AWD

Here are a few sites that should help:

AWD

One more thought: A decent pair of binoculars is often better than a cr@p telescope.

BarryK

Ask someone to look into it for you.

Nimbus

Time to put my anorak on..

When buying a telescope for astronomy the size of the objective lens (the one that collects the light) is the important thing. Since it's dark (duh) you need to be able to collect as much light as possible to get a decent image. Magnification is not a huge importance, unless all you are doing is looking at the moon (or next door's bedroom ). When you magnify an image, it's only going to 'expand' the detail it has from the objective, so it will be fainter, and not all that more detailed.

There are two basic types. Refractive (the traditional type) and Reflective (called Newtonian). The Newtonian are best as they have a larger collective lens (or mirror in this case) and are more compact. I've a 5" refractive telescope at home (which has spent a while in the loft, but still one of my best buys). Excellent for looking at the moons of Jupiter and ever Saturn's rings.

A couple of tips.

1) If you're using it for looking at anything on the earth, you may need a terrestrial converter. The image gets inverted in a telescope. To correct it requires additional lenses/mirrors, which can reduce the light getting to your eye. As it's not really important if the object your seeing is upside down, they are not normally converted. So you will need an attachment to the eyepiece to compensate.

2) When taking it outside on a cold night, let it settle to the ambient temperature first. Differences in temp between different parts can cause images to waver.

3) Try and get one with an equatorial mount. Makes tracking easier.

4) Also it should have a wide angle spotting scope.

5) If you're going to be looking for sunspot be careful. Project the image onto a sheet or card. Never look at the sun with a telescope. These are really amazing when you get to see them. Worth doing.

6) You may want to start photography as well. I never got into that, but you can buy some good equipment to use your existing camera. You will probably need a motor drive though.

Good luck. Let me know if you need any more info. I've got tons stashed away somewhere which I can dig out.

If you like, we meet up one night and I'll bring mine along so you can have a look.


[This message has been edited by Nimbus (edited 14 December 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Nimbus (edited 14 December 2000).]

The Zohan

Sadly, I have watched the Sky @ Nite a few times and got interested in Astronomy.

Does anyone have any advise as to what to buy, where from, how much and so on.

I was thinking of spending around £ 200-250.00, is this realistic?

Any advise gratefully received.

Paul



[This message has been edited by Paul Habgood (edited 14 December 2000).]

Oz

Here's a column that gives some pretty good advice on buying a telescope. Hope it helps...

firefox

Paul,

New neighbours across the street by any chance ?

J.

carl

What sort of astronomy do you want to do? Lunar, solar, stars, planets, or deep space objects? What you want to look at will determine what sort of kit you want. I agree with the previous advice though, go for a reflector and as big as you can afford, at least 5" reflector diameter. A reflector (Cassegrain) has the advantage that it is quite compact, as the primary mirror reflects onto a secondary mirror back at the top of the tube which then reflects into the eyepiece through a hole in the primary -- i.e. the tube only has to be half the focal length of the primary mirror.

AWD

Don't forget good old fashioned voyeurism....

carl

Binoculars are much better for that

Anyway, Paul said he'd got interested in a telescope after watching 'Sky At Night' -- I don't know if you get different telly where you live but I've never seen Patrick Moore advocating voyeurism (although what does he mean by 'binary pair'? )

AWD

Paul said "Sky @ Nite"

Maybe this is some Channel 5 ****-fest..

carl

The trouble with telescopes is that you need to find somewhere dark to put them (and your back garden isn't dark enough), and it's usually in the middle of a field (good if you've got a Scoob) and cold. For this reason, I've never done any practical amateur astronomy. You can get some results in your back garden if you use a sodium filter to get rid of the light pollution from the streetlamps (fortunately the sodium emission spectrum is very narrow, not all broadband like a tungsten light), but it's not the same.

I know someone who bought a Russian-made telescope from somewhere dirt cheap (Russian optics are amongst the best in the world) and although it's small you can see the rings of Saturn with it. No idea where he got it from though.

[This message has been edited by carl (edited 15 December 2000).]

AWD

carl

If you can find out where he got it from I would be very ineterested.

The back garden will be fine for viewing the moon but as carl said London is generally too bright for decent skywatching.

Go to the outskirts of London, find a decent common on a clear night, and you'll love it....

carl

I have been known to use the telescope on the top of Queen Mary College in Mile End, and I'm not kidding -- the sky is ORANGE!.

AWD

Psychadelic starwatching....

AllanB

In the same boat myself. Not knowing much about this check put this month focus which reviews a few different ones if your not sure


AllanB