inexpensive telescope for a beginner

[shimsham]

anyone here into astronomy? im looking for a decent cheap scope that will give adequate performance. i currently have a cheapo 2.4" meade refractor i picked up from wally world to fool around with and see me and the children had enough interest to get into it, and its been great fun. now im looking for something a bit better for around 2-300 bones.

ive been browsing first-telescope.com and this one
seems to be ideal for what im looking for. i know im not going to see things as they appear in the magazines, nor am i ready to take on astrophotography, but i would like something with a larger aperture to gain more detail for nebulae and such. for the price and features, this one seems to be a good start.


anyone have any suggestions, tips, or other sites to check out?

 

[frankie38]

nebalue, quasars, black holes, dark matter....i think that there are some telescopes in Hawaii that can help you.

Else, in your price range you will get a nice view into a neighbors house.

 

[Carazariah]

Originally posted by: shimsham
anyone here into astronomy? im looking for a decent cheap scope that will give adequate performance. i currently have a cheapo 2.4" meade refractor i picked up from wally world to fool around with and see me and the children had enough interest to get into it, and its been great fun. now im looking for something a bit better for around 2-300 bones.

ive been browsing first-telescope.com and this one
seems to be ideal for what im looking for. i know im not going to see things as they appear in the magazines, nor am i ready to take on astrophotography, but i would like something with a larger aperture to gain more detail for nebulae and such. for the price and features, this one seems to be a good start.

anyone have any suggestions, tips, or other sites to check out?

Hi Shimsham,
You picked a pretty good all around, if not a little small in diameter, but the price is great. It really depends on what you like to look at, planetary or deep sky objects.

In general a small / refractor is good for planetary viewing and also viewing the sun with the right filter/reflector setup. It is also well suited for viewing the moon and you neighbor )) j/k

The larger the diameter the mirror is the more light you can collect and the dimmer objects you can see.

The most inexpensive scopes you can by with the largest apeture mirrors are going to be dobsonian mounted. The Equitorial mounted reflector you linked to is a pretty good deal for the price and should give you better views than smaller apeture refractors.

Not a bad first scope guide

Guide from Astronomy Magazine

Good luck and may you have dark clear nights!
C

 

[shimsham]

thanks Carazariah. im looking for a good blend of planetary and deep sky, so a reflector seems to be the best bet in my price range. i really cant come to grips with spending the big bucks on a scope just yet, but i "need" something better than the small one i have now. though i have to say, im impressed with the small refractor i have now. i can see the 2 major belts of jupiter and the four major moons, which is way more than i expected. but mars, venus, nebulae, and galaxies leave a lot to be desired. ive also had a good time viewing some globular and open clusters, but id like to get a better view, and hopefully make out some detail in galaxies such as andromeda. i figure for the price and features, i cant really go wrong with the scope i linked to for the price. ill check out those links.

thanks again:beer:

anyone else have any suggestions?

 

[shimsham]

great links Carazariah. most info i knew, but some new stuff too.

bump for more opinions.

 

[thehstrybean]

Same boat as you bump...

 

[ErmanC]

Is building a decent setup out of the question? I remember back in highschool I went to a summer school camp where they had made one kinda out of plywood and stuff that seemed pretty good. It was like 12" in diameter or something. It's been a while though so my memory could fail me.

Am I out of it, or is that something that's doable? I'd like to know too, because it would make a cool project.

EDIT - Found this... Build Your Own Dobsonian Telescope

Any thoughts?