Buying a Telescope

[sherlew99]

Here's some basic information on telescopes.




List of telescope types

Reflectors vs Refractors

[pickinduck]

OMG, I was just doing some math and if you just take a 70mm refractor telescope and add to its price the price of a few basic and maybe necessary accessories the price really skyrockets

[sherlew99]

Yeah, I would look to see if there are any good deals on telescope/equipment bundles out there online.

[pickinduck]

Can't find a bundle but did come up with a work around for the case.

[pickinduck]

Just pretend that you are sending for your telescope and try to add up your order? Try to find out the accessories you will need? Here are a few that I know of a barlow lens, a moon filter, a carry case.

[sherlew99]

Here is what I have so far:

A 90 mm Refracting Telescope, Eyepiece Camera & Amazing Kit of Accessories, which comes with a Barlow lens. I just added a moon filter.

[pickinduck]

That is a great bundle. Carrying bag and camera. It says AZ mount but in a few photos you can see a counter weight like an EQ mount has? It might have to do with the camera equipment connected to the telescope?
After doing some close studying I was able to get the price of the scope I was looking at way down.

[sherlew99]

Glad that you were able to find a better deal with the scope. I'm guessing that the counterweight is for the camera setup as well.

[sherlew99]

Astronomy Magazine Online



Buying a telescope

Buying a telescope is a big decision. Here are a few tips to get you started.

By Michael E. Bakich | Published: Thursday, July 01, 2004



Things to remember when buying a telescope

Do your homework
Read everything you can about telescopes. Include manufacturers' advertisements in your reading, and especially read telescope reviews. Don't move to the next step until you become familiar with all the terms used to evaluate telescopes. Astronomy magazine is a great resource for both ads and telescope reviews.

Magnifying power?
Avoid any telescope box that touts magnification. Claims of 500x for telescopes are meaningless, and here's why: All you need to do to change the magnification of a telescope is change the eyepiece. So, if a low-quality, high-power eyepiece is included with the telescope, high (albeit empty) magnifications can be achieved. Normally, you calculate a telescope's maximum useful magnification by multiplying the size of the lens or mirror in inches by 50. So, a 4-inch telescope can be used with eyepieces that provide up to about 200x. An 8-inch telescope's highest useful magnification is 400x, and so on. Take it from a long-time observer — you'll use low magnifications in your telescope far more often than high ones.

Click here for the rest of the article.

[sherlew99]

Here's some more excellent articles from the Amateur Astronomer's Notebook website.


Advice for First Time Telescope Buyers

Excellent "First" Telescopes

[pickinduck]

Maybe some of our posts from last night should be placed in this thread?

[pickinduck]

Apr 8, 2016 21:11:06 GMT -6 sherlew99 said:

Here is what I have so far:

A 90 mm Refracting Telescope, Eyepiece Camera & Amazing Kit of Accessories, which comes with a Barlow lens. I just added a moon filter.

This scope set up is for astrophotography and it comes with an AZ mount. I read several time that for astrophotography you need an EQ mount for good tracking. Is an AZ mount good enough to get by with?

[pickinduck]

I seen what seem to be light pollution filters. How do they work?

[sherlew99]

Apr 9, 2016 6:07:37 GMT -6 pickinduck said:

Apr 8, 2016 21:11:06 GMT -6 sherlew99 said:

Here is what I have so far:

A 90 mm Refracting Telescope, Eyepiece Camera & Amazing Kit of Accessories, which comes with a Barlow lens. I just added a moon filter.

This scope set up is for astrophotography and it comes with an AZ mount. I read several time that for astrophotography you need an EQ mount for good tracking. Is an AZ mount good enough to get by with?

I'll go take a look.

[sherlew99]

Apr 9, 2016 6:07:37 GMT -6 pickinduck said:

Apr 8, 2016 21:11:06 GMT -6 sherlew99 said:

Here is what I have so far:

A 90 mm Refracting Telescope, Eyepiece Camera & Amazing Kit of Accessories, which comes with a Barlow lens. I just added a moon filter.

This scope set up is for astrophotography and it comes with an AZ mount. I read several time that for astrophotography you need an EQ mount for good tracking. Is an AZ mount good enough to get by with?

Maybe not according to this article. I suspect that this is why there's a lower cost on this bundle.