What countries are famous for their telescopes?

Question

hello i'm a 14 year old kid and i'm wondering which countries make quality telescopes i would also like a list with the company next to it. and also i'm trying to buy an affordable one like not a huge one but like a micro one maybe like x30 ? just something i can keep around and use when i need it(give me prices please and also i have a budget about 150 .. can i get a good micro with that much?) and i also found an italian company called gallileo telescope makers... is that place good? answer all the question marks please and thank you 10 points~

Answer 1

you need to do some research. please buy and read a copy of nightwatch, which will fill in the all-too-obvious gaps in your knowledge - like the fact that magnification is irrelevant, and telesscopes are specified by aperture.

the best thing you can do is hook up with local astronomers to see what is possible, what stuff looks and feels like, and what you can actually see with it. i find ppl often have weird expectations on the last.

the hot ticket nowadays is a good dob. but you need to do your research first. at your budget you might want to consider binoculars and some star charts instead.

Answer 2

The best optics are made in the USA, Germany and Russia.  

Astro-physics and TMB are the two best brands of refractors I know of these days.  Zeiss made great scopes, but no longer has regular production.  These scopes sell for thousands of dollars.

There's a company in Italy (A & M) that makes beautiful carbon fiber tubes for custom scopes with TMB objectives.  There's another Italian company that makes reflecting scopes that are works of art.  Again, these are not in your price range.  But if it's important to you, some day they will be.  

The least expensive scope I can recommend is the Orion Star Blast dobsonian.  

It has good optics, a simple but sturdy mount and sells for about $180.  It's the bang for the buck champ.  

Galileo makes wonderful boxes and ads.  Very nice photos.  The scopes themselves tend to be frustrating to use because they skimp on the mounts.  A couple of years ago a gentleman brought one to my astronomical society.  We spent about an hour tweaking things so it would perform as well as possible.  With a $250 eyepiece, it gave a reasonable image of Jupiter.  The mirror wasn't bad.  The eyepieces that came with it were poorly constructed, and had mediocre optics.  

You'll do much better in the long run if you find a local astronomical society and attend some meetings.  This way you'll get to look through the scopes they own, and they'll be able to give you more detailed advice about what you might find that fits your price range.  

Most people in this hobby are happy to do what they can to help kids get started.   In my club, good kids who seem interested tend to get offered used scopes members are no longer using at bargain prices.

Good luck with your search.  

Answer 3

The vast majority of telescopes being made today are made in China, primarily by Synta in Shanghai. In fact, pretty much _all_ inexpensive telescopes are made in China. The only other telescope makers in the world are small custom manufacturers in a number of countries, but their scopes cost thousands of dollars. All other brands of telescopes are basically Chinese telescopes being imported by importing companies, including Celestron, Meade, and Orion.

There are two telescope companies I know of who use the name Galileo, but neither of them is Italian. One is an American importer of cheap Chinese scopes (very poor quality) and the other is located in India:

http://www.galileosplace.com/

http://www.galileotelescope.com/

Answer 4

Astronomers don't talk in terms like 'x30', we talk in terms of primary mirror size.  The bigger your mirror, the more light you can gather and the more you can see.  The eyepiece you use changes the magnification each time, so decent telescopes don't come with 'x-something' on the box.  

I would recommend the Meade and Celestron brands, both American companies.  They are very popular among amateur astronomers; I had a 4.5-inch (primary mirror) Meade at your age.  They sell them online, and though many local dealers.  I'd recommend a Dobsonian mount for anyone trying to get the most light for the least dollar amount.