Is this a good telescope?

Question

http://www.astroshop.de/en/telescopes/weitere-marken/seben/big-luggage-76-700?sid=fb7b50f501284afbfb1d348e4a1bb35d

I'm just starting off and would appreciate any recommendations or advice.

Answer 1

I am sorry, but no, I would not call this a good telescope.  

There are several different kinds of telescopes and all of them have some excellent features. Refractors and Reflectors, plus Schmidt-Cassegrain, APO refractors and more. There are also several mounts to chose from and the mounts are just as important as the scope is. All of the different scopes and mounts have some features that some people like and do not like.

There is no one scope that is "better" than another except for the junk scopes out there which are all just a waste of money. Never, ever buy from Walmart, Costco, Target, or any other discount store like that. Junk scopes are flooded into the market from those stores. You will be buying nothing but bad optics and plastic.

______________________________________...

http://oriontelescopes.com/

Orion is the very best for value and for customer service too. I have 2 of their scopes and I will only buy from them from now on.

The Orion site has some excellent diagrams and explanations of all types of scopes and mounts.

Things to consider are size--can the user lift and transport the scope to the viewing site easily? If not, then it will gather dust in a closet. Can the viewer reach all the k***s and buttons? I have a long tube large manual refractor and it is very difficult for me to reach the k***s when I am pointed to Zenith. I am not a tall person.

Take your time in making your decision.

I would like to suggest that you join a local astronomy club or astronomical society BEFORE you spend your money on a scope. There are many different kinds of scopes and what is perfect for one person is not perfect for another. Everyone has their own set of eyeballs and no two are the same. If you join a club, you can attend a few of their star parties and try out members scopes to see what works best for YOU, before you buy a scope. The members can also help you when you get your scope and show you how to get the most out of your new scope as well as to help teach you where the treasures in the sky are located. Hint: they will be especially helpful if you take cookies to star parties. Most clubs have loaner scopes and extensive libraries that you can gather more information from too.

Some people will suggest that you purchase binnoculars. Not a bad idea but dont buy anything less than 10x50 and you must have a tripod too or you will not be happy with your astronomical views because they will be too shakey from your movements. Personally, I prefer a scope to binos because if the binoculars are not aligned properly at the factory, then you get double images and distortions that cant be fixed.

But when you buy go Orion and you wont be disappointed. Don't try to learn everything all at once or you will be overwhelmed and discouraged. Patience is the key to Astronomy. I wish you all the best. Enjoy

EDIT:

Contrary to another answer here, I would stay away from astromart or used scopes until you know EXACTLY what you are doing. Many people have been burned when buying used because of selling people who do not know how to properly use and care for their equipment so they sell their scratched and damaged optics to newbies who dont know any better.

Answer 2

That is a biginer's scope;  a place to start, but one that you will quickly out grow.  If that's what you are in the market for, then I would suggest you try to buy a good used example.  These scopes are frequently given as gifts and just as frequently discarded;  your local thrift/second hand/junk store likely has a bunch of them, and they can be had for ~15% of their original price.  BTW, the 76mm reflector is comparable to a 60mm refractor

Don't pay full price for these, and if at all possible, go with a much better scope.

Answer 3

You'd be better off saving your money towards a little higher quality instrument, or buy yourself a decent pair of 7X50 binoculars.

Answer 4

No. Avoid. There are far better choices out there.

I'm intrigued by the notion of there being no such thing as a beginner's telescope. A good telescope is easy to use and gives high-quality views of things. This is what everybody needs in a telescope.

Answer 5

It is a telescope for a beginner and you can see "things"

with it. However, its resale value is very low.

If you are a beginner, I strongly urge you to first join

an Astronomy Club near you and attend as many of their meetings as possible to learn about telescopes and the

various accessories that make them work, or improve their

operation.

You failed to state your budget limitations...very important consideration.

If you really want to have a good investment and lots of fun

looking at the Universe as a beginer, my recommendation is

for you to purchase a USED  8 Inch Reflector Type Telescope which uses a Dobsinian Mount. Do not purchase a new one. Frequently there will be people within the Astronomy club who have telescopes for sale that they need to convert to cash for purchase of larger Models, etc. That is a good way to slip into the hobby at a lower cost.

Good optical equipment costs lots of money. I canot emphasize this to you strongly enough. That is why I said

buy a used one. Now the next thing you need to do is learn

all about telescopes and accessories...

You can do that by visiting this website:

http://www.astromart.com

They charge a one time fee for you to join their user group, but for that fee you get full access to the For Sale item

publications which is how and where I bought all of my

telescope equipment at greatly discounted prices. A good

8 Inch Reflector Telescope with Dob mount should cost you around $400 US and will possibly come with a pile of accessories which you would normally have to purchase separately.

The purchase of a working telescope is a complex decision process involving a lot of compromises...

A.) I want the biggest lens or mirror that I can afford, so that I can see as much as possible as well as possible. Precision optics are very expensive, and I must make some decision regarding what is $$$$ practical for me to look at, and what is out of my personal budget limits.

B.) As I get into telescopes, I find that the bigger they are, the heavier they are to move around and set up. So, I have to

make a decision about where my own personal limits are. Remember that 97 percent of the telescopes owned by individuals are stored inside of their houses and must be hauled out to a suitable viewing spot, set up, used, then taken down and transported back to the storage location. Really big scopes take two people to handle. Probably the bigger a telescope is the less frequently you will wish to go through all of the hastle to take it outside and really use it.

C.) Telescopes purchased "new" usually come with the absolute lowest cost eyepieces. Since the eyepiece is critical to the delivery of an image to your eyes, it should be the finest eyepiece (s) you can afford. Really nice eyepieces from Televue and Pentax (to name a few) cost between

$250 and $500 US each. So, it is not practical to furnish four or five of them with a telescope costing $300 US Retail.

However, down the road you can add one or more really good eyepieces to your telescope assembly and improve the performance of your telescope dramaticly.      

D.) Reflector Telescopes usually need to be collimated each time you take them out and set them up. You must also allow time for the mirror to adjust to the outside temperature for the best vue. You also must never let dew, moisture, or dust  from any source settle onto the mirror. Careful handling is always most important to the life of your telescope what ever Model it might be.

E.) In small size telescopes, stars will look like pinpoints of light. Even in larger telescopes, stars will still be pinpoints of light. Small telescopes are usefull in earthbound applications such as bird watching and nature studies, as well as observations of the Moon. Only the larger sizes of telescopes will begin to provide you with views of the planets that resemble what you see in magazines and books. Once you move beyond a 6 Inch Refractor and/or an 8 inch Reflector type scope, the prices rise steeply. You can learn about this on Astromart.com by frequently checking out their items for sale.

F.) Where will you use this telescope? Are there lots of bright lights all around this site in the night time? If so, that spot will be useless for viewing the sky. Is your night sky completely dark, or is it lit up in a rather full "glow" during the night by all manner of street lights, security lights, and Advertising Signs?

If so, that viewing spot is not useable with your telescope. The things you will wish to look at are very, very dim and zillions of miles away so you need absolute darkness to use your telescope in or you will be totally unhappy with its performance.

G.) Can you fit this telescope into your car - easily? Can you lift and assemble it by yourself? If you are a minor, will your parents support this activity by taking you out to good

locations in the middle of the night so you can actually get the views you wish?

Lots of things need to be carefully thought out before making the big plunge into Astronomy. But, you will step into another world once you make the right decision.

Regards,

Zah

Answer 6

I don't believe in beginner's scopes.  Get something you'll use.  The way to do that is to *first* join an astronomy club.  My club has loaner scopes: 4", 6", 8", 10", and an observatory with a 12.5", and a large scope: 22".  For $30 a year, i can use any of this whenever i want.  I joined the club and it was five years before i bought something. Waiting is an option. The $800 10" Orion xt10i is very nice.  But i could have gotten 26 years of membership for that kind of money.

In addition to being able to try scopes before you buy them - always a wise move, the club members also can show you how to use your scope, what to look for, and so on.  For me, the social aspects of the club is so compelling, i've joined a second club.

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 your car is stuck where ever it ends up.  That leaves performance.  For deep space, what you need is as much light gathering as possible.  In your budget, that points to a reflector.

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.  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.

Answer 7

This is what I call, (sorry), a disposable telescope.  But if it's for a kid, that might be the best bet until it is clear whether or not he/she is going to maintain any interest or just look at the moon and Jupiter once and then quit.

The aperture, (diameter), is only 3 inches, or 76 mm, and probably a fourth of that is blocked by the secondary mirror.  For a reflector this is really wimpy.  Still, for 79 bucks, it might be worth it.  If you can get a 70 mm refractor for the same price, I would go that way.

This scope will not allow you to see much.