What's a good telescope for newbies in stargazing?

Question

What's a good telescope for newbies in stargazing?

Answer 1

If you are just starting out then remember that the most popular telescopes for beginners are 2.4 inch (60mm) and 3.1 inch(80mm) refractors and 4.5 inch and 6 inch reflectors.



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I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Buy a good pair of binoculars, at least 7x50.



I have been into astronomy since I was a small kid and I only use 15x80 binoculars. Get them mounted and look at the Milky Way. Wow.



It takes a lot of skill to find things with a telescope. If you don't know your way around the sky, it will become a 5 minute wonder. You will never see anything like what you see in the astronomy magazines unless you buy big and get into astro-photography.



Binoculars show you a wide field of view which makes it easier to spot things. You will never get the magnification of a telescope, but that comes with a price - it is hard to find things and harder to keep them in view without an expensive star drive.



For comets - all the world's amateur comet hunters use binoculars.



When after a year or so with binoculars you know the sky like the back of your hand, then think about a telescope.

Answer 3

If you're just starting out, or planning to purchase a telescope for a budding young astronomer, you might want to consider a 2.4-inch or 3-inch refractor, or a 4-inch or 6-inch reflector. These small scopes are well suited for exploring the moon, spotting Saturn's rings, finding the pinpricks of otherwise invisible light that are Jupiter's moons. At the larger end of these small scopes, a viewer will get a modest glimpse of details in Jupiter's clouds and on the surface of Mars.



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Astronomy is so rewarding!

Answer 4

i recommend that you go to a reputable telescope store in your area and ask them what is the best and least expensive way to get started in stargazing i personally have a LX200 Meade Schmidt cassegrain but for a beginner a dobsonian or an inexpensive refractor are also good a desent telescope could run from $200.00 to $1,000.00 for a starter

Answer 5

The best value in a telescope is a small dobsonian, like the one in the link below. These are simple reflector telescopes on an altazimuth (tilt & swivel) mount. You'll also need to learn what's in the sky and how to find it. A book like "Turn Left at Orion" or "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide" will be a help. There are online resources like skytonight.com for finding moving targets like planets and comets. Also, for learning the sky, some simple star charts and hand-held binoculars are a great way to go.



Urban observing can be difficult, but people observe everywhere. At a minimum, turn off your outdoor lights find a spot where you're not directly lit up by streetlights or yardlights. If you can drive to a park or other dark spot out of town you will see a lot more.



If there's an astronomy club near you, go to their meetings. They may also have star parties where you can learn about telescopes and observing first hand.



Good luck and clear skies.

Answer 6

Since you're new to stargazing, I'd actually recommend you start with a good pair of binoculars and a good book about binocular astronomy. Also, see if there are any amateur astronomy groups in your area (there probably are). They have star "parties" every so often that are free and open to the public, and the folks there would love to talk to you about astronomy and let you look through their telescopes.



If you have your heart set on a telescope, I'd go with one of these:

http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp?pn=3002001&bhcd2=1156974123

http://www.telescopes.com/site_search/index.php?keywords=dobsonian&cat=17&brand=&display=&sort=&lp=&hp=

Answer 7

As an Astronomer I review lots n lots of telescope brands , sizes and equpment to help people .

If you want to get the best we here at my observatory reccomend is a 6 to 8 inch Dobsonian. They are the best!

8 inch would be the best choice for seeing Jupiter and everything ultra close up. It costs a bit more than the 6 inch size . Here is what it looks like in the link below .



Any more questions just email me [e-mail] .

I'm always happy to help people make the right choice & enjoy the adventures you & your telescope will start !



And if anyone tells you to just use binoculars, Just disregard it . Telescopes get closer and don't wobble when trying to see things in space .



When it comes to space, bigger is better .

Answer 8

Stargazing Telescope

Answer 9

I would avoid zoom binoculars. I've been quite disappointed with them. I don't expect 80 mm binoculars to support 125x magnification. They might, but i don't expect it. 125x80 binoculars should behave something like a 4.5" telescope - though with both eyes. The brain is pretty good at adding up the light from both eyes. You should be able to see planets except Pluto. 25x binoculars can't be hand held - you need a good sturdy tripod. Really, i can hand hold 8x tops. My bogen manfrotto photography tripod was about $250. I've seen good spotting scopes and binoculars on very cheap tripods. It's quite unfortunate. My personal direction was very small binoculars - don't laugh - they're 8x21, and a substantial telescope - a 10 inch (254 mm). The 8x21 binoculars fit in my pocket and were about $50. The telescope can be had for $700, which includes computer locator. I'm not expecting to see much detail in 8x21 binoculars. I just want to find stuff. I'm not worried that the 10 inch scope takes too long to set up - it's under 3 minutes. But another approach is to get some 10x50 binoculars at a local sporting goods store for $25. Save your receipt and promptly check for alignment. If they're good, then treat them like fragile glass artwork - which is what they are, and they'll last. You still need a tripod. There's an observing chair that swivels and holds your binoculars that you can build in the $50 range, or buy for around $200. It folds for transport. They're good to about 25x binoculars. Above that, your heartbeat jiggles the image.

Answer 10

Hi there... I've been fascinated with astronomy for a while now, and just moved to the arizona desert... beautifully dark night sky almost every night. I wanted to start with a telescope too, but after some research, decided to get a good pair of binoculars first. Since you do live in the city, if you get an elaborate telescope, you'll have to transport it outside of the city everytime you want to use it. You may need software to hook up your telescope to a computer if your having trouble locating interesting objects. These things may be intimidating to a beginner. I think you could join an astronomy club and meet some people, get some feedback about what types of telescopes they like, they could help show you how to use them and you could make a better informed decision. I started with Barska Gladiator binocs, 25x125-80, mounted ona camera tripod. They were $200, and I can see moons of Jupiter and Saturn's rings. And the moon looks amazing. I can also see Vega pulsating. I included a couple of links to space.com, which is one of my favorite astronomy websites, and also to the ebay store where I got my binoculars... happy stargazing!

Answer 11

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

What's a good telescope for newbies in stargazing?

I'm completely new to the game of astronomy of stargazing and would like to purchase a telescope. I looked everywhere and there's way too many selections and mechanical functions. I live in the city and the lights here are so saturated I wonder if it's worth buying. It would be my...

Answer 12

What's a good telescope for newbies in stargazing? The best place to buy cheap Telescopes online is at Amazon.com who have a massive collection to choose from at amazing prices from a website you can trust.



http://www.amazon.com/Telescopes/b?ie=UTF8&node=281063&tag=yah-toys-20



You will find nearly 1000 different telescope models at Amazon. You know you can trust them and their prices are are always amongst the lowest.



Amazon stock the three different types of telescopes, Catadioptric, Reflectors and Refractors across all the major brands such as Celestron, Tasco, Meade, Orion, Barska, iOptron and more.



http://www.amazon.com/Telescopes/b?ie=UTF8&node=281063&tag=yah-toys-20



If you are just starting out then remember that the most popular telescopes for beginners are 2.4 inch (60mm) and 3.1 inch(80mm) refractors and 4.5 inch and 6 inch reflectors.

Answer 13

If you live in the city your sort of out of luck. I would suggest buying a good pair of binoculars like Fujinon 16x70 FMT-SX. Drive somewhere where the skies are better and learn the constellations. Don't buy a cheap pair of binoculars with the center focus because they won't last long. You will probably find a good place to observe and by the time you get comfortable with the sky you should know enough to make the right decision with your next purchase.



On your next purchase I would advise something with an eight inch aperture. Aperture is the most important part of the telescope. The more light you can capture the clearer and brighter objects will be. Dobsonians are the best bang for the buck when you think aperture. If your interested in refractors I would start with a four inch. If you think you will be eventually interested in astrophotography you will need a clock drive and a wedge to track the sky's. You will also need all the astrophotography gear. Camera or CCD, T ring, Filters, Laptop computer, Tele extender, etc.



I have read articles where some folks have pretty good luck in the city with a four inch refractor. They say since the aperture is smaller your looking through and magnifying less pollution and water vapor. I've never lived in a city so I cant say.



Whatever you decide to buy it wont be long before aperture fever will bite and you will want a larger scope. Just remember the scope that will be used the most will be the one that is easiest to move and use.



One last thing, don’t scrimp on eye pieces. They are as important as the quality of scope you buy.

Answer 14

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Answer 15

Meade makes one for about $50 that's available at Wal-Mart. It's a good starting scope.



You can see the moon, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Ring Nebula, Pleadieds

Answer 16

Get a refractor from Meade. http://www.meade.com/



They make the best and they will last forever.

Answer 17

TASCO #591 is a STARTER MODEL

Answer 18

Whatever telescope is good for u buy it

Answer 19

Hubble.com

Answer 20

ever look through a telescope and seen the rings around uranus?

Answer 21

I use a kaliedascope. It makes everything so beautiful...

Answer 22

www.amazon.com