Telescopes

[Jeremy Ludin]

Ok, I have ZERO experience with telescopes, but I do know that I want one. What I am looking for is a backyard scope with something around 1000-1200mm focal length. Also, how can you get digital images through the scope? It just seems to me that the eyepiece would be entirely too small to push the lens up to. Like I said, I am brand new to this so if someone could point me in the right direction that'd be greatly appreciated. I'll worry about cost later on, I just need an idea of what I want. I have found many on ebay in that range of focal length, but they were almost all around $150. That just seems a little too "cheap". I'd imagine those weren't that great of quality, but I have no idea.

 

[John Erwin]

You will likely want to look at a "reflecting" telescope that uses a mirror for most of the magnification. Meade, Celestron and others make some really nice models and can be affordable. You can get a mounting ring that will accept some cameras for direct connection for photography, and there's also some manufacturer CCD solutions too although those tend to be very expensive.

 

[B Ozanne]

Whatever you do stay away from the cheapo refractors. Save up for a reflecting telescope and you'll be glad you did.

 

[Jeremy Ludin]

Whatever you do stay away from the cheapo refractors. Save up for a reflecting telescope and you'll be glad you did.

Duly noted! Thanks for the help guys. I'm going to see what I can find on Ebay. It just really bothers me that some of these are so cheap ($150). I know you definitely get what you pay for in this field. I don't necessarily need something with optimum quality but I do want good results. Those prices just seem to be "too good to be true."

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Try astromart.com ... I've bought several used scopes from people that have been awesome.

Remember that aperature - not magnification - is everything. The more light you let in, the more light reaches your eye and the better the image will be.

I had good success experimenting with astrophotography with an Orion Shorttube 80 refractor on a motor mount. For photography, a motor mount is a necessity. And you have to be able to screw your camera body onto the scope.

By the way - big ditto on staying away from Wal-Mart telescopes. They're not even in the same ballpark. A good telescope will hold its value and is an investment. Some of them hardly devalue at all. My favorite scope ever was a Dobsonian mount Coulter Odyssey that was made in the 80's (when Coulter still had good optics). It had a 13.1" mirror and I could resolve down to a bolt on a hubcap sitting on a car about three blocks from my house.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

It all depends on your price range, and what you want from a telescope. I work at the college observatory here in Albuquerque and after being the "operator" for the public observing nights, I can say I will not buy a telescope that doesn’t track and align. A telescope having these two functions makes observing much easier and thus allot more fun. However, that does up the price. The telescope I run at the observatory is a Meade, personally though I’m looking at getting a celestron. For me I’m likely going to purchase the NexStar 8 SE, I would likely suggest for you a NexStar 4 SE. Although a friend of mine who is really into amateur astronomy might suggest something else though. If tracking isn’t a concern I would likely still suggest a Cassegrain, Dobsonian, or Newtonian telescope of some kind. Most of all though, do not get suckered into buying something with something like 1000X magnification plastered over the package. A telescope besides offering some magnification is really a light “bucket”. Most objects cover a relatively large area of the sky(ex. M31) and don’t require high magnification, but they are also likely faint and thus you want something with allot of collecting area. Thus stick with telescopes with a larger diameter for the primary mirror. Also, if you want to do astrophotography that’s something that does require tracking and that’s whole other story. That should start you off for now in a perhaps better direction if you have any questions feel free to ask.

P.S. I like a telescope that has the ability to tell me it's RA and DEC that way I don't go "fishing" for some faint object in the sky for hours.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

P.S. I like a telescope that has the ability to tell me it's RA and DEC that way I don't go "fishing" for some faint object in the sky for hours.

I might take this over a telescope with auto-drives that will locate the object for you. But there's still something to say for at least learning how to jump stars to find deep sky objects at first anyway. Just seems like that's half the fun of astronomy - the thrill of the hunt. After a few years of this (or less), it can get old though, and a person is ready to just find the dang Messier object and get on with life.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

I might take this over a telescope with auto-drives that will locate the object for you. But there's still something to say for at least learning how to jump stars to find deep sky objects at first anyway. Just seems like that's half the fun of astronomy - the thrill of the hunt. After a few years of this (or less), it can get old though, and a person is ready to just find the dang Messier object and get on with life.

I agree that the auto-drives are not a requirement, but I would want a telescope that would at least tell me RA and DEC. If you still want that "experience" of star hoping then just turn the electronics off for a night. I guess it's kind of like storm chasing. If you could just see a storm outside your doorstep would you take that over the thrill of chasing? I guess it would depend on what you really want out of such an activity. Either way, I bet you're likely going to just want to see that darn messier object after a while, just like after several days of chasing you going to want to see a decent storm.

 

[Tim Samaras]

Guess I'm a big weenie...

I absolutely love the auto-point (GOTO) feature! I put my Meade 12" LX200GPS on the driveway...plug it in...and turn it on. It wakes up, finds out the time, location, decides if its level, finds true north, then points to a certain star and asks if its in the viewfinder. Then, it goes to another star, asks the same thing. Then..the fun begins! Just punch up what you want to look at (i.e. Saturn, horsehead nebula, crab nebula, etc..), hit GOTO, and a few minutes its in your viewfinder. I love it. Sorry this is slipping WAAAY off topic. Probably better suited for the 'bar..

Tim

 

[Mike Peregrine]

... my Meade 12" LX200GPS ...

There you go ... trying to instigate some serious aperature envy. Now you're just trying to stir something up.

How about hauling that baby out on the plains with you sometime this year? - Don't know if that and a few turtles can fit in the back of the same minivan, but I'd love to meet up in the middle of Kansas (west of the dryline) and take a look through that little number (j/k of course). I bet you do get spectacular views up in the mountains. Very nice -

 

[Robert Edmonds]

Way to go on spurring telescope envy. I would brag about the 14" LX200 I use at campus, except for the fact were in the middle of Albuquerque with it. Darn Tim you have all the neat toys.

P.S. On a side note Tim, I saw you on the EMRTC video in Socorro.

 

[Jeremy Ludin]

Wow, I suppose I have more than enough info now lol. I'll definitely do some checking. I'm always leary about diving into something like this though.

Tim, did a quick search for that telescope on ebay and found nothing. I'm sure that's way out of my price range anyway!

 

[Robert Edmonds]

Wow, I suppose I have more than enough info now lol. I'll definitely do some checking. I'm always leary about diving into something like this though.

Tim, did a quick search for that telescope on ebay and found nothing. I'm sure that's way out of my price range anyway!

The Meade LX200 12" is only $4,699.

 

[Jeremy Ludin]

The Meade LX200 12" is only $4,699.

............................

Moving on.....

 

[Tim Samaras]

Mike, you wrote:

Now you're just trying to stir something up.

I stir all kinds of 'things' up with th' boss at home.

Its a great telescope, but very big-right on the edge of not being very portable. It's likely that it won't be joining me in the field, but I gotta tell ya...some of the dark skies we as chasers come across...is simply astounding. Who can ask for anything more when the dying storm you've given up for the evening retreats to the east blasting out incredible lighting, under an ink black sky?

Talk about aperature envy...

The system that I lust after is the 20" RCOS open truss system with a Paramount ME. THAT is aperature envy.

Oh, if you keep a sharp eye on Ebay, you can get a good deal...its where I got mine.

Robert, you wrote:

P.S. On a side note Tim, I saw you on the EMRTC video in Socorro.

Ah...beautiful Socorro. I've spent close to 30 years trampling all over that mountain top blowing stuff up as a visitor. Can't stand those stupid knats during April/May, though.

New Mexico Tech (NMT) is a terrific facility, and I always enjoy working down there. NMT also has their triggered lightning facility up in the Magnalena mountains. How cool is that?

I've had my share of time in ABQ doing similar activities at Kirkland AFB. Any ham or electro-nerd would get excited as a teenager on the first date driving past their old EMP facility. Definately does it for me.

WSMR is another place thats fun to work. We were working within a mile or so next to the original Trinity site (first above-ground nuke). Actually found a piece of 'Trinitite'.

New Mexico is a fantastic place to live-I turn into a helpless pile of drool when somebody places a bowl of hot green chili and tortillas in my face...

Tim