The Telescope Thread!

[sirgonzo420]

So, surely some/several here are telescope/astronomy enthusiasts.... how about some recommendations for a decent telescope?

I'm am looking to get an Orion XT8, which goes for $350ish and looks like this:

http://www.scopereviews.com/xt8.jpg

Also, another cool item that I remember hearing about a few years ago, when they were in pre-production, is the "Galileoscope" (don't get mad, JQP, ;D ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileoscope

The Galileoscope did go for about $15 when they were taking pre-orders, but I hem-hawed around and now they are around $50.

Either way, I thought it was a bargain at the original price.

What 'scopes do GSUS stargazers and skywatchers use?

[StreetsOfGold]

I'ld love to find one that can guarantee a good look at the objects on the moon and I don't mean the lem or the golf cart (LOL), I mean the things left from the antediluvian civilization.

[iOWNme]

YAY!

I have been reserching telescops for the past couple months. Hopefully some members who are more knowledgable will chime in. But i seems you can get something pretty decent for less than $300 (5" Refractor). This would be for mostly moon viewing, and some other planetary viewing as well. The eye pieces seem to be pretty costly though.

How about a 16" Dobsonian?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u8zbdvFQIU

[Neuro]

I think the Dobson telescopes are a very good deal for those of us who don't want to deal with programming a computer and deal with batteries etc. to go out and watch stars. I bought a cheap Meade 5" reflector telescope a couple of years ago, with the Go to system, where in theory you calibrate the system to a couple of stars and then you can use the computer system to aim at what you want to see, and it stays put, as earth circulates. However it takes time and effort to do that. If I were to choose again I would get a Dobson type reflector, and just aim it at whatever I want to see. The first-scope (3") is excellent value I think. It is selling at around $35 right now at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001UQ6E4Y , and I would imagine you get a fairly good view of Saturn/Jupiter/Moon with it. Certainly better than what Gallileo got with his crude optics scope (which I believe was around a 2" refractor, enough to see the moons of Jupiter, despite the optics being of not very high quality).

[Gaillo]

Gonzo,
I think you've made an excellent choice.

I've been a telescope hobbiest for more years than I can remember... as I love optics of all sorts and have a particular fascination with the night sky.

I have a Taiwanese 8" newtonian reflector (with dobsonian mount) about the size of the one pictured in the OP, and a set of Televue Nagler and Panoptic eyepieces to go along with it. The scope, although mass-produced in Taiwan, has a SUPERB mirror. I paid $200 for the scope about 13 years ago (bought it from a friend who was upgrading to a 12") and shovelled a TON of money since then into the eyepieces and a pelican case to protect them. I'm very happy with my astronomical equipment decisions, the eyepieces are top-notch and I would not want a scope any larger (it becomes a PITA to transport and set up anything much larger than 8"). I also STRONGLY object to computerized tracking/location mounts on amateur scopes... takes all the REAL astronomy (knowing where things are and how to locate them) out of the equation. I occasionally wish I had computer tracking when viewing an object for longer durations with high magnification eyepieces, but the gentle "tap... tap... tap..." of my hand on the side of the scope as I manually track has become a comforting, second-nature part of the experience. Consequently, I really don't object to the lack of motor tracking very often or very strongly.

Whatever equipment you end up buying, remember: It's not so much about the equipment, but more about learning the sky and seeing the marvels that are up there! One of the best astronomers I ever met uses 10X binoculars and a 5" scope with low-end eyepieces, yet I always learned something new and saw wonders in the sky when we'd go stargazing together.


EDIT: Just wanted to let you know, my favorite three eyepieces that spend the most time in a scope of that size (8" newtonian, approx. 1,200mm Focal Length) are:

Wide Field: Televue Panoptic 24mm
Narrow: Televue Nagler (Type 6) 9mm and 13mm

Buy the 13mm size first, it's undoubtably my favorite all-around eyepiece, and the one that spends the most time in the scope. The 9mm is my "Glob Hunter" that I use mainly for viewing globular clusters, my personal favorite stellar objects. If I could only afford 2 high-end eyepieces (after all they ARE quite expensive), I'd most likely choose the 24mm Televue Panoptic and the 9mm Televue Nagler... just because I like Glob hunting so much! ;) I've also heard great things about the 10mm Televue Ethos (with a magnificent 100 Deg. field of view), but I've never personally looked through one. It could conceivably replace both the 9mm and 13mm with one eyepiece quite acceptably.

I rarely use my 7mm and smaller eyepieces, or anything larger than the 24mm Panoptic (I think the last time I even touched my 32mm was 2 years ago...) The best use I've found for super-high magnification (7mm and smaller) eyepieces is for lunar features observation, and I just don't do that very often.

I use all my eyepieces in conjunction with a Televue 2.5X powermate "doubler", when higher magnification is needed.

With the scope you're considering purchasing (1,200mm FL), the total-system optical magnifications calculated for each eyepiece work out as follows:

24mm - 50x
13mm - 92x
9mm - 133x
24mm W/2.5X Powermate - 125x (I just use the 9mm without "doubler" instead)
13mm W/2.5X Powermate - 230x
9mm W/2.5X Powermate - 333x

I use (and HIGHLY recommend) a Telrad laser reflex sight as my finder scope:

http://www.amazon.com/Telrad-Finder-Sight/dp/B0000ALKAN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8

If this is your first scope, or if you're just starting out, or if you just plain want to know more about amateur astronomy, then do yourself a favor and buy this book if you haven't already:

http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Astronomers-Guide-Terence-Dickinson/dp/1554073448/ref=pd_sim_p_1

One last thing... don't expect to see glorious color images through the scope like you do in magazines or on websites, you need a large scope combined with a long exposure camera or CCD imager for that.

[sirgonzo420]

Thanks for the replies so far!

I am still looking into getting an 8" (perhaps 10"...) Newtonian reflector with a Dobsonian mount, but I was wondering if anyone had any idea into the significant differences, if any, between Orion and Zhumell?

Zhumell telescopes are a bit less expensive than Orion... are they of lessor quality?

[EE_]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9fiJK2L-i4