TurboAndy

iTrader: (1)

I'm looking to buy a telescope so I can look at the stars and stuff lol.

Are any of you on here into telescopes that can point me in the right direction as what to buy? I haven't a big budget, around £150 but I'm wanting one where you can acutely see things in space in stead of making what you can all ready see just a bit bigger if that makes sence.

Where I live I have quite a good view of the sky and on a clear night you can see quite a lot. Just would be nice to see what it is I'm looking at.

Thanks for your time.

Andy.

Jamie

http://dx.com/p/professional-gomu-20...lescope-111077

TelBoy

Point me in the right direction, i do love a good pun on a Thursday morning


£150 will get you "a" telescope. But to be honest it won't be much more than a glorified toy and you'll get bored with it fairly quickly. But keen astronomers have started on worse, it depends how genuinely interested you are. For serious star gazing you need a stand mounted telescope with a decent size lens, preferably with auto tracking, and those don't come for £150, unfortunately.

However, something like this;


is a good place to start if your budget can cover it.

TurboAndy

iTrader: (1)

Cheers guys. I was looking at that one TelBoy. So you think that's good value then. I'm not gonna be doing a lot of star gazing but when I do I would like to have a telescope that's of some use.

TelBoy

Give it a go. Below about £350 they're all much of a muchness. Be interested to hear how you get on.

IWatkins

£150 is too little for a quality telescope. So you would be better off getting a pair of bins and then if you get into it, spend more on a quality 'scope.

E.g. these nice Pentax bins are £146: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/pent...pcf-wp-ii.html

Cheers

Ian

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

I was going to suggest some binoculars with a tripod as well...........

Shaun

TelBoy

My own opinion, Ian, is that binoculars can't ever be held steady enough, and there's a higher chance of losing interest. A tripod as Shaun suggests overcomes that... but only to an extent.

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

.........but you can use the binoculars to look at other things

Shaun

Infected by sti

iTrader: (6)

Like the fit neighbour across the road

TelBoy

Bird watching

TurboAndy

iTrader: (1)

That so happens to be another hobby of mine. You can't beat watching t!ts lol

Jamie

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

I bought my mrs one, it's got a remote control so you can adjust it without touching the scope. I know next to nothing but do know people always seem to recommend getting binoculars for amateurs, it's a bit of a snobbish response to anyone with less than £500 to spend! I've already got powerful bins and there's no comparison! It's worth buying a scope just to see how amazing the moon looks! You'll also be able to Saturn through a hundred odd quid scope. Think I paid about £200.

mart360

I have a celestron 130 (i think)

with some good eyepieces, the moon is amazing, Saturn and jupiter are up and visible at the mo,

Tats if you get clear skys, and can stand the cold lol

this is always a good site for heads ups so to speak

http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac...nomy/nightsky/

Mart

IWatkins

Not snobbish James, just good advice.

For binos, you don't need a tripod to keep them steady. Get an adjustable back sun lounger with arms. Then you can rest your arms on the lounger arms and the binos on your face and you don't get neck ache and its steady. Binos can then be used for other stuff too.

A cheap telescope is much more likely to put you off. It'll have cheap eyepieces, cheap and lightweight mount/tripod which will wobble, poor focuser, if a refractor it'll have awful chromatic aberration, a reflector will need collimating etc. etc.

So I stand by my advice. If the OP can increase their budget or would consider second hand, then a quality telescope could be had. In the UK, Astro Buy & Sell is probably the best place to buy second hand (http://astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php). eBay has some bargains but a lot of crap stuff so ou have to more careful.

Cheers

Ian

TurboAndy

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for all your help and advice. I'm looking at the following

TelBoy also recommends this set up. What you all think?

jef

iTrader: (13)

id love a half decent amatuer telescope set up for star gazing, i study the plough as its easily visible but just with the naked eye, would love something to look at the moon better and to share with my boy

IWatkins

Not owned one, but have used one. The telescope itself is very good for the price. The main mirror is good quality. Mount is OK, just be careful with the tripod as the plastic clips midway down the legs break easily.

Other thing is save up a few pennies and replace the supplied eyepieces as soon as you can. By all accounts the 20mm is very poor. Some cheap Omni Plossls (£30-50) would transform the views.

Cheers

Ian

TurboAndy

iTrader: (1)

Cheers for that Ian.

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

The in bold being the salient point...

Andy in a few days time... View between 3:20 to 5:00:-