Here are a few web pages with good information on beginner’s telescopes:
For more advanced information, read Phil Harrington’s Star Ware, 4th edition (Wiley).
You’ll get the greatest value for your money with a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount, such as these:
Buy from a store which specializes in telescopes and astronomy, either locally or online; don’t buy from department stores, discount stores or eBay as mostly what they sell is junk.
Most scopes come with a couple of eyepieces, but you will probably want to add a good Barlow lens (which doubles the magnification of each eyepiece) and possibly a wide field and a high power eyepiece. A good star atlas like the Sky & Telescope Pocket Star Atlas ($20) and a good guide book like Phil Harrington’s Star Watch (Wiley), plus a red flashlight are about all you really need.
Boatman1 Said,
Boy– good question — I assume your club has experienced members. If they do:
10 inch or 12 inch DOB — go ahead and get the object location computer– so less experience members can quickly find objects.
if you still have money then a refractor such as a Stellarvue 80/9d which you can find used on AstroMart, on a polar mount.
and if you still have money something like an LX200 8″ or 10″ or a similar Celestron SCT again buy used on all of these scopes-
Added up you should be able to find all of these for about $3000 US dollars used in very good shape.
Start with the DOB as your first purchase– say about $900 or less used…. check out a 10″ Orion Intelliscope— or a Zhumell
Brian Said,
Hi,
I just want to advise you never to get a Bushnell Northstar telescope, or any telescope Bushnell makes, for that matter. They may seem like a bargain (built-in computer and everything), but they are so difficult to set up and none of your settings are saved. I have yet to look at anything through my telescope.
n2s.astronomy Said,
Geoff has given you a few good suggestions. I would add that there is no ideal scope and that your best choice will depend upon your budget, conditions, objectives, and preferences. The cost of a good balanced telescope will be about 1/3 optical tube, 1/3 mounting system, and 1/3 eyepieces and accessories. It is counter productive to become overly fixated on just one piece of the system.
While the dobs and the newtonian have alot to offer, They are not the only choice out there. it would be well worth the investment for the members of your club to visit a few star parties, to gain first hand experience with some of the equipment.
If you can give us some idea of what your club would like to do, and the resources available to you, we will be able to give a far better response to your question.
Comments
Here are a few web pages with good information on beginner’s telescopes:
For more advanced information, read Phil Harrington’s Star Ware, 4th edition (Wiley).
You’ll get the greatest value for your money with a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount, such as these:
Buy from a store which specializes in telescopes and astronomy, either locally or online; don’t buy from department stores, discount stores or eBay as mostly what they sell is junk.
Most scopes come with a couple of eyepieces, but you will probably want to add a good Barlow lens (which doubles the magnification of each eyepiece) and possibly a wide field and a high power eyepiece. A good star atlas like the Sky & Telescope Pocket Star Atlas ($20) and a good guide book like Phil Harrington’s Star Watch (Wiley), plus a red flashlight are about all you really need.
Boy– good question — I assume your club has experienced members. If they do:
10 inch or 12 inch DOB — go ahead and get the object location computer– so less experience members can quickly find objects.
if you still have money then a refractor such as a Stellarvue 80/9d which you can find used on AstroMart, on a polar mount.
and if you still have money something like an LX200 8″ or 10″ or a similar Celestron SCT again buy used on all of these scopes-
Added up you should be able to find all of these for about $3000 US dollars used in very good shape.
Start with the DOB as your first purchase– say about $900 or less used…. check out a 10″ Orion Intelliscope— or a Zhumell
Hi,
I just want to advise you never to get a Bushnell Northstar telescope, or any telescope Bushnell makes, for that matter. They may seem like a bargain (built-in computer and everything), but they are so difficult to set up and none of your settings are saved. I have yet to look at anything through my telescope.
Geoff has given you a few good suggestions. I would add that there is no ideal scope and that your best choice will depend upon your budget, conditions, objectives, and preferences. The cost of a good balanced telescope will be about 1/3 optical tube, 1/3 mounting system, and 1/3 eyepieces and accessories. It is counter productive to become overly fixated on just one piece of the system.
While the dobs and the newtonian have alot to offer, They are not the only choice out there. it would be well worth the investment for the members of your club to visit a few star parties, to gain first hand experience with some of the equipment.
If you can give us some idea of what your club would like to do, and the resources available to you, we will be able to give a far better response to your question.