Astronomy and stargazer friends, I'm looking for some recommendations on an entry level but good quality telescope. Now that I'm rural again I want to appreciate the lessened light pollution. Any thoughts are appreciated!
Timeline
Post
Remote status
Replies
16
@adequate what do you want to look at and how entry level are we talking? I’m not directly in touch with the telescope market but I do buy a lot of camera lenses and gun optics and glass has gotten insanely good for insanely cheap lately
@adequate also if you want to do wide field astronomy (looking at stars plural) you’re well off getting a nice camera and a star tracker, especially if you’ve already got a nice camera
No experience aside from looking through a telescope a few times. I'm not completely retarded IRL, only on the interwebs. I'm pretty good at figuring things out but I'd love for someone with experience to give me a starting point and some direction.
@adequate oh I more meant financially, for some people “entry level” is 1-200 dollars, for others it’s 1-2000
I don't want to spend a grand on what could be a passing fancy. But quality is definitely a factor when I research purchases I expect to exceed $100 US.
@adequate on the lower end, you can get toy store refractors (the telescope you think of when you think of telescopes) for insanely cheap and like I said prior the Chinese print these lenses by the millions now, if it’s just gonna sit in your closet and go outside to look at Jupiter they’re fine enough
A little bit more expensive and you can get a proper desktop reflector. For telescopes aperture is everything, if you want to zoom in and out you do that with the eyepiece so the aperture is the only “power scale” measurement available. Reddit recommends this guy at the beginner level (edit: sold out, new rec: https://www.skywatcherusa.com/products/heritage-150-tabletop-dobsonian
On the high end this guy will outperform your eyeballs for the foreseeable future so would be the last big thing you need to buy other than a tracking base if you wanted to do astronomy as a serious hobby https://www.highpointscientific.com/apertura-ad8-8-inch-dobsonian-telescope-ad8
A little bit more expensive and you can get a proper desktop reflector. For telescopes aperture is everything, if you want to zoom in and out you do that with the eyepiece so the aperture is the only “power scale” measurement available. Reddit recommends this guy at the beginner level (edit: sold out, new rec: https://www.skywatcherusa.com/products/heritage-150-tabletop-dobsonian
On the high end this guy will outperform your eyeballs for the foreseeable future so would be the last big thing you need to buy other than a tracking base if you wanted to do astronomy as a serious hobby https://www.highpointscientific.com/apertura-ad8-8-inch-dobsonian-telescope-ad8
@adequate @GrannyASBO don’t you have a telescope?
@adequate National geographic do decent cheap ones for beginners. Marketed at kids, but don't let that put you off. My youngest had one and the whole family enjoyed using it. Got it maybe 10 years ago or more, so can't promise the quality is still as good.
What is your budget range?
SVBony (SV503 or SV48p) 102mm (4") Achromat Refractor
SVBony Fringe Killer Filter
SVBony Red Line 3 Ocular Eyepiece Set
Sturdy (used) Aluminum Tripod with standard 3/8" screw thread.
SVBony Alt Az Mount
alternatively get the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTI Mount. This will give you motorized tracking and GoTo computer control from a phone or tablet app. There is some alignment necessary to get things going right with the GoTo function, but once you have good alignment, it's a dream.
the Alt Az mount is solid though. You just need to do more research to know what you are looking for and how to find it. Which may be a better option for learning the night sky. So maybe go this route first, then step up to the Sky Watcher GoTo Mount later.
SVBony (SV503 or SV48p) 102mm (4") Achromat Refractor
SVBony Fringe Killer Filter
SVBony Red Line 3 Ocular Eyepiece Set
Sturdy (used) Aluminum Tripod with standard 3/8" screw thread.
SVBony Alt Az Mount
alternatively get the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTI Mount. This will give you motorized tracking and GoTo computer control from a phone or tablet app. There is some alignment necessary to get things going right with the GoTo function, but once you have good alignment, it's a dream.
the Alt Az mount is solid though. You just need to do more research to know what you are looking for and how to find it. Which may be a better option for learning the night sky. So maybe go this route first, then step up to the Sky Watcher GoTo Mount later.
Alternative
Look for a used in excellent condition Orion XT8 8" Dobsonian on Facebook Marketplace. Then get the SVBony Red Line 3 Eypiece Set
https://youtu.be/E2Fq7ecjBvQ
Look for a used in excellent condition Orion XT8 8" Dobsonian on Facebook Marketplace. Then get the SVBony Red Line 3 Eypiece Set
https://youtu.be/E2Fq7ecjBvQ
if you find out let me know, we can gaze off the jalcony
![[empty]](https://i.poastcdn.org/7d/75/e3/7d75e3cb2ff364339ff3d49306988e361270bfc5e372375b2b24913eb125983e.png)
Honestly, If you want a telescope that will really last and will show you alot, I would avoid the cheaper entry level crap.
Everyone assumes entry level means low cost. Entry level to me means no experience. I'm not even considering cost when I use that term. I don't need all the bells and whistles because I don't know what I don't know yet. Maybe my vernacular is weird, idk.