Telescopes?

OceanInDisguise13

Hello one and all:

I figure another fello PJammer might be into stargazing/astronomy/know something about or someone who knows info regarding telescopes.
I am looking to purchase one soon. I have been doing some research on them but was wondering if anyone has any certain brand/type that they recommend or any advice on them?

Any info/assistance would be appreciated! Thanks!

g under p

I've always had good luck with Meade telescopes. My daughter and I went over to a NASA base at Goddard and they had an amateur night. This one man had a Meade and we were able to see Jupiter and it's moons as clear as one can see. That same telescope could be configured to take pictures and connected to a computer. It does however cost around $5,000 though.

Peace

pandora

My father in law had one years ago. Not sure the make but it was great fun and a great investment.
My kids were very young then and loved it. They had open berm behind their house.. a big full sky.
Also when the kids were young we would go to the Planetarium, thats a great activity for young and old alike but its nice to start their appreciation of the heavens while they are little...it stays with a person.
When we sell our house we hope to get one, right now we live in the woods, viewing won't be so good here.
We do use our binocs now though and you can see some of the closer stars and planets a bit better.

Good luck choosing and Enjoy!

OceanInDisguise13

g under p wrote:

I've always had good luck with Meade telescopes. My daughter and I went over to a NASA base at Goddard and they had an amateur night. This one man had a Meade and we were able to see Jupiter and it's moons as clear as one can see. That same telescope could be configured to take pictures and connected to a computer. It does however cost around $5,000 though.

Peace

Cool! Thanks for the info. I was considering a Meade but $5,000 is a bit more than I can spend. I was thinking max around $1000. That should get me something good lol

Thanks again

OceanInDisguise13

pandora wrote:

My father in law had one years ago. Not sure the make but it was great fun and a great investment.
My kids were very young then and loved it. They had open berm behind their house.. a big full sky.
Also when the kids were young we would go to the Planetarium, thats a great activity for young and old alike but its nice to start their appreciation of the heavens while they are little...it stays with a person.
When we sell our house we hope to get one, right now we live in the woods, viewing won't be so good here.
We do use our binocs now though and you can see some of the closer stars and planets a bit better.

Good luck choosing and Enjoy!

Stargazing is just fun! The University around here has a planitarium but not sure if it's open to the public. Definetly will check into it. I've always been fascinated with the heavens. When I was younger my father and I would sit outside for a bit and stargaze.. for a few years we did that and it just stuck with me. As you said, it definetly stays with the person. Thanks for sharing

RKCNDY

I would also look into community/college programs that focus on stargazing. I took a great Astronomy class in college, and they offered another course where you went out camping for 3 days and they'd show you what to look for, where to go, what type to buy etc. They can be really useful since they concentrate on your specific location.

I was looking at some telescopes recently, and now they even have computers in them, so you just set up the scope, punch in what you want to see, and it automatically adjusts to point where you want. Pretty cool!

here is a good website:
http://www.protelescope.com/StoreFrontP ... sfid=95134

OceanInDisguise13

4and20 wrote:

I would also look into community/college programs that focus on stargazing. I took a great Astronomy class in college, and they offered another course where you went out camping for 3 days and they'd show you what to look for, where to go, what type to buy etc. They can be really useful since they concentrate on your specific location.

I was looking at some telescopes recently, and now they even have computers in them, so you just set up the scope, punch in what you want to see, and it automatically adjusts to point where you want. Pretty cool!

here is a good website:
http://www.protelescope.com/StoreFrontP ... sfid=95134

I will do that. We have a Uni. and a Comm College nearby. I'll browse their websites and see if they have such courses. That would be something I would definetly enjoy and is real useful. I was at the University earlier and saw they have their observatory open to the public on Tuesday evenings so I will be there tomorrow night! It's something everyone should do once if they can.

I was looking at this telescope last night http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/re ... escope.cfm
seems cool and discounted to a nice price lol I will check out the website you provided me as well. Thank you so much!!

eeriepadave

Don't own one but i've seen Uranaus before (sorry can't go wrong with Uranus jokes)

catefrances

eeriepadave wrote:

Don't own one but i've seen Uranaus before (sorry can't go wrong with Uranus jokes)

yes you can.

Franny

Don't know a thing about them, but my sons school is having an astronomy night this week and we're just hoping the weather holds out for it. Bloody rain! But will check what the astronomy people who are running are using.

OceanInDisguise13

eeriepadave wrote:

Don't own one but i've seen Uranaus before (sorry can't go wrong with Uranus jokes)

hahaha Thanks. I appreciate a good laugh.

OceanInDisguise13

Sagittarius Crux wrote:

Don't know a thing about them, but my sons school is having an astronomy night this week and we're just hoping the weather holds out for it. Bloody rain! But will check what the astronomy people who are running are using.

I hope the rain stops and the sky clears up so you and your son can get out there and enjoy the night. I went last night and took my youngest sibling. We had a blast and got to see Jupiter and its moons fairly clearly. The moon was amazing to look at too! I asked around for some information and got the basics I had found out through briefly researching. Anyways, thank you
I just love astronomy! The sky never ceases to amaze me.

Jason P

When first starting out in Astronomy, please take the following advice: Keep it simple!

It is easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of different scopes, eyepieces, filters, etc. Luckily, there is a bargain type of scope that is easy to use, setup, and will give you great views of cosmos. It is known as a Dobsonian scope, named after it's inventor, John Dobson who popularized amateur astronomy in San Francisco duing the 60's and 70's.



A Dobsonian scope is very simple. It consists of a 6" to 12" tube, a few mirrors, a base, and that is it. The biggest downside is that they are large and somewhat heavy (around 50-60 lbs). But it has tremendous upside! Low cost, great aperture and magnification, easy to set up, no confusing mechanical parts or software to worry about, no tripod and counterweights to calibrate . . . and did I mention low cost? I bought an 8" scope from Orion Telescopes for $400 (including shipping). It came with everything you need out of the box, including a couple eyepieces. The eyepieces are admittedly a little cheap, but they are good to start out with and it will give you some time to figure out where to invest in a higher quality eyepiece. Meade and Celestron are other brands that offer good quality Dobsonian scopes at decent prices.

If anything, avoid those department store telescopes that promise 400X magnification. They are all crap scopes. Due to light pollution and atmospheric conditions, most people in the US are only going to be able to see up to 200X magnification under clear skies, no matter how good their equipment is.

More info to come.

Jason P

I recommend getting the following books before purchasing a scope as well. These books breakdown a complicated hobby in an easy to understand presentation. You can find these books at amazon or other retailers.

* NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe - By Terrence Dickerson ($23)

* The Backyard Astronomer's Guide - By Terrence Dickerson ($33)

I would start off with NightWatch. The Astronomer's Guide delves into the details that NightWatch glosses over.

Jason P

There is a web forum called Cloudy Nights which has a healthy community of users and an excellent "Beginners" forum. A lot of the questions that you might be asking yourself have been asked hundreds of times in this forum.

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php/Cat/0/Board/beginners

Jason P

Another recommendation for starting out is to get a pair of binoculars and a tripod. Celestron makes a great pair of 15 x 70 binoculars (15 = Magnification; 70 = lens diameter) that are relativily cheap (around $70 while other binos in this range start around $200). This is big pair of binos so you will need a good tripod. Garrett Optical has a very nice tripod for $140. You can find cheaper ones but I have the Garrett Series 3000 tripod and similar quality from other manufactures is twice as expensive.

Binoculars are nice because they offer a wide field of view and are easy to setup and transport to areas with less light pollution. You would be surprised at how much more you can see at 15x magnification. It is also a good way to familiarize yourself with the sky so that when you get your telescope you can get straight to work without feeling overwhelmed . . . both the night sky and a scope have a learning curve and trying to tackle both at the same time can lead to frustration and quitting the hobby.

I bought the scope first and then the binoculars. In hindsight, I should have started with binoculars first as it would have made the learning process much easier. Also, I've had great viewing conditions for the last several weeks and have been using my binoculars exclusively . . . its just so easy to grab and instantly start viewing.

Jason P

I recommend downloading Stellarium's software.

http://www.stellarium.org/

Their website describes it best as: Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go.

The best part is that the software is free! :thumbup: I would spend up to $100 for what it offers.

Jason P

Another handy option for getting started is the Celestron SkyScout. It's a hand-held unit with a GPS that you just point at any object and it tells you what it is. You can also go on star tours or enter a specific target and it will easily guide you to it.

OceanInDisguise13

Jason P :

THANK YOU so very much for this wealth of information. I have used both binoculars and telescopes and familiarized myself with them, although I'm definetly still a novice. I was considering binoculars at first because of the portability and ease of use compared to a telescope. I was very amazed at how much detail you can see with them. So I think they may still be a good investment initially.

The links to the sites you provided, especially the forum, are real helpful. I will definetly browse the information there. Oh and the Stellarium, wow! It's real cool and will also download that. The skyscout is a neat contraption. Never seen it before.

Thanks a lot again I really appreciate this info.

Lina

Jason P

lina319 wrote:

Jason P :

THANK YOU so very much for this wealth of information. I have used both binoculars and telescopes and familiarized myself with them, although I'm definetly still a novice. I was considering binoculars at first because of the portability and ease of use compared to a telescope. I was very amazed at how much detail you can see with them. So I think they may still be a good investment initially.

The links to the sites you provided, especially the forum, are real helpful. I will definetly browse the information there. Oh and the Stellarium, wow! It's real cool and will also download that. The skyscout is a neat contraption. Never seen it before.

Thanks a lot again I really appreciate this info.

Lina

No problem, I'm happy to help!

I'm just getting back into astromomy after taking a year off (damn neighbor installed flood lights that ruined my viewing for a year :evil: ). But I'm in a new place that has a great view of the northern skies :thumbup:

Good luck and clear skies!