What is the best type of telescope for a cheap beginer?

Question

primary use is star gazing

Answer 1

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.

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 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.

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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 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

Answer 2

Reflector, Newtonian optical design, Dobsonian base.  This would be the cheapest, the most aperture for the buck.

Answer 3

The best type of telescope for a cheap beginer is a good pair of binoculars.  They can be used to learn your way around the heavens, and if you lose interest there are countless other uses for them.

Answer 4

go here!

http://space.about.com/od/telescopesando...

Answer 5

Try this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Super-16x40-Monocula...

This little telescope is only 8x, despite the advertising that claims it is 16x. I know because I bought one just like it. But you can get this for only $25 or so, and they perform like binoculars except that there's only one ocular instead of two.

I've split Alberio (tough) and Nu Draconis (easy) with mine. I'm trying to resolve Psi 1 Draconis and Theta Serpentis, but so far I haven't had a sufficiently dark & clear night. The Pleiades should be excellent in this monocular, but it's the wrong time of year for looking at them. I've seen Jupiter's 47" disk and seen the Galilean Jovian moons (pinpricks dotting on either side of the planet).

Bear in mind, though, that this instrument, like binoculars, is only 8 power. You can see, say, the moon large enough to pick out 80 kilometer diameter craters, maybe even 50 km diameter craters if they are in high relief at the terminator line, but they're not powerful enough to do what the big, expensive telescopes can do.

Answer 6

By far the best telescope for a beginer to use when looking at distant deep space objects will be a REFLECTOR type telescope with a mirror size of around 8 inches in a Used Model with a Dobsinian Type Mount. One of those can frequently be picked up for around $400 to $500 US.

Visit

http://www.astromart.com

and pay the first time usage fee...It is very small compared to the usefullness of the information and quality of the merchandise offered for sale there. I use it often for my comparitive shopping. Why pay $1000 at a store when I can get the same thing for $750 via Astromart Dot Com? However, you will need to know what you are looking at, and learn what things are compatible with your telescope, when you finally make the big plunge.

Please join an Astronomy Club near you before you buy anything. Often, club members have used scopes for sale which you can pick up at great savings for starter scopes. No mention of your budget was given in the question, but I assume that $400 - 500 US is not out of the question. If you have a very small budget $100 - $200 ----- Wow, that places you into the toy category and limits you a bunch. You might also investigate some high power binoculars with tripod capability. Binoculars are not really neat to use without a tripod for stability over about Eight Power. Magnifications of 10X and higher will jiggle all over the place without use of a

pretty rugged tripod. Look for something with the biggest possible objective lenses such as 50 mm and larger. You want to capture as much light as possible.

Always TRY, B4  U  BUY.  You cannot get any idea of a scope's performance or binocular performance during the daytime at a store. You must be able to try it at home in your yard, or where ever you intend to use the equipment. Maybe you will be startled to find out that you cannot really use the equipment as planned because of nearby security lighting, or glare from advertising signs. Check this out late at night. You will need absolute darkness. Remember the things you are looking for are very dim, and way far away. So you must have total darkness all around you.

TRY,  B4  U  BUY.

Regards,

Zah

Answer 7

Yes, binoculars are the best way to start. They'll allow you to get to know the night sky without having to fiddle around with equipment.