What do you think of this telescope?

Question

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=fall2008new/~product_id=09964

What do you think a planetary nebula or a distant galaxy would like like in this thing. I have a 70mm reflector right now, and I am very dissatisfied.

If you don't like the one in the link, could you give me a suggestion of similar price and on the same website?

Answer 1

Ooh, a nice 6" Newtonian reflector.  That's a great beginner's scope, and a better one than mine.

I haven't really used one of those myself (though a friend had one a long time ago), but I wouldn't expect distant objects to look spectacular with it.  Good, but not amazing.

Answer 2

That is a good bigginers scope.  But, you have to have the right expectations too.  Even the brighter galaxies require a moon-less dark sky, and great seeing, to see; and, with most backyard scopes, you will see little more then a gray fuzzy blur.  These are incredibly dim and distant objects.  With a good 18 inch diameter mirror and perfect conditions, you may begin to see the core and some of the details of the spiral arms, of the brighter nearby galaxies;  but, not even our largest professional scopes can show you views like the images in magazines.  Those are only possible through photography, and that is a very expensive and complicated proposition that is best left until you have gained more experience in astronomy.  

Answer 3

I think that in it's price range, it is one of your best choices. The reviews have all been excellent. I have not personally looked through one of these, but I did try out the smaller version and was favorably impressed. I think it's a pretty good buy.

Answer 4

It's not a bad choice.. for beginners, and many will be 2nd or 3rd or.. lol, 'scopes.  I don't know your age or how deep you want to wade in these waters..  but I would advise you to go here: http://www.cloudynights.com/  and join the group.  They are very good about giving great.. first hand suggestions.  

Answer 5

This is a very good telescope and perhaps the next best step up from your 70mm.  Please note that this scope will require some sort of table for you to place it on.  I own 2 Orion brand scopes and I will ONLY ever buy from Orion from now on mainly because of their quality products but mostly because of their outstanding customer service.    

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.

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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 dificult 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 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.

You will also need a good star chart program.

http://www.stellarium.org/

This is great freeware that you can download. Just tell it where you are and it will tell you what you see.

I wish you all the best. Enjoy

Answer 6

it looks very promising, though there aren't many of them out there yet. please obtain and read a copy of the review that was recently in sky & telescope.

almost all deep-sky objects look like silvery smudges in anything less than a 12 inch scope...

Answer 7

As with most other products that require precision, you get what you pay for. If you like a $250 telescope, you should understand that that's what you're going to get. Personally, if I were really interested in astronomy, I'd bump my bank book to $1,000 and shop ebay for a used Celestron or similar quality. While I understand that you may be eager, you will be richly rewarded if you wait until you can spend more. My brother bought one like your link advertises, only to find out that the main tube was made of reinforced cardboard. Be careful.

Answer 8

This scope is quite new, and I've only seen one review of it so far. I'd say that it would be very satisfactory, though if you don't need its super compact size, you might get better images from the full-sized version:

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

If you want the ultimate 6" Dob, there's the version with IntelliScope object locator:

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

I have one of these myself, and find it to be excellent in very respect. You can't go wrong with an Orion Dob.