My girlfriend likes to stargaze, and I thought it would be a good idea to buy her a telescope for Christmas. However, I know very little about commercially available telescopes. What are the price ranges for, say, bad/good/excellent telescopes? Where can I find good ones online? What models are good for what? Any information would be appreciated.
The only advice I can offer based on actual experience is that you will want a massive, rock steady mount for your scope. I picked up a used refracting telescope at a yard sale and trying to keep anything in the field of view with the entire scope quivering with every breath of wind was an exercise in futility.
I don’t recommend refractor scopes. Reflecting scopes are the way to go.
Have read here.
Whatever you do:
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Don’t buy a telescope from a department store. Find a local store if there is one, find one from a reputable brand online, anything but department store brands.
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The good quality ‘Big 3’ are Orion, Celestron, & Meade in that order or preference, IMHO. They have websites that should point you to local dealers.
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Don’t fall in love with stupid features like GoTo or a fancy mount. Save some money for accessories.
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Aperture is king, but make sure you can carry the damn thing!
Thanks everyone. I’m looking for a high quality telescope, suitable for a beginner (as in simple to operate, but not lacking in quality) and light enough for a twenty year old girl to carry around. I’m reading all those links, and looking at some Orion telescopes.
This guy recommends Orion’s Dobsonion telescopes, but I’m not sure how portable they are.
There are two aspects to portability: weight, and length/shape/bulk. Which are you most concerned about? Are there any special limitations you’re dealing with (such as a small car, or limited storage space)?
Dobsonians do have a long tube, but are not generally heavy. The tube on a 4 inch to 8 inch Dobsonian reflector is generally about 48 inches long, and will fit inside the trunk or across the back seat of an average car. The heaviest 8 inch Dob will weigh about 40 pounds (but remember, it breaks into two pieces for transport, the tube and the base, each of which weighs about half that). Any healthy 20 year old woman should easily be able to handle the size and weight of a small Dobsonian.
Note that dobs aren’t good for astrophotography, but they are the best light gathering / dollar scope out there, and are asy to operate.
I have an older model Orion 8" dob. With the back seat folded down it fit in a Geo Prizm.
Brian
What’s your budget? And do you have easy access to dark skies, or do you live in/near a city?
The only special limitation would be that it’s not too difficult to carry. She probably won’t go somewhere really far in the near future, although there is a park about 2.5 miles away that we may walk to.
My budget is $1200, but if there is a telescope that is drastically better at, say, $1500, then I’m willing to spend up to that. We live near a small town (50,000 people). There are some dark places near our university, but we will have to deal with some light pollution from the town and the university (which has only 3000 students).
It sounds to me you have enough money to buy a pretty nice telescope. Most folks who ask this kind of question are generally working with a couple hundred dollars which is much more problematic.
Having said that, IMO you are much better off NOT blowing that money for a gift right now. You could spend all that and get the totally WRONG thing. Or, you could spend that much and have just the right telescope that will serve you/her for a lifetime.
I’d suggest finding a good local astronomy club and join it and go to their meetings. Some subscriptions to Astronomy as well as Sky and Telescope magazines. A few classic books might be in order too. And maybe an IOU for some fixed amount to get a scope when you figure out what scope is the right one.
Yes, although I am a physics major, I am not even a beginner amateur astronomer and I am worried that I will order a bad telescope. The university has a small astronomy department; perhaps I shall ask around over there.
Yes, give the astronomy department a visit. Also check the internet for local astronomy clubs. Keep in mind there might also astronomy clubs fairly far from where you live that might on occasion have “stargazes/starparty” that are within driving distance for you.
Astronomy as a hobby isnt that difficult or expensive, but it is very much a hobby where having an old timer or two show you the ropes REALLY pays off.
Go to some meetings. And definitely go to a stargaze or two, preferably one held at a reasonably dark location. Somebody will most likely have a scope of the size/caliber you would eventually purchase. Then you can actually see what you’ll see when you know how to find objects in the sky and have a scope of your own.
If you want more bang for your buck and are somewhat handy/mechanically inclined, you can buy already made optics and build the other parts of the telescope yourself.
Here is an example of that. From pretty small to very big scopes.
What do you think about computerized telescopes, such as this one? Would a good planisphere make the computer irrelevant?
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True, but astrophotography is not something inexperienced people will be able to do well, if at all. I’ve been trying for years (but not too diligently) and have not come anywhere near mastering it. The OP is apparently talking about a rank amateur, who would have no hope of success at it, anyway, so getting a scope for that purpose would be pretty useless. The rest, I second.
When I bought my scope, $1500 was my budget. I put $500 into the scope itself, and the rest in various accessories. In your situation, I would split it 50/50, or even 70/30. I got a lot of specialized equipment totally unsuitable for what you will be doing, so you can get a better scope, instead of all the extras I bought. Use the second percentage for eyepieces of various focal lengths, get a nice star atlas, that kind of thing.
I hate to break it to you, but you still have to learn your way around the sky even if you buy a computerized telescope. Astronomy has an unavoidable learning curve. With the budget you’ve cited, you have the money for a decent (if smaller) motorized Go-To scope or a larger Dob with added electronic setting circles, but you’re still going to need to learn how to use a star atlas. (I recommend Sky Atlas 2000.0.) And Cheshire Human is right; you’re going to want to save some of your budget for other accessories (in addition to the star atlas). I’d recommend a zero-power finder (either a Telrad or a Rigel Quickfinder, whichever fits your scope best), a couple of additional eyepieces (and possibly a good Barlow lens), and maybe an observing chair, regardless of what scope you get.
(The 8" Orion Intelliscope Dobsonian telescope you linked to is a fine scope, by the way; I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to buy it, provided it meets your other needs - see below.)
See if there are any astronomy clubs in your area holding star parties in the near future. That’s the best way to get some actual hands-on experience with many different types of telescopes. If you’re really planning to walk to a park 2.5 miles away on a regular basis, you’re not going to want a Dobsonian; they’re just too bulky to carry that far. A small refractor or 4-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain would be a better choice in that case. On the other hand, if you’d be willing to drive to that park instead, the Dob would work out very well. (Plus, you’d have a car trunk to carry the accessories, and believe me, over time accessories breed! You’ll end up with more of them than you anticipate.) It all depends on where and how you’re going to be observing. You have to sacrifice size (and thus light-gathering power) for ultra-portability.
Definitely.
At no cost you can connect with a bunch of folks who’d like nothing better than to show you their preferred equipment and give advice to a newbie. Not everything you hear will be the true word, but you’ll be way ahead after even one evening.
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Seconded. Precisely the one I bought. Very useful…