.

Size?: it all depends on what you want & feel comfortable with. General recommendation is a 6" or 8" Newtonian on a Dobsonian mount. Best bang for the $$$. Weaknesses: doesn't track by itself & requires periodic alignment of the optics (only takes a minute or so after you learn what you're doing.)

Other possibilities:
--80 to 100 mm achromatic refractor; many models to choose from, many made in the Pacific rim. Some have decent optics at very reasonable prices. SHort tube achros show lots of chromatic abberation (false color) on bright objects and are not that great on moon & planets; good for low power, wide field views. Longer focus (at least f/9) will still have false color on bright objects, but many find this within tolerable limits. Better than short tubes for moon & planets; 100mm is just about enough to get into viewing deepsky objects.
--Schmidt Cassegrain or Maksutov Cassegrain designs pack a long focal length into a short tube by folding the optical path. Weaknesses: prone to getting covered w/ dew; slower cool down than other designs-needs about an hr. before you can use high powers.

Check out some web sites like cloudynights.com, weatherman.com (IIRC) or Ed Ting's site (I forget the name.)


Cheers, Jim

janmike

Thanks folks awesome info. The one thing I would require is the ability to use in extreme cold weather. -30 to -50 so we could get a good look at the sky on clear, cold nights.

weps

my mother is fairly into astronomy and one of her favorite gifts for anyone expressing an interest is the audubon field guide to the night sky.

janmike

Personally, I want to see the Aurora up close.

Jim Shearer

janmike wrote: »

Thanks folks awesome info. The one thing I would require is the ability to use in extreme cold weather. -30 to -50 so we could get a good look at the sky on clear, cold nights.

If you want a scope that will work OK at -50, then you can't go w/ a real low-cost product. Any plastic parts (like they often use in an inexpensive focusers and mounts) aren't likely to survive. Don't even think about the inexpensive goto scopes from companies like Meade: way too many plastic parts, icluding in the drives. You will need an all metal focuser, and most likely will need to take it apart, clean out the lubricant, & treat it w/ lithium grease. Most driven mounts in your price range will be full of plastic too. (I hadn't noticed that you live in the frozen north.)

As for aurora: you should have been seeing them regularly up there. In those nice dark skies, they'd be hard to miss. We are at solar minimum just now, so aurora occur infrequently, but a couple years ago we had incredible auroral displays covering more than half the sky down here in the States. Up there they must have stretched from horizon to horizon!

Cheers, Jim

janmike

Thanks Jim. Yes the Aurora are probably some of the best in the world up here. People come to Yellowknife from all over to see them. I wanted to look at them from afar at some time.

engtaz

Those are wicked cool photo. It much be great in person.

Jim Shearer

janmike wrote: »

Thanks Jim. Yes the Aurora are probably some of the best in the world up here. People come to Yellowknife from all over to see them. I wanted to look at them from afar at some time.

Trust me, you've got the best view right there! Folks around here could see them fairly often but don't, as they usually are nothing more than a amorphous glow in the north. And even when we get a good show (real fire in the sky stuff) they don't notice 'cause they're inside in front of the TV.

Cheers, Jim

janmike

The telescope would be more for the single bright lights in the sky, but there are times when the AB is a long way away and looking at them through the telescope may be an added bonus. Some of the constellations are very vivid here in the winter.

VR3

I am thinking about telescopes for my daughter for maybe a Christmas birthday gift. Would like compatibility with Android phones for linking up to tell you what is what etc

Any recommendations

My max would be around 500 but not locked into new, used is ok

Emlyn

I don’t have a recommendation but I love the idea for your daughter.

Even just looking at the moon with binoculars and seeing the craters can be a fun introduction.

VR3

yeah man, she constantly asks what constellations are she sees in the books we read. She asks all the time "we are on earth?" "in the milky way galaxy?"

I do KiwiCo every other month and those kits have really sparked intrigue for my daughter on a whole host of STEM topics

I think she would love to see the real life version (as best we can) of stars and planets! :-D

Gardenstater

The first time she sees Saturn's rings will be quite a thrill, as it was for me when I was about 10 with my inexpensive refractor telescope which became a victim in one of my Mom's garage sales lol.

tonyp063

I'm sure others with more experience will chime in, but I've used a Celestron scope, on and off, for years.
Decent optics & it won't break the bank.
Some of their models advertise being phone compatible with an app. I've no experience with those.

gmcman

VR3 wrote: »

I am thinking about telescopes for my daughter for maybe a Christmas birthday gift. Would like compatibility with Android phones for linking up to tell you what is what etc

Any recommendations

My max would be around 500 but not locked into new, used is ok

Build yourself a 12x12' shed out back, with a sliding roof. Then sit down and crack open a few drinks and figure out what size telescope can fit with a few chairs around it.



Hey, rabbit holes aren't just for audio upgrades...

billbillw

VR3 wrote: »

yeah man, she constantly asks what constellations are she sees in the books we read. She asks all the time "we are on earth?" "in the milky way galaxy?"

I do KiwiCo every other month and those kits have really sparked intrigue for my daughter on a whole host of STEM topics

I think she would love to see the real life version (as best we can) of stars and planets! :-D

I'd hold off spending $500 on something as start. This is a hobby that usually looses interest for most folks pretty fast. Sitting outside for hours in the dark, doesn't appeal to everyone. Hot, cold, bugs, dew, and sleepiness all factor in. It also takes a lot of patience and weather often doesn't cooperate (especially in the Eastern US).
Used market is the way to go. When my kids were small, I bought a nice Celestron 3" refractor with a fine adjustment Alt-Z mount and one eyepiece for $40. That was enough to really look at the moon in detail, see Jupiter and 4-moons, and Saturn's rings. I could also see some detail in Orion's nebula. Later, I bought an 8" SCT (used) with an equatorial mount, but I found it cumbersome and not easy to navigate the sky with. It took a lot of effort to move and setup. A lot of people recommend big Dobsonian reflectors because they are easy to setup, and they can give a wide view and let in a lot of light which is better for deep space Messier objects, but they are large and hard to transport. They typically require manual navigation and don't track. I now have a smaller Meade ETX125 (5" Mak) which isn't as good for deep space objects, but better for planets and it has a go-to computer. It still takes awhile to setup and I honestly don't use it near as much as I would like. So it boils down to what do you want to look at? Moon, Planets, DSO? There are tradeoffs for every type of telescope.
I highly recommend the book "Turn Left at Orion" which is a good start for being able to look at the sky and find objects. It will serve well for anyone who likes to just look at the sky and follow constellations instead of telling a go-to computer to find an object. That book plus a good set of large diameter binoculars with a tripod mount might be all you need. Facebook MP is a great place to find used scopes, but make sure you research the scope before you go to look. They can often be missing important items. Often time, the sellers do not really know exactly what the scope is or how it works. All three of the scopes I bought were were from a relative of someone who passed away.
You will get more information that you can imagine by checking out the Cloudynights.com website/forum. I'd also recommend Skymaps.com for their free monthly Night Sky download.

VR3

Excellent points.
Ease of setup and use would definitely be important!

I am thinking something like this may be a good choice?

billbillw

Not sure if those App/Phone scopes work well or not. I haven't used one. Personally, I prefer to manually navigate to objects. It gives more satisfaction and you will learn more in the process. Also, the less you need to turn on/look at a screen, the better your night vision will be.
Just keep in mind, a 100mm refractor won't really pull in galaxies very well at all. That scope will really only give you moon, planets, nearby comets, Orion's nebula, some Messier objects, splitting dual stars, etc. It is probably a good start, but you can probably find a used model (maybe without the App/phone features), for substantially less. Save money for some better eyepieces.

jdjohn

Trey, I would first give the Sky Map app a try. It's free on Google Play, and will give you a good start. Besides the Moon, you will quickly be able to figure out the big, bright things like Jupiter and Saturn, although currently (10/10/24), I think Jupiter is only visible in the early AM hours.

Speaking of visible: light pollution is a real thing at night, so not sure how it is at your house. I will echo the idea of starting with binoculars and a tripod.

audioluvr

For starters I would get a really good pair of binoculars 12x50mm like the Nikon Avalon's and a reclining lawn chair. My daughter and I would spend hours and hours exploring the night sky that way and we have a 12" dob. You can see galaxies, Saturns rings and Jupiter's moons this way as well as the moon viewing without a filter.

Next choice would be a simple refractor kit like this.

Orion StarBlast 90mm Altazimuth Travel Refractor Telescope Kit - Portable Beginner Telescope Kit with Tripod, Accessories, and Rugged Carry Case https://a.co/d/geDskjP

VR3

Ended up ordering a set off the bay for 60 like this, will see!

Great idea

billbillw

audioluvr wrote: »

Next choice would be a simple refractor kit like this.

Orion StarBlast 90mm Altazimuth Travel Refractor Telescope Kit - Portable Beginner Telescope Kit with Tripod, Accessories, and Rugged Carry Case https://a.co/d/geDskjP

Unfortunately, Orion is out of business. Doors closed, website gone, people who sent stuff for warranty or factory repair work are out of luck. Their stuff is siting in a warehouse and won't be sent back. It's sad for the consumer astronomy community. Less choices on the market.

billbillw

VR3 wrote: »

Ended up ordering a set off the bay for 60 like this, will see!

Great idea

Those will be nice to have, even for general use. If you have never used a good set of binoculars, you'll be amazed. I have an old (1960s) set of Pentax, but they are not very big or powerful. I think they are 7x35, but things sure look crisp in them. Nikon are one of the better consumer sets for a reasonable price.

mhardy6647

For much of what one wants to see -- the trick isn't magnfication, it's light.
For refractors or binoculars, that means big objective lenses. For reflectors, big mirrors.
As some have mentioned, 50 mm binoculars (most any power) or an 80 mm spotting scope will provide plenty of ahhhhhhhs. The only problem with a spotting scope is that they're generally not meant to look up.
Personally (and I am far from expert on this, but we do have some history in the family), I like a relatively short focal length but fast (low f/ number) Newtonian (or Dobsonian) reflector. Look for excellent eyepieces. Consider going for a scope made for 2" eyepieces, even though it ratchets up the cost considerably.
Otherwise, a Schmidt-Cassegrain (or one of the other "mirror lens" style folded optical path scopes) is tonnes of fun for the $
A good refractor with a big objective is expensive.
As an aside, I've got the remnants of a dump-find Dob (ca 8.5 inch) in the basement -- if anyone wants to get some sonotube and build a base for it, I am happy to pass the good bits (i.e., the two mirrors and various fittings including the focus rack/eyepiece mount) along gratis. Only catch -- ya gotta come & get it.

mhardy6647

Sorry, got that wrong. It is (was) a Meade.
Focus mount is for 1.25" (not 2") eyepieces.

maximillian

I went down this rabbit hole a few years ago. It's fun but gets to be a time and $$ commitment to up your game. If that is your thing then great. Otherwise, keep it simple as others have mentioned such as buying less expensive scopes/binoculars first. Mhardy comment about light is important. Light pollution from large cities travels a long distance so most people can't see the Milky Way where they live. So you have to be willing to travel/spend time. That's actually what it's about, spending time with those you love marveling at the wonderful night sky.

All the above is good advice. As you get into this hobby, other things start to matter such as: telescope mounts, star finders, and long term exposure cameras with mounts. Some of the really nice photos you see out there are computer composites of several captures. When you start adding this stuff up the gear becomes "heavy" and a pain to move around. Wheeled carts help but storage is important. The shed comment above is for this reason. If your back-yard doesn't have a lot of light pollution, then a quick setup is important to enjoying the hobby.

There's some good forums out there that can help with beginner advice.
https://www.cloudynights.com/index
https://theskysearchers.com

Hope you have some fun!