Experienced Telescope users - Best for me?

Question

Ok, so I have been fixated by astronomy for about 1 and a half years now (im only 15), I have learnt alot, about constellations, planets, and all things related, because im obsessed with Astronomy Documentarys haha.

When i am facinated by the nights sky, I use my telescope which my dad had for years, and i now have, its quiet old, hence why i cant really fine much info about it -

Its small in terms of other telescopes out there -

Its a Bresser Optik Refractor

800 mm

60x

And on top of that i use a 2x Barlow Lens

Now heres the thing, i feel this telescope, although has done me well, does not achieve how much i really feel i wanna explore the sky, I want to be able to see the clusters and planets close up!

I started feeling this way when i went out one night last year to see the "Whirlpool Galaxy" and after spending ages trying to find it, all i saw was a dot in a circle! lol

SO - what would be the ideal telescope for me? I wanna be able to see planets in detail, clusters and nebula and galaxies but nothing too highly priced - Any advice that you think will point me in the right direction will be highly appriciated!

Thanks for taking the time to read! haha

=)

Answer 1

I was able to find several Bresser scopes, but none with an 800mm focal length.  The smallest has a 90mm aperture.  I'm guessing you have a 60mm aperture.  60x isn't outrageous for this instrument.  But using a 2x barlow to give you 120x is outrageous.

I have a 60mm spotting scope.  The eyepiece i use gives me 22x.  I also have an eyepiece that gives me 60x, but i never use it.  The images are dark and grainy.  About 30x is all it will support.

Yeah.  M51 - the whirlpool is a fuzz patch in a 60mm scope.  The best viewing are going to be the Moon, Mars, Saturn (with rings!) and at least Titan, Jupiter with 4 moons, M31 - the Andromeda galaxy, M13, the great cluster in Hercules, M42, the great Orion nebula, and of course, the hot chick across the street who won't let you get near her.

Go with a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount.  Get a push-to computer.  Orion sells 6", 8", and 10" scopes.  I have the 10" (about $800).  Orion has excellent support (I bought mine via the web, and it was shipped promptly.  A damaged accessory was replaced with zero hassle and promptly.  It matters.)

Here are the 3 P's for picking a telescope.  Price, Performance, and Portability.  Price and portability can be show stoppers.  Price less so, since you may be able to wait until you have more cash. But a scope that doesn't fit in a car is stuck where ever it ends up.  That leaves performance.  For deep space, what you need is as much light gathering as possible.

The push-to computer also comes under the category of performance.  Before buying my scope, i joined a local astronomy club and borrowed each of their loaner scopes in turn.  One was a ten inch reflector.  I spent half an hour not finding a fairly bright galaxy in my back yard (M51 is not visible in my back yard!).  It was too dim for my sky conditions.  Then, i repeated this for another galaxy.  Spending an hour to not find two galaxies is not something that will sustain me in the hobby.  With a push-to computer, i can observe a dozen objects an hour.  In in very short time, i found that very few galaxies can be seen from my heavily light polluted back yard.  And, an oxygen 3 filter lets me see most nebulae.

Back to my scope.  The tube length is 48".  It fits across the back seat of any car.  I had a $1000 budget, so the $800 scope fit.  I bought an oxygen 3 filter (about $89) at the same time.  I might have bought the 12" scope, but the tube is 8" longer, and doesn't fit in my car.  I might have gone with a truss dob with a larger mirror, but at the time, it was over my budget, and there was no computer.

But, join a club.  The $800 i spent would buy me 26 years of membership.  And they have an observatory with a 12.5" scope on a tracking mount.  And, they have a 22" scope.  I can use all this stuff with someone who can tell me how, and pretty much any time i want (which here in Michigan is about 2 days a month, due to clouds). The last link might get you to a local club.

I know it's a bit long.  But i keep most of it in a file...

Answer 2

Hi Jenna -

Welcome to a great hobby! My first advice is to be patient. Take your time with your decision. There are many scopes out there that will allow you to see hundreds of clusters, galaxies, and nebulae, but you should get a clear understanding of why you want the scope you are buying before you buy it. That means try before you buy. And that generally can be done best by following some good advice already provided - i.e. attend a few open observing sessions at your local astronomy club.They can be found on line and you will receive a warm welcome and an opportunity to see what to expect at the eyepiece and at the cash register.

For example, you mentioned M51 - the Whirlpool Galaxy. Depending on sky conditions, this can be a dim and difficult object to locate in an 8 inch scope, much less a 3 inch one like yours. Even in my 11 inch Celestron, I can only see the spiral arms on the darkest, clearest nights.

In order to see these things, you will need aperture - that is essential. Aperture is the diameter of the opening that lets the light into the scope. The more aperture, the more photons get funneled into your eye. The more photons, the brighter those objects appear. If your eyes were 8 inches in diameter, you would be able to see a lot of objects in some detail without a telescope (M31, for example, has an apparent size larger than the full moon). An 8 inch Dobsonian is a great choice for a beginner, and it's not terribly expensive. It's also pretty simple to transport and set up - important considerations. If you have reasonably clear skies, I would not get the computer finder "PushTo" option. I would spend my money on more aperture or better optics instead. You will learn the night sky more quickly if you do not rely on a computer to find things.

As a beginner, I would not recommend buying a used scope. You do not know what you are getting, and the seller may not be able to help you when you need it (and we all need it). I would buy from a reputable local dealer (that's another reason to find an astronomy club - they know all the dealers) or, if that's not possible, from a solid on-line supplier like the following:

http://www.telescope.com/control/main/

Never buy a telescope from a department store. They know nothing about astronomy.

Finally, I would recommend that you purchase or borrow the book "Nightwatch" by Terence Dickinson. It is an excellent overview of the hobby from a beginner's viewpoint. It covers telescope selection, overal structure of the universe as seen from Earth, and it has some great charts that will help you find things easily.

Best of Luck and Clear Skies to you.

    

Answer 3

It sounds like you are ready for a serious telescope.  There is a book called "Starware" which can introduce you to the whole spectrum of telescopes and accessories.  You may want to check for it at your local library.  If you can find a local astronomy club or society, many of the experience members would be glad to help you choose the right instrument for you.

From my own experience, I would recommend a 6" - f/8 or 8" - f/6 newtonian reflector on a dobsonian mount, depending on what you can afford.  These are telescopes you will have to order from a telescope dealer; you will not find them at local department stores or discount chains.  The companies and dealers I've had good experiences with are:  Astronomics, Orion, Meade, and Celestron.

Since you are probably on a tight budget, spend your money on optical and mechanical quality and simplicity, and do not be enticed by electronics and computers, because they do not add to the views.

Be sure to save some money for good eyepieces.  Normally, a telescope will come with one or two mediocre eyepieces - Kellner or Achromatic Ramsden.  If you are lucky, you can get some good Plossls instead.  Normally, one will be low power (25mm), and the other a higher power (9mm).  But to get the best view of planets and moon, try to save enough for a high power (short focal length) Orthoscopic.  University Optics has these at a reasonable price.

Beyond this, find some books on how to use a newtonian-dobson, and how to collimate the thing correctly for the best views.  For more information, visit:

http://www.piscescs.com/astro/atm_and_am...

Answer 4

ask starr , she is a pro at helping people with the first telescope

asktheastronomer will help you learn the night sky !

asktheastronomer for telescope and astronomy help !!

also teaches how to observe the night sky !

http://asktheastronomer.blogspot.com

Answer 5

If I were you I'd google "used telescope for sale" and buy a used telescope.  If the glass and mirrors are in good shape it's just as good a new one but you will get a lot more for your money.