What are the best telescopes for beginner astronomers on a budget?

[KrisOhn]

I am wondering if I can have a good telescope recommended to me, I am deeply interested in astronomy and astrophysics and would like to be able to view astrophysical phenomena and objects on my own. Even if you can't recommend a good telescope, could you please reference a guide or something for what are good products when making this decision?
Keep in mind that I am an undergrad right now, so a pretty strict budget is in need.

 

[russ_watters]

What does a "pretty strict budget" mean and what type of phenomena, specifically, are you most interested in?

 

[mmsoar]

Here is a site that has a very complete set of reviews and recommendations.

http://www.scopereviews.com/

Click on the link "Beginner's Advice on Buying Telescopes - READ THIS FIRST "

That should get you started.

Regards,

Mike

 

[turbo]

I would reiterate Ed's advice to at least attend a star party or two and perhaps join an astronomy club before buying any 'scope. When I was active in the club located about an hour from here, I would coordinate with a couple of other members and we'd all bring our 'scopes so that people attending the meetings could look through them after the meetings. These were not publicized "star parties", but hands-on experience for guests or new members to show them what to expect if they bought a telescope. I have a 6" Apochromatic refractor, and my finder scope is a 3" Apochromatic refractor, so that gave people two apertures in high quality refractors to compare. Another member who didn't mind bringing his rig had a 10" Newtonian, and yet another had a Celestron C-8 (Schmidt-Newtonian design). All designs have their strengths and their weaknesses, and our guests got to see them after the meetings. How much room do you need to transport the 'scope and mount? How much time does it take to set it up? How much time does it take to thermally stabilize for steadier views? And perhaps most important of all for a beginning amateur, how much does this stuff cost?

With a fairly large refractor, I easily had the most expensive optical tube assembly in the club, with a VERY massive mount and tripod. Nobody should jump in at this level. The guy with the Newtonian had a Meade on a German Equatorial mount, and that 10" scope pulled in a lot of light, though the primary was not of the best quality. Still with today's computer-controlled figuring, mirrors are getting a lot better, and simple Dobsonian mounts drive the price down to a minimum. He had a van with side-doors, like you would see a plumber or other craftsman use to transport their tools and supplies. Somewhere in the middle (quality-wise) was my friend and frequent observing partner with the C-8. His 'scope was far less expensive than mine, and the images were nowhere near as good, BUT the C-8 is a very compact scope, and not much trouble to set up. His was a fork-mount with a tripod and wedge. He showed up in a compact car, usually. I had to use my Nissan Pathfinder with the back seat folded down to transport my set-up. Very instructive, when people thought to ask the questions. If your 'scope is not small enough or light enough for you to handle it under adverse conditions (cold nights when the footing is icy, and you are bundled up like the Michelin man) you will not use it and your money will have been wasted.

 

[KrisOhn]

What does a "pretty strict budget" mean and what type of phenomena, specifically, are you most interested in?

Pretty strict budget... Hmmm... I would say, preferably, under $500, if possible.

As for phenomena, honestly, anything. I'm currently at the University of Saskatchewan and a few months back I went to a public showing in the old observatory here (they don't open the good ones to the public), I got to look at a pretty rough picture of Jupiter; basically all I saw was a white dot, not too impressive. I understand, though, that that was a very old telescope and is nothing compared to what some of the personal ones, now could do. So I want to see anything, and everything I can, it all amazes and inspires me.

Here is a site that has a very complete set of reviews and recommendations.

http://www.scopereviews.com/

Click on the link "Beginner's Advice on Buying Telescopes - READ THIS FIRST "

That should get you started.

Regards,

Mike

Thanks Mike, I'll be sure to read that through.

I would reiterate Ed's advice to at least attend a star party or two and perhaps join an astronomy club before buying any 'scope.

I also agree with you, although I am not familiar with any clubs on campus here, maybe there is one lurking. I'll just have to get my foot in the door a bit more with the astronomy department and see what I can find.

 

[George Jones]

I also agree with you, although I am not familiar with any clubs on campus here, maybe there is one lurking. I'll just have to get my foot in the door a bit more with the astronomy department and see what I can find.

http://homepage.usask.ca/~ges125/rasc/about_rasc.html

 

[Chronos]

I like cat's for portability, and portability will greatly influence your desire to use it. If you don't mind the work out, an 8" or 10" dob is a good choice. My only objection is you need an equatorial mount for astrophotograpy. That is something you will probably want to do at some point. You can get a good 6" Newtonian on an equatorial mount in your price range.

 

[KrisOhn]

http://homepage.usask.ca/~ges125/rasc/about_rasc.html

Well I feel kind of stupid, but thanks :P

I like cat's for portability, and portability will greatly influence your desire to use it. If you don't mind the work out, an 8" or 10" dob is a good choice. My only objection is you need an equatorial mount for astrophotograpy. That is something you will probably want to do at some point. You can get a good 6" Newtonian on an equatorial mount in your price range.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[hairnet]

Remember, the bigger the scope the less use it will get!

Sounds barmy but unless you have the opportunity to leave it somewhere permanent the hassle of setting up etc is non-negligible!

And don't neglect the mount, a stable weighty base is as at least as important as optical quality of the scope!

 

[Phyisab****]

6-10 inch dob hands down in my opinion. Do some research though, this exact question gets posted here once a week and the answers are inevitably the same.

 

[Nabeshin]

6-10 inch dob hands down in my opinion. Do some research though, this exact question gets posted here once a week and the answers are inevitably the same.

Harinet's advice is definitely true of dobs. Especially if you don't have anywhere to observe that's right next to where you store your scope. My 8" dob weighs over 50 lbs and is quite unwieldy, which can make it a big pain to haul long distances. But as far as aperture for the price, dobs are definitely the biggest bang for your buck.

 

[Phyisab****]

on the other hand, OP already said he was disappointed with the view of jupiter. Imagine how he's going to feel when he tries to find M-51 through a 3 inch refractor...

 

[Phyisab****]

Also is it really that hard to transport? If you have a small vehicle you can still get an f4 dob which I'm pretty sure will fit in any car up to 10" aperture.

 

[KrisOhn]

Remember, the bigger the scope the less use it will get!
And don't neglect the mount, a stable weighty base is as at least as important as optical quality of the scope!

I can see how this is true, thanks.

6-10 inch dob hands down in my opinion. Do some research though, this exact question gets posted here once a week and the answers are inevitably the same.

Harinet's advice is definitely true of dobs. Especially if you don't have anywhere to observe that's right next to where you store your scope. My 8" dob weighs over 50 lbs and is quite unwieldy, which can make it a big pain to haul long distances. But as far as aperture for the price, dobs are definitely the biggest bang for your buck.

I'll definitely keep dobs in mind, and in high preference. Thanks.

on the other hand, OP already said he was disappointed with the view of jupiter. Imagine how he's going to feel when he tries to find M-51 through a 3 inch refractor...

Hah, While it would be nice to see M-51, I don't expect to find it, especially with the budget I have. I do hope to be able to locate M-31 though...
And the main reason I was disappointed with Jupiter is primarily because of the lack of color. I was expecting to see at least some of the color, not just a white dot.

 

[Phyisab****]

You did say you're in Saskatchewan right? You should be able to see m-31 with the naked eye. And yea you should definitely see some color and cloud bands in Jupiter with say http://www.telescope.com/control/pr...cdobs/~pcategory=dobsonians/~product_id=08943
You will also be able to see m-51, which can be quite a challenge considering that it's such a well known messier object.

 

[turbo]

With a Dob of 6" or larger, if you cannot see M-51 you are viewing under crappy skies. Don't expect to see a clear connection between the host and the companion, nor any detail in the halo/tail/countertail. That's not going to happen visually, but if you are in clear skies in the northern hemisphere, M-51 is pretty easy.

 

[Phyisab****]

yea I don't live in Saskatchewan that's for sure

 

[George Jones]

You did say you're in Saskatchewan right? You should be able to see m-31 with the naked eye

The University of Saskatchewan is in Saskatoon, which is a city of about 250,000. Saskatoon probably is large enough that M31 is not naked-eye from large parts of it. Having access to a car would definitely be a plus.

 

[KrisOhn]

The University of Saskatchewan is in Saskatoon, which is a city of about 250,000. Saskatoon probably is large enough that M31 is not naked-eye from large parts of it. Having access to a car would definitely be a plus.

Yes, the light pollution here is something that angers me quite a bit; in my time here I have yet to see anything like I saw back home. I moved up here for university, and before, I lived about 4 hours away, rural to a very small town. Perfectly clear skies, absolutely no light pollution, it was perfect. Luckily, I do have access to a vehicle.

 

[Chronos]

You really don't want a 100 pound monstrosity to introduce you to astronomy. After 3 outings it will get old. Don't say I didn't warn you.

 

[Phyisab****]

Sorry guys I was 60% joking with the Saskatchewan comments, I always forget how serious this forum is.

You really don't want a 100 pound monstrosity to introduce you to astronomy. After 3 outings it will get old. Don't say I didn't warn you.

But after 30 outings you could be wishing you had a telescope you could rightfully call a monstrosity. I know I'd love one of these.
http://www.obsessiontelescopes.com/telescopes/index.html
But I'm getting away from the topic.

 

[russ_watters]

I'm a big fan of go-to for a beginner, because it maximizes what you will be able to see, but it does cut down on the available aperture for the budget. I would assemble my ETX-105 inside and carry it to where I was going to use it (nice in cold weather), but it only weighed about 25 lb, assembled. As long as carrying it in one shot isn't your main criteria, I don't think you should balk at anything up to 50 lb, which will cover your budget. My current rig is about 160 lb and I leave the mount covered on my deck most of the year, only lugging the 45lb OTAs and a cart with the electronics outside to use it.

Anyway, my first recommendation would probably be the Orion Starseeker 130, a 5" Newtonian with go-to for $370 http://www.telescope.com/control/te...r-130mm-computerized-goto-reflector-telescope

Next, the Orion Skyquest XT8i for $529 - an 8" "push to" Dobsonian. http://www.telescope.com/control/te...computerized-intelliscope-dobsonian-telescope

 

[Chronos]

Im a big fan of go-to scopes. When I got my first scope, I wasted a year trying to figure out RA, Dec, and sky maps.

 

[Phyisab****]

This is why people say you should find an astronomy club to find out what you like. Everyone has their own idea of what they want in a scope and what they want to get out of it. Personally I think a go to scope is heresy, especially if you're a beginner. Unless you are trying to take data as efficiently as possible. Need to have all sides of the debate represented right? :)

 

[KrisOhn]

Personally I think a go to scope is heresy, especially if you're a beginner.

I agree with that actually, heh, for some reason throughout my life I've been compelled to always try and do things the hard way before trying an easier way...

 

[Chronos]

Setting circles are a good introduction to early 20th century astronomy. If you enjoy learning how to align your scope and mastering star maps, this is for you. If you are less patient and just want to find what you are looking for, go-to is a viable option.

 

[KrisOhn]

Sorry to bring back this thread, but I've been considering for the last few months, and I think I've decided on which telescope I am going to get (in about a month, after finals, when I can both afford it monetarily and time wise).

This, which was recommended by Russ seems to be the best solution to me. It has very good viewing capabilities, while being equipped with a Intelliscope system, so I have the possibility to use star charts along with computerized finding. Thanks Russ.

I am wondering how useful I would find binoculars. I have looked around a bit, and these look like they're pretty good to me. I am also wondering how necessary a stand and mount would be for something like these.

 

[baywax]

Hi all!

I've got my 13 year old boy coming to me for info about astronomy and the night sky and telescopes etc...

I've found an observatory in town with a 30 in lense and the whole nine yards of a dome with a slit and all that... very cool!

I bought him the book, Astronomy, and he burnt through it in a day and came back with knowledge about every month's night sky features in about 2 days... yikes! What have I spawned...?!

Anyway... he also wants to volunteer with the planetarium and the observatory. There is also the BC Astronomy Society to get him leaning toward.

But for now I want him to see the mechanics involved with the professional telescope at the observatory... and then we have this 50mm lensed telescope to start with. At first I was so excited about him not being into crack and hooch I wanted to run out and get him an 8 inch lens with the computerized clock motion and camera etc... with 8 eye pieces and so on... but then I thought... hey... we don't know diddley about telescopes... really... so let's get some help and start out with something simple. What do you figure... is there a regimen to follow for gradually working up to the complex scopes? The guy running the observatory said my son better come as often as possible to the observatory to orient his brain (read: wrap) around all the details... Thanks!