What are some good and reputable telescope brands for beginners?
The three main brands in the U.S. market today are Celestron, Meade, and Orion. Of these, I would rank Orion the highest, as almost all their telescopes represent good value for the money. Celestron comes next, although one must choose with care, as some of their less expensive telescopes are of poor quality. Meade comes a distant third. Here are a few web pages with good information on beginner's telescopes: http://www.gaherty.ca/tme/TME0702_Buying... http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html http://observers.org/beginner/j.r.f.begi... For more advanced information, read Phil Harrington's Star Ware, 4th edition (Wiley). You'll get the greatest value for your money with a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount, such as these: http://www.telescope.com/control/category/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~VIEW_INDEX=0/~VIEW_SIZE=1000000 http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?class1=1&class2=106 Buy from a store which specializes in telescopes and astronomy, either locally or online; don't buy from department stores, discount stores or eBay as mostly what they sell is junk. Find your local astronomy club and try out different telescopes at one of their star parties: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/organizations I strongly recommend that beginners steer clear of astrophotography until they have learned their way around the sky. Astrophotography is by far the most expensive and difficult area of amateur astronomy. Many people who buy telescopes have no idea how to find interesting things to observe. A good introduction to finding things is NightWatch by Terence Dickinson (Firefly). A more advanced book is Star Watch by Phil Harrington (Wiley).
Which is the best telescope for beginners in India?
Hi there! So going to get a telescope. Let's see- make a list of things you need to decide on and optimize based on your budget.What type of telescope to buy?I started off with reflector telescope. There are two types that are quite famous:1. Reflector telescope- +Eliminates light aberration and smudging. Good for viewing distant objects.-A phenomenon called "dragging effect" may occur.2. Refractor Telescope.+ Good for observing planets, moon, etc.- Light aberration may happen and also costly. There are other types like Catadioptric. But for beginners, above types will serve the purpose.Important things to keep in mind:1. Aperture &2. Focal length.Rule of thumb-1' aperture=20x-50x magnification*. Hence if the telescope has 300x for 50mm aperture, then after 70-100x, images will get blurred. If two telescopes with same aperture are up for choosing, the next thing we have to look for is focal length. Higher focal length has very low viewing angle but is relatively cheaper to buy. Smaller focal length telescope has wide viewing angle but relatively costly if we want to get crisp images.image source: Telescope Buying Guide for New AstronomersApart from this, there are factors that depends on our personal choice- like to what end you are looking for a telescope, what is the budget for buying telescope.I may buy Celestron AstroMaster 130 EQ Telescope if I can save enough- for a beginner, it is quite good.
Which of these telescopes is best?
Hi I am interested in buying a telescope for my husband. I would like to spend less than $250 since this is a beginner scope. I have found two online and would like to know which one is better. We live in the city (we can use our patio, and go out into fields to view). We would like to see as much cool stuff as possible. The first scope is the orion starblast 4.5 EQ reflector. See link http://www.telescope.com/control/telescopes/reflector-telescopes/orion-starblast-4*5-equatorial-reflector-telescope The second scope is a celestron powerseeker 127 EQ and the link is http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/reflecting-telescopes/celestronpowerseeker127eqtelescope.cfm The biggest differences to me seem to be the f/ ratio and focal length which I know nothing about. Any information helps, including any better scopes that might be out there!! :) Thanks
If you had limited funds to build a large telescope, which type would you choose, a refractor or a reflector?
If we're talking about a big professional observatory telescope, it has to be a reflector. Refractor lenses are limited in size, because when you get a piece of glass that's really big and only supported on its edges, it can sag and distort the image. If it's a homemade amateur telescope ... still a reflector. It's easy to buy a mirror for a Newtonian reflector (usually put on a Dobsonian mount, because it's cheap and easy to build) or even a glass blank that you can shape into a mirror by grinding. Good lenses are extremely difficult to make and expensive to buy.
Is it more economical to buy or build a telescope that has a diameter of at least 8 inches?
Honestly, no.Most people who build their own telescope build a Newtonian, as they’re the most easy to build. If you wan to do so, you can either buy pre-made mirrors or grind them yourself. You can probably get a set of pre-made mirrors (primary and secondary) for a Newtonian for between $200 and $300. You’ll then need some kind of way to mount them: a mirror cell for the primary and a spider for the secondary. You could probably get those for under $100 each, You’ll then need a truss or tube. A sonotube comes cheap, at about $10. You’ll also need a focuser. A cheap one is going to be about $50. And finally, some kind of mount. You can probably build one for about $30. Add it all up, and you’re looking at between $400 and $500, and you don’t have a finder or eyepieces.If you want to grind your own mirrors, you can probably do so and get them coated for under $200 total… but you’ll end up doing a lot more work. But that could shave your cost down to around $400 or less.However, you can buy an 8″ dob for about $400 or less and be ready to observe with only bout 30 minutes worth of assembly. You can also often find 8″ dobs for sale for around $300, give or take.When it comes down to it, making your own scope is really only worth doing if you want the fun/learning experience of doing it yourself or are looking for something you can’t easily find commercially. Otherwise, from an economic point of view, it doesn’t typically make a lot of sense.
Which of those two telescopes should I buy? Why?
I have to agree with Tom. I would not buy either one if I were you. You can do much better for your money. There are several different kinds of telescopes and all of them have some excellent features. Refractors and Reflectors, plus Schmidt-Cassegrain, APO refractors and more. There are also several mounts to chose from and the mounts are just as important as the scope is. All of the different scopes and mounts have some features that some people like and do not like. ______________________________________ http://oriontelescopes.com/ Orion is the very best for value and for customer service too. I have 2 of their scopes and I will only buy from them from now on. The Orion site has some excellent diagrams and explanations of all types of scopes and mounts. Things to consider are size--can the user lift and transport the scope to the viewing site easily? If not, then it will gather dust in a closet. Can the viewer reach all the knobs and buttons? I have a long tube large manual refractor and it is very dificult for me to reach the knobs when I am pointed to Zenith. I am not a tall person. Take your time in making your decision. I would like to suggest that you join a local astronomy club or astronomical society BEFORE you spend your money on a scope. There are many different kinds of scopes and what is perfect for one person is not perfect for another. Everyone has their own set of eyeballs and no two are the same. If you join a club, you can attend a few of their star parties and try out members scopes to see what works best for YOU, before you buy a scope. The members can also help you when you get your scope and show you how to get the most out of your new scope as well as to help teach you where the treasures in the sky are located. Hint: they will be especially helpful if you take cookies to star parties. Most clubs have loaner scopes and extensive libraries that you can gather more information from too. Some people will suggest that you purchase binnoculars. Not a bad idea but dont buy anything less than 10x50 and you must have a tripod too or you will not be happy with your astronomical views because they will be too shakey from your movements. Personally, I prefer a scope to binos. But when you buy go Orion and you wont be disappointed.
What things one must keep in mind while buying a telescope?
You haven’t mentioned the purpose of your Telescope (Astronomical or Terrestrial). If your telescope is for Astronomical purpose note the below points.As User Clearly mentioned, Check the light pollution in your area. If there is more pollution, I recommend not to buy it.Don’t expect to see galaxies and nebula’s so colorful as you see in the internet. It will just look like smoke clouds. You can see such colorful images only by doing Astrophotography.What type of Viewing you are interested in (Planetary viewing or DSO viewing). A good reflector telescope will always serve your purpose.If you are a beginner, I prefer dobsonian telescope. It is easy to master dobsonian telescope.Your Budget. If your budget is low, Go ahead with Reflector telescope. Please note that if you want to buy a good quality Refractor telescope you must invest more on your OTA itself.Hope this Helps!!