Any celestrial telescope users?

[44man]

Carol wants one but like a gun, I told her not to go too cheap or the money is wasted.
There is still a limit on cost.
I would like some opinions if anyone uses one.

[HarryT]

Opticsplanet.com or craigslist. If she's not familiar with astronomy, there's lots of youtube videos that will be helpful. If you will just be spying on your neighbors...

[44man]

Opticsplanet.com or craigslist. If she's not familiar with astronomy, there's lots of youtube videos that will be helpful. If you will just be spying on your neighbors...
Thanks, no neighbors so most are old and ugly anyway. No dancing girls!
I keep telling her looking at stars just shows a larger dot. My spotting scope has a good picture of the moon.

[shooter2]

Carol wants one but like a gun, I told her not to go too cheap or the money is wasted.
There is still a limit on cost.
I would like some opinions if anyone uses one..

Like everything in life, cheap usually is not good. For star gazing bigger is better. You want to gather light and more is better. Bigger lenses=more $$.

Not knowing where you live I would suggest finding a school, club, or a local with some experience and pick their brains.

If help is lacking I would suggest buying a couple books and studying. Get a star chart. A simple Dobsonian may be a good start. It's all manual, but you can get a larger lens for fewer $$.

my grandfather made his own 8" Newtonian which included hand grinding a lens. I have many fond memories of those times.

[edler7]

Have used telescopes for almost 40 years and helped many beginners. Shooter2 is correct, the more light you gather, the more objects you can see. For a beginner I would suggest a 6 or 8 inch dobsonian telescope. They don't require alignment with the sky, just point and look. The down side is the user has to learn the sky to find objects.

Orion optics makes a good line of beginner dobsonians. The come with a finder scope, a low
power eyepiece, a Barlow lens (which turns the low power eyepiece into a medium power eyepiece) and other goodies for just over $400 for the 8" and just over $300 for the 6". Add another medium power eyepiece (that the Barlow will turn into a high power eyepiece) and you are pretty much set. I have used both, and they are good scopes. You can look at them at telescope.com

This hobby is every bit as bewildering to a beginner as casting boolits is... shoot me
a pm if you have questions. As you know, it's always easier to talk to somebody who's been down the road before you.

I still enjoy getting my scope out and looking into God's jewelry box on a clear night.

[ascast]

My limited experience, an 8" mirror will let you see that the planets are in fact round spheres with rings and you can also see larger ground features on the moon and Mars IIRC. This same rig will let you count needles on a Scotch or Red pine tree branch about 1600 yards out. You will want a one knob tracking system on the elliptical:i.e. one knob turn will keep the moon in the field of view.
mine is broke (why I got it free) and two knobs to track gets old. Ask around and school up before spending. Mine has a camera screw attachment. This can be used to photo wild life at crazy distances.
It will NOT work as a spotting scope as the field of view is too small. But checking for keyholing bullets at 1,000yds is do-able but terdious.

[johnson1942]

come to cherry county nebraska, and see the stars like never before. 4000 ft high and no lights too block your vision. the average ranch size is 100,000 acres and very very few towns. many many go to cherry county to look at the heavens.

[Kraschenbirn]

I've owned and used several 'scopes...from an 60mm refractor to an 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain...and agree that a 6" 'Dob' might be a pretty good choice for a serious beginner but she's going to need to obtain a decent set of sky charts, become familiar with the major constellations, and learn to 'star-op' to view deep-space objects such as nebula, star clusters, and double/triple stars. Also might want to look at something like a 5" (127mm) Newtonian reflector on a basic alt-azimuth mount.

Dunno where you're located but check around your area for an astronomy club or astronomical society...I've never encountered one that wasn't willing to lend a hand to a newbie and they can also be a source for good used equipment. Also, you might look for a 'Star Party'...an organized event where amateurs gather to show off their gear and stay up all night sharing their viewing...in your vicinity. There's always a swap and sell area where you can find stuff like eye-pieces, filters, charts, books, etc. Drop me a PM and I'll put together a few links where you might find more info.

Bill

[waarp8nt]

I bought the family a Telescope one year for Christmas. I was worried the telescope would be a passing fancy so I got model that doesn't invert what your trying to see and that way it doubles as a spotting scope for me at the range. We used the telescope for what it was intended quite often one summer, but the years after it just set in the corner because the kids sports and homework came first. It has a motor to follow the rotation of the earth, which is nice, but we really don't use it and I'm not sure it was worth the extra expense. A moon filter is a must and well worth the money as the telescope intensifies the light making it difficult if not impossible to look at for an extended period of time. To be honest, for looking at the stars, I find myself using my 10 power binoculars more often than the telescope. Its handy, easy to get out, no set up, plus it can be passed back and forth among users and friends.

[andremajic]

I'll second finding an astronomy group or club in your area. Not only are they very friendly to newbies, but they're also proud of their gear and always willing to share. I'd try before buying and with enough people showing you their equipment, you'll get a very good idea what is good/not so good equipment to have.

Also, a lot of people into astronomy usually have multiple telescopes and you'll probably be able to get a nice one for much less than elsewhere.
If you get a nice scope, but have a poor tripod, look into getting a surveying tripod to mount your scope. They are build rock solid and overbuilt compared to most commercially available tripods.

[MaryB]

As mentioned the Orion DOB's are okay https://youtu.be/LEY2bOFVM-o?t=5m38s

I had a Zhumell Z10 before it got to heavy for my bad back, nice scope with a few more features than the Orion DOB's https://www.telescopesplus.com/collections/telescopes?tags=Zhumell

And Astronomics is a good choice with good people to help yo pick a first time scope https://www.astronomics.com/ they also have an awesome showroom in Norman OK where you can hands on the scopes they stock.

Short video of my observatory roof opening http://vid226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Observatory%20pics/roofopening1.mp4

Roof open all the way
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Observatory%20pics/observatory-updates-002.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Observatory%20pics/scope-installed-001.jpg

I have gone to a smaller and lighter guide scope now so the top scope and rings are gone

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Observatory%20pics/scope-installed-006.jpg

Taking a series of pictures of an object that then get stacked to produce the final image
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Observatory%20pics/desk-at-night.jpg

Taken from my observatory, Orion Nebula. This is a stack of 30 three minute images combined to bring up details. Stars are a little egg shaped, I was having tracking issues...

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Astronomy%20pictures/M42.jpg

[Artful]

Nice setup Mary, I get by using my Celestron C90 as both my spotting scope and my telescope plus my telephoto lens on my 35mm - You can do pretty well with just a lounge chair and good binoculars.

I suggest you read thru some of these links
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/types-of-telescopes/

http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html

http://www.toptenreviews.com/home/science/best-telescopes-for-beginners/

http://www.space.com/31229-best-beginner-telescopes.html

http://www.space.com/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html

See if you can find some used sky and telescope magazine at the local library and try and
locate a sky party (check with local college & universities) or visit planetariums/observatories.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Carol wants one but like a gun, I told her not to go too cheap or the money is wasted.
There is still a limit on cost.
I would like some opinions if anyone uses one.

You've had good advice to suit various levels of cost and commitment. A point to remember is that about all serious astronomical telescopes use front-silvered concave mirrors rather than lenses, and give an inverted image. The reason is that passing through glass (whether an objective lens or the erecting eyepieces you can buy) produces some loss and dispersion of light. Likewise an eyepiece which is at an angle to the main tube is a convenience for astronomical purposes, but straight-line view is more natural for pointing it at targets, game or chastely-clad visiting granddaughters.

A club or even a non profit-trading website is useful (commerce being a corrupter), or even a book from the library. Going straight to Craigslist might work out, just like buying a puppy in a petshop can, but in general it would be a mistake. Even eBay gives you far better illustration, and sellers who are pinning their commercial lives on their descriptions. Even if you will never buy there, it is a good way of exploring what is available.

There is a law of diminishing returns in astronomical telescopes, for the amateur who just wants to see something beautiful. My British army draw-tube MkVI Signals and General Service which I bought in Bombay, brass and innocent of all lens coating, shows up the moon so well I could hardly get my 88-year-old German mother-in-law away from it. (Like an old gun, it makes you wish you could see all it has seen, and you very nearly can.) A converter eyepiece for my 1975 Pentax telephoto lens shows exactly the same moon, but with less of a halo in the surrounding blackness. It takes a lot more money to make much of the stars, but the moon will last me the next few lifetimes.

[marlin39a]

I'm 4600 ft high with no light pollution. Great skies. 2 yrs ago I bought an Orion XT8 package from www. Telescope.com . It's a hefty dobsonian scope, and a bit work to move. However, I love the optics. First object I viewed was Jupiter and its moons. Check out the website. Plenty of information for you.

[shooter2]

MaryB, that is a beautiful setup. I think you are far beyond a casual stargazer and well into the semi-pro league.

However, for a beginner I still lean towards a nice Dobsonian and a star chart. From there, the sky's the limit.

[44man]

MaryB amazes me.

[castalott]

A friend had something on his laptop... with the screen open you pointed it at the sky and the objects came up on the screen and were id'ed. Amazing!

[jonp]

MaryB amazes me.

No lie

[jmort]

"MaryB amazes me."

+2

[Kraschenbirn]

'Bout 25 years ago I built my own small observatory but Mary B's set-up makes what I had look downright shabby. Hers reminds me of what they've had at Star Hill (resort for amateur astronomers in New Mexico) last time I was there.

Bill

[MaryB]

The top scope isn't for spotting, it is a guide scope that sends corrections to the mount...


Nice setup Mary, I get by using my Celestron C90 as both my spotting scope and my telescope plus my telephoto lens on my 35mm - You can do pretty well with just a lounge chair and good binoculars.

I suggest you read thru some of these links
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/types-of-telescopes/

http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html

http://www.toptenreviews.com/home/science/best-telescopes-for-beginners/

http://www.space.com/31229-best-beginner-telescopes.html

http://www.space.com/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html

See if you can find some used sky and telescope magazine at the local library and try and
locate a sky party (check with local college & universities) or visit planetariums/observatories.

[MaryB]

It took me an entire summer to build that observatory. I started with a prebuilt shed that was dropped over the top of the concrete pad for the telescope pier. The moving roof sections are aluminum framed for less weight on the actuators so I can open it wider. I did a wee bit of engineering on that roof to get it to work the way I wanted. The pier isn't welded, if I change mounts I can either buy a longer tube section or I can shorten what I have. The top/bottom plates are holding it in compression with 6' of threaded rod. This is it mocked up in my living room

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Observatory%20pics/pier.jpg

with the addition of some spray foam and foam pipe covers on the threaded rod it is very stiff and vibration free.

[Kraschenbirn]

Is your mount tube aluminum or steel? When I had my backyard observatory, I initially tried welded steel (without compression rods) and found it was vibration-prone. Ended up pouring a steel-reinforced 10" diameter concrete column.

Bill

[MaryB]

1/2 inch wall aluminum(don't ask what that 6' section cost me!!!) 8 inches diameter. The spray foam inside damps it plus the foam pipe wrap on the rods disrupts vibrations. The top is torqued to 150 foot pounds so things are very much in compression! The top plate actually had a 1/4 inch gap to the threaded coupling nuts when first assembled. That gap is gone form torquing it tight.

[ol skool]

"MaryB amazes me."

+2



+3

Start smart, get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dphoto&field-keywords=Orion+4150+DeepMap+600+Folding+Star+Chart

Deep Space 600, easiest to use star chart I've found. I've given away a pile of them to folks to get started.

Binoculars work fine for all the Messier Objects or you can use your spotting scope to fine them too. Lots of galaxies and nebula along with star clusters in this bag of goodies. Star-hopping is a skill but easily learned. All you have to do it find bright stars, estimate were the "M" object is between these bright stars and hunt around a little for it. When you find them they usually bang you in the forehead! "There it is!"

The best thing about this is it makes you learn the night sky and the constellations on the cheap. The nuts and bolts are free, learn those first. Once your get the constellations down you can find anything.

THEN if you need to go deeper get a 8" f/6 Dobson telescope and a handful of eyepieces can bring a lifetime of exploring the night sky.

My wife and I logged Stephens Quintet in a Tak Sky90 from the Eastside of Oregon more than once. You don't need big glass to be amazed!

For binos anything will work 7x35's, 10x50's whatever you have. Best to figure out how to make them stable though. I mount mine on a monopod with a tripod mount in the front socket. Or just lay back in a chair while looking. The jiggling will drive you nuts if you don't. You'll need a red bezel on a flashlight to look at the star map so you don't ruin your dark adapted eyes.

[44man]

If you want to be amazed, look at the night sky with night vision.

[Plate plinker]

If you want to be amazed, look at the night sky with night vision.


Ditto that is fun.

Mary that is too cool.

[big bore 99]

Nice pictures Mary. You really are a pro. My daughters got me one for Christmas years ago and only tried it once or twice. This thread is giving me the itch to try it out again. I'm at a high altitude here with no city lights so might be OK.