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Telescopes for Home Use? 60

Posted by Cliff from the for-the-budding-astronomer dept.
PDubNYC asks: "Just thought this was a good place to ask about telescopes. My father is turning 70 shortly, and I thought a telescope would be a good gift as he was an air force navigator back in the day, and loves viewing nature's beauty (bird watching, safaris etc...). So, any ideas what to look for in a home telescope, from $500-$1000 (split by 6 kids) that would enable him to punch in coordinates and have the motor turn, give a great view of nearby celestial bodies (maybe Saturn's rings), and it'd be great to hook up to a laptop (a Mac would be even better, but far from necessary). Any advice would be great." PDubNYC is also on a budget, so please refrain from suggesting the ultra expensive $1500 scopes.
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Telescopes for Home Use? More

Telescopes for Home Use?

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  • Although my price range is a tad lower, say a max of $700. I'd prefer one that's motorized, but that's not a necessity as long as there's a good way to get it pointed in the right direction. If it is motorized, being Mac-compatible would be a *big* plus...

    • Re:I'm interested as well.... (Score:5, Informative)

      by mikehoskins ( 177074 ) on Friday February 21, 2003 @01:39PM (#5353475)
      When reading astronomy-related magazines, I have found what I thought waas excellent advice. Instead of investigating in high-priced telescopes, focus your attention on a pair of some of the best binoculars you can find and some star charts. Then, give yourself several months of identifying objects in "constellation XYZ" and see if your still interested in astronomy, with its late nights and great needs for patience. (Add some OpenSource astronomy software, for planning your evenings, and viola!)

      Once you've gotten this far, then go buy the scope, armed with patience, excellent astronomy knowledge, a great pair of spotting binoculars, and some star charts you can read.

      That way, you won't spend lots of bucks on something that collects dust.

      Besides, Galileo would have gone nuts for some great binoculars and star charts.
      • I had a telescope growing up, and it was great for a couple of weeks, then i lost interest, except for special occasions like comets and the like. My parents just got me another one, that i have never even used. :( Luckily it was a cheapo off the home shopping network.
      • Oh, lest I forget.

        If you are still interested in astronomy, research scopes during those months and be sure to check for sales and used Ebay scopes during that "waiting time," so that you can get a really good deal.

        Also, join an astronomy club for a few months. You can find experts to mentor you and help you sort out fact from fiction.

        Besides, what kind of scope do you want? How big a scope? Buying a "500 power" scope for $500 is usually an expensive waste of money for a cheapy scope.

        Impulse buying is *NEARLY ALWAYS* much more expensive. If you take a wait-and-see approach, you *NEARLY ALWAYS* get much more for your money.
      • Just realized something else.

        There are differences between standard "astronomy-based" telescopes and spotting scopes (or binoculars.)

        Binoculars and spotting scopes show the image right-side up, due to an extra lens. Most telescopes for astronomy are up-side down and can be hard, for the unitiated, to track objects, due to earth's movement....

        A high-powered pair of binoculars that are easy to attach and detach from a tripod is a great way to learn astronomy and still be able to do "spotting" work, such as bird watching.

        My dad bought an excellent Leica spotting scope, used for watching American eagles, vultures, and the like, from his cabin on the lake.

        This same spotting scope was nice for seeing the moons of Jupiter on one of its closest recent approaches. (It also helps that the cabin has a very dark night sky, very far away from city lights at night.)

        The Leica is only a "20 to 60 power" scope, but it has excellent lenses, so images are very sharp and you can see well in the dark. (It's *much* better than what Galileo had to use, and he discovered the moons of Jupiter!) It'll see the planets, comets, etc., and can be mounted to a camera, with the right attachment.

        I'd strongly recommend the Leica, but it ain't cheap!!!
      • I feel I must mention this because it's something a lot of people forget...

        Make sure your binoculars have a tripod mount! It's rather frustrating to aim binoculars up at the sky by hand. A lot of binoculars don't have tripod mounts, so check them before you spend your money.

  • On a budget is fine, but... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by GoRK ( 10018 ) on Friday February 21, 2003 @12:48PM (#5353058) Homepage Journal
    On a budget is fine, but $1500 is not exactly an "ultra-expensive" telescope for an amateur.. In fact, it's barely entry-level for a very serious hobbiest.

    Anyway, I don't know that much about specific models, but at least this guy can get what he's after for the price he wants - a scope powerful enough to check out Saturn that can do (limited) tracking, probably with a PC doing the hard work, and an eyepiece adaptor to hook to a webcam or something, and he's got a pretty good setup.

    ~GoRK
    • On a budget is fine, but $1500 is not exactly an "ultra-expensive" telescope for an amateur..

      $1500 is ultra-expensive for casual hobbyists on a budget.

      My dad payed about $150 for a telescope back during the Haley's Comet era, and it still works pretty well: I can see the rings on saturn and the spot on jupiter, from my urban-light-polluted-backyard near Oakland and San Francisco.

      I'd like new telescope with a wider apature, but I don't see why I would need pay 10X as much as I did in 1986 (Or the year of haleys comet).
      • i'm guessing this is a reflector telescope, how big of a 'scope do you need to see the spot on jupiter? $150 sounds like the extreme bargain for a 'scope that big; my uncle gave me a handme down 10" (i think) diameter red tasco reflector 'scope when i was 10 or 12ish, i'd guess 18" long. i could see the moon very detailed, but that was about it for my skill set, got to see the hale-bopp commet also with it, but it still looked fairly faint. no idea how much that 'scope cost or how much one would cost these days that you could see details on planets that far away. any suggestions?
        • Ok, guess I was smoking crack. It was more then $150.

          How funny, I still have the receipt in the lens box right here.

          Bushnell Banner Astro 454, 60mm refractor telescope, full set of lenses & filters: $275 with tax in 1985.

          Not great, but far less then but I can see the sunspots quite clearly, the stripes & spot of Jupiter, and the stripes and rings of Saturn pretty well.
          • that's amazing. i'll have to do some research and maybe make a bid on ebay, or at least seek out someone who has that kind of equipment. pictures really aren't the same as a Real Life experience in my book
            • I see some used telescopes on eBay for $20-100 [ebay.com]. I'm sure the telescopes aren't perfect, but get a couple of new lenses, repair a wobbly stand, and you'll be able to see quite a bit.

              And as I said, I can see the spots and rings, and I live in a pretty urban area with lots of light pollution (Near San Francisco & Oakland). I go out on a cool, clear night with little fog, huddle in a dark corner of my yard, and set up.

              Now, that said, I do dream of buying a new one that has a sturdier stand, an automatic tracking, and a way to hook up a webcam.

              But I need a job first :) and will probably buy everything piecemeal.

  • Go for aperature (Score:5, Informative)

    by SoCalChris ( 573049 ) on Friday February 21, 2003 @12:49PM (#5353070) Journal
    Get the largest aperature you can afford. Both Meade [meade.com] & Celestron [celestron.com] make models with an 8" apperature with auto goto in the price range you suggest. You can easily hook either of them up to a laptop by using a webcam. Sample photos from a webcam of Jupiter can be found here [cuhk.edu.hk].

    Use a Philips webcam (Forget the name of it, but it is mentioned on the web page listed above) because it has the most sensitive CCD of the webcams, and takes the best photos. You can also get an adapter for around $20 to hook up the webcam to your computer, or you can easily make one.

    Also, if you don't absolutely need the auto goto, you can get a good Dobsonian mounted telescope pretty cheap. Check out Orion Telescopes [telescope.com] for some good Dobsonian mounted scopes, and some good Newtonian reflectors in the price range you wanted.

    And oh yeah... $1,500 is by no means an ultra expensive telescope! A high quality mirror alone can cost several thousand dollars.

    • Re:Go for aperature (Score:3, Interesting)

      by regen ( 124808 )

      Aperature is not always best. Often large aperature telescopes are heavier and if the mount isn't upto the task using the scope could be a pain.

      I would look at the Meade ETX-105EC. Check out The Mighty ETX Website [weasner.com] for more advise.

    • as in an 80mm short tube refractor. Even better, in the target price range, a set of image stablizing biocs.

      Why? Unless you have you have set up a permanent obervatory, or you have a certified case of the insanity known as aperature fever, hauling your fat-ass light bucket out is likely to snuff out your budding interest in the hobby. Once the insanity has set in, by all means go to the 8" cats or 12" dobsonians.
  • Sorry Cliff, $1500 is still near the low side for a motorized, computerized telescope with decent lens and wide aperture (sp?) for light collection.

    I'd recomment looking at a Meade or Celestron scope for something in that price range. A Celesron NexStar 4 w/ Maksutov-Cassegrain optics would be a good choice in this price range. I don't think that the onboard computer system allows connections to outside computers, however. I've used a scope from the NexStar series, and it made for excellent near sky astrophotography.

  • Third time's the charm... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Otter ( 3800 ) on Friday February 21, 2003 @12:53PM (#5353105) Journal
    Not that there's any harm in repeating it, but you may want to read the responses from the last time this was asked [slashdot.org] and the time before that [slashdot.org].

  • One thing to avoid... (Score:5, Informative)

    by SoCalChris ( 573049 ) on Friday February 21, 2003 @01:02PM (#5353173) Journal
    I forgot to add in my earlier post, but avoid at all costs any telescope that has advertised on its box that is has x amount of magnification. You don't measure a telescope based on its magnification powers, it is measured on it's light gathering ability. A good rule of thumb is that a telescope will only be able to get 50x magnification under perfect viewing conditions for evey inch of aperature. For example, a 4.5" telescope would only be able to magnify up to 225x, and an 8" would be able to magnify up to 400x. You can easily change the magnification of any scope by changing its eyepiece.

    A telescope that is selling itself based solely on it magnification is more than likely an extremely cheap item, and will likely not be able to reach any level near the magnification that it is advertising.
    • Recently i bought a 'telescope' for 40 euro's. It has three eyepieces, a barlow lense, an erecting eyepiece and a prism. The aperture is 60mm and the box says 525x magnification. However, even at the smallest magnification (35x) the picture isn't very sharp. The picture gets sharper when i put a lens cap with a hole on the front lens. So the oculars for more magnification are useless.
      However, allready owning an oscilloscope and a microscope, now i am a supernerd!

  • Cheap scopes (Score:1, Interesting)

    by PhysicsGenius ( 565228 )
    First, you will have to decide if he wants to do terrestrial (birds and neighbors) or astronomical viewing. Astro scopes aren't "erected" (flipped the right direction) because it takes an extra prism, which reduces the quality of the view.

    After you've decided that, go with aperture. With $600 and the right website [telescope.com], you can go pretty far. I'd get this one [telescope.com]--with the 8" aperture and EQ drive it can hardly be beat for astro viewing. And erecter attachment can be used for terrestrial viewing and won't hamper the view too much.

  • http://www.meade.com/promo.d/etx_promo.html Got one of these for my father. Computer interface, and one of the best online catalog/database systems going. Even the smallest will "wow" someone who is a novice. Simple to setup and operate. Starting at ~$500 to ~$900. Remember that bigger is usally better in a telescope but even the small one will see some great details on the planets (saturn, jupiter) and the auto-drive makes the new telescope fairly easy for the amateur. These are inexpensive enough to give all the kids in the famly one.
  • Take a look at the celestron nexstar 4 which is relativly inexpensive (~$600). Being a matsuto-cassengrain design the image will actually be right side up and the proper orientation which makes things slightly more straight forward for someone unfamiliar with telescopes. a 4" scope is more than adequate for the planets and messier objects.

    For something with a bit more learning curve but more light gathering ability, that can really be a blast if you just want to slew around a dark sky... take a look at some of the larger dobsonians.

    An Orion 10" dobsonian can be had for around $600 as well. Buy a low magnification widefield eyepiece like the orion deepview 35mm 2" eyepice or orion optilux 40mm and bring large chunks for the sky into sharp bright relief.

  • Hi,
    I would suggest a Meade ETX90RA wich sells for about $170. Then I would add a 2x barlow ($50) and a 13.8 super wide plossl ($140). This 3 items round near $400 including shipment. If he plans to see the moon, I would recomend a variable polarizer ($60) which is still under your max spending limit.

    The only drawback is: there is no motorized goto X/Y

    But finding the stars/planets by yourself is part of the fun of watching the sky.

    You can read a lot, I mean A LOT at www.weasner.com/etx

    I purchased mine at www.telescopes.net
  • For an old guy or a bunch of kids, you'll want to go with something small. If you want it motorized, then a Maksutov-Cassegrain is pretty much the only thing in this area. You can get a 4-5" scope for well under $1000, and even cheaper on E-Bay. Some models off the top of my head are the Meade ETX-90, the Celestron Nextstar 4 (I have this one, love it), and Orion Telescope (at telescope.com) has several models.

    For anything more high performance, you'll have to go to a Schmidt-Cassegrain, and Meade and Celestron have a biopoly in this arena, so the price jumps dramatically.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Read up on the subject... (Score:4, Informative)

    by FreeMath ( 230584 ) on Friday February 21, 2003 @02:48PM (#5354122) Homepage Journal
    I would recomend looking at a few guides like this [scopereviews.com] and this [findascope.com].
  • $1500 isn't ultra expensive, it's entry level for some types of scopes. You're not getting into ultra-expensive amateur scopes until you spend about 15 grand or so.

    But I think you can find some really nice scopes in your price range. Pick up a catalog from either Celestron or Meade and buy something. Both of those companies make top notch stuff.

  • I have a Meade (Score:3, Informative)

    by dsoltesz ( 563978 ) <deborah.soltesz@gmail.com> on Friday February 21, 2003 @03:25PM (#5354752) Homepage Journal

    I'm going to assume you want this for astronomy, not peeping tom activities.

    I agree with the folks who say "small". I bought a Meade 4.5" equatorial reflector (Mead 4500 [meade.com], no longer in production) a few years ago and I'm very happy with it. My only regret is that there are no computer controls available for it. At the time, it was important to me to learn to use a telescope. I'm ready to move up to a 6" or 8", but I'm not in a big hurry.

    When I did the research, I looked at a number of 'net articles by astronomers - the consensus recommendation to the amateur novice was 4.5" minimum with an equatorial mount (easiest for manual tracking). My telescope is fairly portable - I can easily drag it into the back yard, but does take a little work and care to take it anywhere else. Reflectors are very long, but mine fits across the back seat of my bronco.

    I recommend:

    • Min 4.5"
    • Automated tracking. If dad's got a computer, a tracking system that can be also tied into software like Starry Night to do the aiming/tracking is even better (imho)
    • Potential for "stocking stuffers" - what accessories are available? Eyepieces, CCD arrays, filters, etc. I have a solar filter (among other stuff) which is the only way to watch a solar eclipse.

    Earlier someone recommended the Meade ETX series. I think if I were buying right now, that would be at the top of my list. Right now they're even offering their AutoStar tracking system ($149) and tripod for free with a purchase [meade.com]. I would think the 105 or 125 would do very nicely. With a little legwork, you might be able to get a better price than the standard retail. We ended up driving down to Phoenix and spending all day going through the camera and astronomy shops (keep in mind this was 1996 or so) - fun and saved about $100.

  • To learn what is good and what isn't, read through Company Seven's [company7.com] site for a bit. These guys run this business because they care deeply about astronomy. They would rather see you buy the right thing, than simply anything.

  • Find local clubs (Score:3, Informative)

    by dschuetz ( 10924 ) <.gro.tensad. .ta. .divad.> on Friday February 21, 2003 @03:45PM (#5354981)
    First, I'd strongly suggest avoiding anything you can buy in a mall. The quality just isn't there, and the capabilities are often a little, er, overstated. (for a good rule of thumb, look for no more than 50x magnification for each inch of telescope aperture. That is, if you see a 3-inch refractor advertising "300x Magnification!!", then don't buy it. You might, under extremely bright and ideal conditions, achieve 300x, but it'll probably look like crap.)

    In the astronomy club I used to be a part of (NOVAC [novac.com], I quit 'cause of time constraints), there were some pretty strong differences over Meade, a fair consensus on quality Celestron (though I seem to remember they were going through a change in ownership that may have affected their reputation), and there are a lot of smaller semi-custom telescope manufacturers out there in a decent price range.

    My best advice would be to go to a local astronomy club for information and advice -- they'll have people who REALLY know their stuff, and can give a good recommendation for just about any price range. The NOVAC link above has (under "Resources") a nice page with lots of different "how to buy a telescope" pages. Personally, I've heard "moderatly good" things about Orion 'scopes (wouldja believe, they're at telescope.com [telescope.com]), and they've got a nice catalog with decent prices.

    A key criteria is what you think he'll be looking for. Planetary scopes need better magnification, but not as much light-gathering capability. Plus, a smaller 'scope is easier to outfit with an errect-image prism for daytime use (birdwatching, for a politically-correct example). If he's more apt to go after "faint fuzzies," like galaxies, clusters, and nebulae, then a larger diameter scope (like 8-16 inches) becomes more of a requirement because of the better light-gathering capability. (Plus, he should definitely check out the Messier Marathon [messiermarathon.com], "held" each March, as an observational challenge).

    There're lots of other resources out there (one national-level organization is the Astronomical League [astroleague.org], which has lists of many local groups which could provide you with input into telescope selection, and, most importantly, could provide your father with the support and encouragement to help him turn a cool gift into a favorite hobby. Too many people (myself included) simply buy a 'scope and then never make the effort to enjoy it, by being a part of a good, active club, he'll be likely to get infected by their enthusiasm and explore avenues he might not otherwise think of.

    Good luck!

  • http://www.scopereviews.com/
  • Make sure you get the right size for viewing those far away objects. Small scopes like Meade ETX series won't be helpful there. Here's one I found on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate gory=28181&item=2912207256
    • I have a 4.5" telescope (I need to clarify that the 4.5" is my telescope, I know how you /.ers think!) that is good. I can see the planets very good, and a lot of the Messier objects. An 8" or 10" telescope would be nice, but it certainly isn't required, especially for a beginner who is just learning.

      • Re:No you don't (Score:2, Informative)

        by shiroi_kami ( 651169 )
        Yes, you do... Unless you have a monster (expensive $200 plus) eyepiece there's no seeing the rings on Saturn or far galaxies with a small scope. I had the ETX-105 and felt mislead when I was told I could clearly see the planets. They show up so small it's hardly worth it. When I purchased my 8" scope (gathers so much more light-seems like a zillions times better) I could see so many objects I had no idea were right there in front of me. It's well worth it and most times cost similarly to 4" and 6" scopes--especially if you get a deal on an auction.
        • I have a small telescope (60mm) and I can see planetary detail fairly well (ie, the Big Red Spot(tm) on Jupiter along with 4-6 of it's moons, and the rings of Saturn). I just got it at christmas, though, and I haven't had much time to mess with it, but looking up a galaxy or two is my next venture...
        • You should see the difference with a good 8" scope. As I said before the Meade ETX was nice but the images are just too small for my taste.
  • Go ahead! Mark me redundent (i've already taken off my plus one bonus)!

    But it must be said again. A few books, a couple good star charts, a tripod and a good pair of binoculars is, IMO, hands down the best way to start this hobby.

    One of three things is gonna happen.

    You're gonna think it's boring and you won't have lost much.

    You're gonna think it's interesting and trot the gear out a few times a year.

    You're gonna fall in love with it and be able to spend more money on a much nicer scope (and imaging computer and observatory and heaters and balance weights and eyepieces and filters and software and and and) than you would have gotten yourself saddled with now.
  • For a good price, best thing to do is make your own. A simple refracting telescope really isn't that complicated.

    The most difficult thing is spacing. You need to space the parts very precisely. You could have an aperture 3 feet wide, but it doesn't mean anything if the assembly is imprecise and you have poor focusing ability.

    Aperture determines how many times an image can be magnified, thus how far out in space you can see (or rather, how many light years into the past you can see). Just as important, is the ability to resolve one point of light from another, which requires quality lenses and precise placement.

    My suggestion? Read some good books on it, get some precise measuring instruments for distance placement, and use frenzel lenses. Frenzel lenses of larger size can be bought for the same price as normal glass lenses. The only disadvantage is that they can irritate the eyes if you look through them too long.
  • Computerized Go-To telescopes are fine, and if your father is into technological gadgets, go ahead and him one. But astronomy is a learning hobby, and unless he wants to learn about the night sky, the go-to scope you've purchased will end up gathering dust.

    The person who recommended a couple of books and a set of binoculars was right. Binoculars are always good to have, even if you have a telescope. However, I understand that you want to have a fun present to give your Dad. With that in mind, I'll give you a basic recommendation:

    It really isn't that hard to find objects in the sky with a manually operated telescope. For $300-500 (including shipping) you can buy a 6" or 8" dobsonian-mounted telescope with decent optics. A "dob" is sturdy, simple and most of the money goes into optics, not the computer. At this price range, you just can't make a good scope and a good computer. A 6-8" dob for $300-500 is much better optically than a go-to scope in the same price range.

    There are many places to get this type of scope: Orion Telescope [telescope.com] has a nice set of beginner dobsonians. Thrown in a pointing device like a Telrad [handsonoptics.com] or a Rigel Quikfinder [cox.net]. Either of these finders are a real help in locating objects.

    Add in a couple of good beginner's books. Turn Left at Orion [amazon.com] is good, as is Nightwatch [amazon.com].

    Finally, encourage your dad to join the local astronomy club. The club where I live is full of retired guys who enjoy the night sky.
  • (1) If you want a point and click telescope for 1000 bucks you will end up spending 3/4 of the money on point and click hardware and 1/4 on apperture. I went for apperture.

    (2) There are 7 objects that take little to no effort to find with your telescope manualy:

    Sun (ALWAYS use a filter here!!!)

    Moon

    Venus

    Jupiter

    Saturn

    Mars

    Mercury

    With my 135 mm opening telescope I can see sunspots, Moon craters, the phases of Venus, the cloud bands of Jupiter and his 4 biggest moons, and the rings of Saturn. Mars will be back later this year and I have not seen it through my telescope yet.

    (3) To find anything with your telescope that you can not see with your naked eye you will need 3 things:

    Dark sky (The light of 1/4 Moon is enough to make observation pointless, zero ambient light, and transparent sky)

    Star charts

    patience, patience, patience

    I own my telescope for 6 months now and have been out a couple of times, the only thing I managed to spot that I could not see with my naked eye was the Orion nebular and the Andromeda Galaxy. Trust me - this is a perfect time sink. Prepare to be disappointed.

    (4) Prepare to be amazed and exited. This is a wonderfull hobby.

    Please do not forget that with age, sight deminishes. This basically rules out deep sky (galaxies, nebular) observation. This means you will want moderate aperature and more focal length instead because this will be better for observing the objects that your father can enjoy: the planets, the moon and the sun. And since you wont need a computer to locate these you can dump more money on the telescope and mounting and less in computer stuff.

    I own a Vixen - GP E R135S and love it. Next I will probably go for the Celestron Nexstar 11 GPS [celestron.com].

    PS: The link to the pictures in an earlier post are wonderfull but do not expect to see this with your telescope and your naked eye. Under excellent conditions Jupiter will be more like a small white ball with very faint beige bands.

  • I've been an amateur astronomer for quite a while, and have unfortunately seen many people purchase telescopes and then quickly lose interest. Many times this is because they either buy something of very low quality and get frustrated, or because they buy a scope that is good but doesn't really fit their needs.

    Advice #1: Get a good quality telescope. Stay away from the plastic-lensed Tasco 2" refractors at your neighborhood department/hobby store. Take a look at Orion Telescopes [telescope.com] -- everything there is good quality.

    Advice #2: Base the rest of the decision on how you'll use the scope. At your price limit, you'll find that you can get one but not all of the following in a good-quality scope:

    1. Large aperture -- lets you see fainter objects. An 8" scope allows you to see roughly 8 times as many objects in the sky as a 4" scope. If you're one of those freaks (like me) that want the most photons per dollar, you can't beat a Dobsonian telescope.
    2. Compactness -- most of us have to live near street lights, which means that if you want to see faint objects, your scope needs to be transportable. Different people have different thresholds for what is "transportable"...some of my friends are very happy with their 36" Dobsonians that require massive trailers to haul. If you really want portability, get one of the Schmidt-Cassegrains from Meade or Celestron -- their 8" scopes fit in a medium suitcase.
    3. Tracking/computer control -- the mechanisms used to track the scope to the earth's rotation and to provide a computer interface are not cheap. To those of us raised on binoculars and star-hopping, the "goto" computer-controlled scopes are like shooting fish in a barrel. But if you want to see a lot of stuff very quickly, they are nice. They also require the least stamina and dexterity to operate, something that may be a consideration for your dad. Some part of me wants to make fun of these guys who sit in their chairs sipping cocoa while the computer does all the work, just as I do at the folks who go to the Grand Canyon and ride the poor mules down to the bottom rather than hike. Still, if it opens the experience to people who couldn't otherwise do it, so much the better. Most of the Schmidt-Cassegrains have options for computer control.

    The ideal thing is if people can learn about the sky first before jumping into an expensive telescope purchase. A star chart and an inexpensive pair of 7x50 binoculars will let you see a surprising amount: Binary stars, some galaxies, lots of star clusters, all of the planets except Neptune and Pluto, the Galilean moons of Jupiter, amazing detail on the Earth's Moon, etc.

  • My wife got me a Celestron NexStar 60 GT for Christmas this year, and I love it. It has a number of the things that you're looking for. The magnification and clarity are very good, even in bad lighting conditions. I can see the colored bands of Jupiter, the spot, and at least 4 of the moons. I can see the rings of Saturn. Nebulae. Galaxies. Etc. Oh, did I mention that I live 5 minutes from Baltimore? And I have a street light at the end of my drive way? And it was nearly full moon at the time? Baaaaaad light pollution, but it still does great. Nearly any object that I look at in the sky seems to have 2-5 other celestial bodies around it in my view that I can't see with the naked eye.

    Also, It's motorized and it has a hand control with an Object Database of some 4000 pre-programmed celestial objects. On the same note, it also has a tracking mechanism to compensate for the earth's rotation. Also, it was not expensive. At full price, it would be roughly $600. Because of discounts and such, my wife was able to get it for ~$250.

    This model (the 60 GT) is the low-end of the NexStar series. (it's a 60mm scope. That's something like a 2.75 in. aperture) The next ones up are the 80 and the 114. (also coming in the GT models, which are the ones that have the hand control with object database). I would hightly suggest any one of these. I love mine.

    I believe, too, that it has the ability to hook up to your computer. That's a feature I haven't tried, though. My HEAVY computer is on the second floor of the house, and it's not going outside with me... =0) I believe that it's for controlling the telescope, though. Capturing images is another ballgame entirely that I don't believe this model is suited for.

    I hope this helps you out.

    Jeremy
  • I'd look into a celestron in the largest size you can afford. yes, size isn't all that matters in telescope design... for for an amateur, it lets you see more golly gee whiz stuff. Oh, and the motors and hand paddle are nive and all, but half of the fun is learning to find things by yourself. Plus that way you can afford better optics.
  • Build a reflector. Grind the lens yourself and save beaucoup $$. Take your time and make it perfect. Every time he sees it he will think "My son built this for me." and be grateful and proud. And you'll have something to pass to your son.
    • Build a reflector. Grind the lens yourself and save beaucoup $$. Take your time and make it perfect. Every time he sees it he will think "My son built this for me." and be grateful and proud. And you'll have something to pass to your son.

      Obligatory addition: "...or daughter."

      A common compromise these days is to build a telescope with commercial optics and a home-made mount. I built such a device late last year: bought a 6 inch mirror and diagonal from a local optics place and whomped up a plywood-and-sonotube Dobsonian telescope. It works beautifully.

      On my first test session in the back yard I saw 4 moons of Saturn and the Cassini Division, plus Jupiter, the Orion Nebula, and the Pleiades. I was delighted.

      Oh, by the way: I built it for my Mom. She lives out in the country and with lots of clear, dark nights, you tend to become something of an astronomer without even trying. When I was there over Christmas we saw a spectacular aurora.

      ...laura

  • You might want to look into the LXD-55 8 inch Schmitt-Newtonian. The scope uses the autostar goto system allowing for visual goto use (I'm not sure I'd try astro-photography of anything except planets and the moon with that mount).


    You can get the scope for around $850 (plus shipping) and Meade as a deal on a large set of eyepieces for $100ish with the scope.


    Dean

  • beware aperture fever (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Remember that large scopes, while providing the best views, also get to be large and heavy. The effort to move and setup a large scope can make it less and less appealing. I have 2 scoopes and several pairs of binoculars. The binoculars get the most use, followed by a small wide field refractor (not in the price range suggested). The least used is the 9.25 inch schmidt-cassegrain. Don't be fooled by magnification, some of the best views of nebula are at low power.
  • What I would *really* recomend is a large pair of binoculars. I bought a pair of Swift 11x80's (11x zoom, 80mm diameter in each lense) for about $200 online, and I must say I love this pair of binoculars!!!

    Be warned its a very large pair of binoculars (12" long) and thus is hard to hold steady sometimes, but its got a very wide field of view being only 11x zoom, but personally I like being able to see the very sharp, very bright images that this pair of binoculars lets me see.

    Swift does make some 20x80's (and some 60x80's!) which lets you see more detail, but less area. I plan on grabbing a 20x80 spotting scope when I get out of college.

    As far as telescopes go, you only need about 4.5"/125mm aperture to see the rings of saturn, but a 6" or 8" would definately do a much better job. Meade sells an autogided 125mm ETX scope that is... well.. not too great if you ask anyone serious in astronomy. Especially since its $900. But it would get the job done.

    From my own personal experience, I try to stay away from Meade's lower end products as they tend to be SHIT. In fact the LX200 series is probably the only thing from them I would ever buy now that I know something about telescopes. Celestron makes a number of really great scopes too, and on the lower end products is generally much better quality than Meades, although generally more expensive.

    Bill
    • Be warned its a very large pair of binoculars (12" long) and thus is hard to hold steady sometimes, but its got a very wide field of view being only 11x zoom, but personally I like being able to see the very sharp, very bright images that this pair of binoculars lets me see.

      While looking around at some of the links from this /. article (I *really* want to build my own telescope now :), I came across the following page - one of these plus the binos you and others have suggested might be just the ticket for us astro-newbies: Building an aluminium binocular mount [wanadoo.nl].

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