Is this a good telescope?

[soulcougher73]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

I dont know if this is the cheapest price on this particular model, but its $100 more than the standard one on Amazon, but looks like it comes with some decent extra opticals that may come in handy over the standard one. Im a telescope noob, but id like a decent one i can put on my deck and watch the night sky now and again.

 

[norseamd]

Looks nice. I need to get a Dobsonian telescope sometime.

 

[pontifex]

yes, Orion is a good brand. I have an Intelliscope 8. I haven't used it much or in a long time either.

 

[Arcadio]

It is an excellent telescope. I got a similar model:

 

[JulesMaximus]

Your biggest problem with that is going to be tracking I would think.

 

[alkemyst]

The XT8 is a great choice. Still portable if you need to move it in a car. Going to an XT10 usually requires a minivan and a helper.

 

[norseamd]

What other telescope brands besides Orion are good?

 

[alkemyst]

Orion and Zhumell usually are the two main players in the Dobsonian line ups.

 

[alkemyst]

Also if Orion is your preference, I'd go directly to www.telescope.com and order. They usually match Amazon's pricing, ship free and have excellent customer service/support.

motorized tracking may be something you want to consider as well.

I was looking at a XT8 vs XT10 about a couple years ago for my ex-wife that had an interest. I started her with a tripod and a nice pair of binoculars and it turned out she couldn't stand the bugs and stuff at night

 

[Brian Stirling]

But, as Jules indicated, you will have to track manually and that gets old fast. Still, a fast scope as many Dobs are can snag fairly hard to see things pretty quickly though most newbies will probably spend 90% of the time looking at the area around Orion (the constellation).

And, as with all good optics, bring money -- lots of it!


Brian

 

[Bashbelly]

Go big or go home imo.

http://www.webstertelescopes.com/32_inch_f36_telescope.htm

 

[pontifex]

got my Orion dob out out of my parent's house tonight. I haven't used this thing in at least 6 years. Even though the dust cover was on, there's still dust and dirt on the primary lens. need to figure out how to safely clean that.

 

[SKORPI0]

Go big or go home imo.

http://www.webstertelescopes.com/32_inch_f36_telescope.htm

short assembling video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ1vmM-P6ks - $27,199.
review - http://www.astromart.com/articles/article.asp?article_id=816

 

[nettrader]

It is good. I have a cheaper one: Celestron PowerSeeker 50AZ

 

[mizzou]

from purchasing experience....it's almost like for the small consumer you purchase these things either at the budget level (sub $200) or huge (over $500/1000 ?)

Anything in between will likely not give you the benefit of either end. Also, the higher the power, the more you will need some kind of motorized tracking device.

I don't know anything about the higher end models, but Orion has been a good brand for me

 

[Brovane]

short assembling video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ1vmM-P6ks - $27,199.
review - http://www.astromart.com/articles/article.asp?article_id=816

Sounds like in the review the guy had to go through a lot of trouble to get a $30k telescope to work correctly because of quality issues from the manufacturer. After that much money I would have been really pissed.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Going to echo the tracking especially with an 8". I had a 10" dobsonian and it got tired fast. At the size it takes seconds for something to slip out if the field of view.

That being said you won't find a computer controlled one new.

 

[Leros]

Buy used. A lot of people buy telescopes, use them twice, and sell them on Craigslist. I'd buy used until you're sure you're not going to do the same thing. I'd you don't use it enough, you can sell it for the same price you bought it for.

 

[JMapleton]

"Good" telescope is an impossible question to answer.

For a beginner who doesn't mind looking for objects in the sky without the aid of a computer, it's a great telescope.

If you're the type to get frustrated after 5 minutes, don't waste your money on telescopes in general.

 

[JMapleton]

Go big or go home imo.

http://www.webstertelescopes.com/32_inch_f36_telescope.htm

32 inches, is that all?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-builds-worlds-largest-amateur-telescope.html

 

[SKORPI0]

32 inches, is that all?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-builds-worlds-largest-amateur-telescope.html

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/08/worlds-largest-backyard-telescope/
http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/408692-mike-clements-70-inch-reflector/
http://jaysastronomyobservingblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/mike-clements-70-inch-reflector.html

 

[phucheneh]

That kind of size surely gathers a lot of light, but it seems like magnification would be a problem. Without both, I don't see the point of such an uber telescope?

By a 'problem,' I mean that given it's length and weight on what seem like rather shoddy bases, I would guess that the picture at a given magnification isn't even as stable as that of a much, much, much cheaper telescope...