The first part, very true.
The second part, high power binoculars are useless by hand, too 'jittery'.
Entry level telescope
- Thread starter ACORN
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The first part, very true.
The second part, high power binoculars are useless by hand, too 'jittery'.
Hair Trigger
US Veteran
When you say "entry level" what is your budget? An equatorial mount worth having (meaning it is solid enough to support the scope and have smooth movement on the axes) will cost you at least $400-$500 by itself. If you want a "go-to" mount, one that is computer controlled and can find the object for you, they start at $750-$900.
Refractors come in several types; the singlet has a single lens at the front and is as basic as it gets. You get chromatic aberration with these, meaning a red and/or green halo or border. Light frequencies focus at different distances, so better scopes are doublets (achromatic) with two lenses up front and the best ones are triplets (apochromatic) with a three lens group to eliminate or at least minimize CA. If you buy a cheap scope, your image may not meet your expectations and it will end up unused in a closet. Best to buy a better one. Google local astronomy clubs and see if they offer public viewing nights, and go to one. Most clubs will have many telescopes and you can view through several different sizes and types to see what you'd like to have. Many clubs will also have something for sale, members trade, buy and sell stuff all the time and finding a nice used one will save you a lot of money.
You want something with enough aperture (diameter of objective lens) and focal length to allow for viewing the Moon and at least Jupiter and Saturn. It doesn't matter how much "magnification" you use, stars don't get bigger, but they do get brighter. Field of view gets smaller with magnification. Something in the f/7 to f/9 focal lengths will give sufficient object size, and I'd recommend at least 2.5" of aperture. Prices go up quickly with aperture or with a doublet or triplet scope.
Your best bet is to find a used system in good shape to get something worth having for a low (relative) price. Celestron and Skywatcher, Orion and Meade are all good brands with a wide range of products to choose from.
My two telescopes, an 8" Celestron Edge HD (a Schmidt-Cassegrain with two mirrors, the large one being 8" diameter). It has a focal length of 2000 mm and is f/10, great for small and distant objects. The other is a 81mm (3.2") apochromatic refractor, with a 478mm focal length and f/5.6. It is primarily used for astrophotography.
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SweetMK
Member
You need to try a pair of Canon Image Stabilization Binoculars
We live in an area that has LOTS of wildlife,, and we are constantly looking at the animals,,
I have never tried pointing them "UP",, maybe I will try that..
Look at something,, its a "blur",, then push the button,, instant stable image,,,
We have had them over a decade,, maybe closer to two decades,,
I have only changed the batteries a couple times,,
(A pair of AA,, we use lithium disposable)
OP
ACORN
Member
Not to beat the subject to death, but I found a Celestron 8SE locally that has a set of various Celestron eyepieces Barlows and filters along with a Celestron Power Tank for $600. I figure new it would be around $2K in total.
I'm because I don't know the seller and I'd hate to buy a $600 boat anchor. I don't even own a boat.
It seems to good to be true.
I'm because I don't know the seller and I'd hate to buy a $600 boat anchor. I don't even own a boat.
It seems to good to be true.
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That's a very good deal.... I wouldn't hesitate, as long as you can have a look through it and verify condition.
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Not to beat the subject to death, but I found a Celestron 8SE locally that has a set of various Celestron eyepieces Barlows and filters along with a Celestron Power Tank for $600. I figure new it would be around $2K in total.
I'm because I don't know the seller and I'd hate to buy a $600 boat anchor. I don't even own a boat.
It seems to good to be true.
I recently sold my Celestron Nexstar 8 with the tripod, mounts, eyepieces and attachments for $1,300 plus $400 shipping of three separate containers that I had "over packed" to protect. It all arrived in one piece and he buyer was thrilled. I had payed a lot more but since my son got married and moved, I never used it anymore. I offered it to him but he was busy being married - lol.
The telescope worked very very well, I never had any issues and especially in the beginning since it was a go-to telescope, we always were able to find what we wanted to view. A very good model IMO.
OP
ACORN
Member
I didn't get the 8SE. Seemed too good a price for what it was, plus I think a Dob. Would suit me better.
I went with the Sky Watcher GTi150p. A 150mm Dob. With a Go To mount.
The focuser is junky but it can be modded. Also it tracks, though I'm not sure how accurately. Folks have taken pretty nice EAA pics with them, if I decide to dabble in EAA.
I went with the Sky Watcher GTi150p. A 150mm Dob. With a Go To mount.
The focuser is junky but it can be modded. Also it tracks, though I'm not sure how accurately. Folks have taken pretty nice EAA pics with them, if I decide to dabble in EAA.
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Don't forget to give a report on it.
2ffat
Member
I have a pair of Nikon StabilEyes. It works great for Astronomy.
Ustabilized binoculars can be stabilized just like telescopes.
I'd look at Celestron. A good spotting scope can work too. I use a Nikkor 600mm f4 w/1.5x teleconverter and 14mm ultra wide angle lenses for astrophotography.
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ACORN, any report on the scope ?
OP
ACORN
Member
I got the Sky Watcher Virtuoso GTI150P. A 150mm goto.
Nice little scope, being it's a flex tube I can collapse the go to save space.
I found a duffle bag at WM that fits it pretty well. I keep it zipped up to keep any dust or creepy crawlies from getting in there.
I have had much chance to use it yet. Typical Pittsburgh weather. Lots of cloudy nights when I want to use it. I hope once the cold weather arrives the night skies will open up.
Nice little scope, being it's a flex tube I can collapse the go to save space.
I found a duffle bag at WM that fits it pretty well. I keep it zipped up to keep any dust or creepy crawlies from getting in there.
I have had much chance to use it yet. Typical Pittsburgh weather. Lots of cloudy nights when I want to use it. I hope once the cold weather arrives the night skies will open up.
YeshuaIsa53
Member
We are surrounded by wonders.
Or best virwing time is winter as we have less dust and smoke in the air...we have no real close light sources like we had in Md. ibought a Trashco scope way back when for the kids to see the sky with. Used it alot...No it's not great but works pretty well for objects that are more static in the sky. Most of the time I use my old spotting scope made many years ago by Bausch & Lomb. I have fixed 20 power spotter on a window mount for looking at the moon
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