Good telescope on a budget?

[zeroooooooooooo]

I know next to nothing about telescopes, and I would like to get my dad for his birthday, which is coming up soon.

What are your suggestions in the price range of ~$200-250? Pros and cons of different models would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[parejkoj]

For that budget, I always recommend either a good pair of binoculars (does he have some? if not, definitely go this route!), or the Edmund Scientific Astroscan. The astroscan is about the cheapest, not-crappy telescope there is. Whatever you do, don't buy a "department store telescope" that is sold by how much magnification it has. They are not worth it.

You might want to check out the Cloudy Nights reviews and forum as well. This question has been asked many times there, and there should be plenty of answers. Also, on the webpage that this blog is attached to, Bad Astronomy, there is a FAQ about buying a telescope that might help you.

But, as I said above, a good pair of binoculars (probably 7x35 or 8x50: that debate rages ever on...) are definitely the top choice, if he doesn't yet have any. They can be used for bird watching and other things, and are the quickest way to learn one's way around the sky, which is important before moving on to more expensive telescope.

[Starchild615]

Hi Zerooooooo

Parej is right , binoculars do fair well for this.

When I started Astronomy I bought myself a Celestron 80MM Scope which I Picked up for 200.00, honestly, it served me well when I started out, I have since moved on to a much larger scope. But my other scope was great for a beginner.

Heres where you can find one
good luck, what a GREAT present your father will receive, I think you are very thougthful.

Also try the Celestron AstroMaster 114 EQ Reflector Telescope, this is on an Equatorial Mount and is on sale for 149.99
http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes...qreflector.cfm


http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes...ttelescope.cfm

[Trantor]

Yeah, I agree that binoculars would be the best choice to begin learning about the sky. Cloudy Nights is a good place for good binocular advice. For $200 to $250, you can get a pretty good pair these days. Check out the Oberwerk binoculars over at Bigbinoculars.com. Oberwerk has a variety of good quality binoculars at a fair price. I would not recommend that you start out with one of the giant binoculars, as these need a heavy duty tripod and have a smaller field of view compared to a mid sized pair. I think that a good quality 10x60 would be an excellent starting point, and they would be great for terrestrial viewing as well.

[aurora]

I see that Orion now has a 6 inch version of their Star Blast for $250.

A 6 inch scope is a nice size for finding Messier objects.

[Nick Theodorakis]

My first scope was the Orion 4.5in Skyquest, and I was happy with it (still am, in fact, even though I also have a 10 in scope now).

Nick

[Starchild615]

I know Binocs is a good choice for this, but I think that he wants to give his dad a nice big box with a scope, I understand that, it would be exciting to watch someone open that, I would have loved a gift like that years ago

[Siguy]

Warning! Stay away from the Astromaster 114, the 130 and other models are okay, but the 114 has a fast spherical mirror at the heart of it. To "fix" it, there is a barlow built into the focuser which makes collimation tricky, doubles the focal length, and the scope overall retains about a wave of spherical aberration.

Here are some models in your price range:

Orion StarBlast Astro Telescope:
Very good starter scope. Simple to use, but you will need to have it on a sturdy table since it is meant for kids and thus very, very short. The eyepieces supplied are also rather low quality.

Note: Orion recently released the StarBlast 6, a six inch version. I do not recommend it as while they upscaled the tube, they failed to properly scale up its features and thus it is left with just a 1.25'' focuser, rather pointless mount, and crummy red dot finder. Decent qualities for a 4.5'', but not for a 6''.


Orion Starblast 4.5 EQ:
Much better because it has a nice German Equatorial mount, excellent eyepieces, and can be adjusted to your height since it has a tripod. The German Equatorial mount is rather complicated for beginners, though.

Edmund Scientifics Astroscan: Nice starter scope, sturdy, easy to maintain, and it has been positively reviewed for more than 20 years. But I personally recommend modern starter scopes over it.


Orion Skyquest XT4.5: Overall excellent starter scope, but it is rather low since it is made for kids.

Orion Skyquest XT6: Great starter scope in every way, but it is a bit out of your price range. Much better than the StarBlast 6.

Orion SpaceProbe 3 AZ: Cheapest scope regularly recommended. Decent enough for the money.

Zhumell 8'': This is a possibility that just came into my mind. It is 2'' more in aperture than the 6'' Orion for only a bit more.

The above scopes are those that are commonly recommended. But universally recommended is a decent pair of 10X50 binoculars, which should get you started. But eventually you will want a telescope; it is inevitable.

All of the above telescopes are reflector telescopes, because those are most often recommended. I found that in trying to think of all the scopes I recommend, I have created a detailed but incomplete list. There are many other kinds of telescopes, each with its own advantages and drawbacks meant for seeing different things.

I have really not gone into depth about what you should look for when buying a telescope. I sort of got carried away. First of all, aperture is what you compare telescopes by, not magnification. Magnification is determined by eyepieces and limited by aperture. Larger apertures give higher maximum magnifications, higher resolution, brighter images, and thus more objects seen. The limit to magnification on most telescopes is about 2x per millimeter, or 60x per inch depending on atmospheric current (seeing.)

There are three main types of telescopes: Refractor, reflector, and catadioptric. Refractors use only lenses, reflectors use mirrors, and cats use both. The most common varieties are achromatic refractors, apochromatic refractors, Newtonian reflectors, Schmidt Cassegrains, and Maksutov Cassegrains. Other designs exist, however.

I could go on forever. Listen, how about you tell us what you want to see, whether you plan on astrophotography, how much you are planning to spend on accessories, et cetera.

Edit: Oops, I just noticed you were getting this as a gift. Never mind the last things I said. Go with the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 or XT6, or either of the starblast models. They are probably the best gifts.

[Nick Theodorakis]

...


Orion Skyquest XT4.5: Overall excellent starter scope, but it is rather low since it is made for kids.
....

I'll second the observation that it is low, but I put mine a sturdy low table (abut 2 ft high, and about 3 by 3 ft square) to bring it to an adult-usable height. The table then also doubles as a place to put stuff.

Nick

[dazastar]

If your going to go for a scope, get the one your going to use. I can't count the number of times I've witnessed people buying complicated set ups on equatorial mounts. My advice would be to get a good dobsonian. They are very easy to set up. Dobs are a great point and look scope with big appertures, bang for buck there the best.

You can get a 6" for around $250 dollers and can later be converted to mount on an EQ when your ready.

www.andrewscom.com.au have some really nice GSO scopes around the price range said above and come with a set of plossyl eyepieces and bonoculars.

[france113]

now the Orion StarBlast 6 is for $150!!!!!! SALE
http://www.telescope.com/control/pro...oduct_id=09964

[CollinofAlabama]

Zero,

Get this scope here ...

http://www.telescope.com/control/pro...oduct_id=24688

... or one like it. An 80mm refractor on a reasonable mount is like a pair of binoculars on ultra-steroids. This scope would get him started without side-tracking him with collimation fiddling. These guys all are recommending reflectors, but if you're father is new to astronomy and just wants to get his feet wet, you should get him a refractor. Given your budget, this one is only slightly more than you specify, while still being a respectable performer. It's very easy to use and light weight and requires little to no maintenance. If he's a tinkerer and likes to diddle with things, one of the reflectors mentioned are good choices (avoid spherical mirrors, though).

Just the same, if he is not a tinkerer and just wants to do astronomy, the refractor is the way to go. Besides, they look cooler and are more impressive as a gift.

Good luck,

CDS

[aurora]

Zero,

Might not see your message. The OP posted once a couple of months ago, and never posted again.

[redshifter]

The Orion XT6 is now $230: http://www.telescope.com/control/cat...1/~VIEW_SIZE=9

An 'astronomical' bargain. With a 6" dob, you get enough aperature to see all the Messier objects + a lot more (and in some detail in the brighter objects), as well as a very stable dobsonian mount - no issues with stability here. Also, a dob is very easy to set up and use. IMO hands down the best all around beginner scope out there.

So:

Pros:
LOTS of aperature for the $
VERY stable dobsonian mount - this is every bit as important as optics, maybe even more so
EASY to set up - no worries about polar alignment, etc.
EASY to use - no knobs to fiddle with, simply nudge the scope with your hand to track objects - it is not difficult at all

Cons:
Little or no potential for astrophotography - dunno if this is really a con, it's not recommended for newbies to get into astrophotography right away anyways due to the very steep learning curve and need for specialized equipment
No auto tracking - A dob is strictly a manual tracking mount - though I've had no problems with this
Difficult to track objects at higher magnifications - Again, not really an issue, as the magnifications I've had trouble with are very rare, since the atmosphere will limit you to 150X or so maximum on the majority of nights anyways.

For further info, this is an absolute must read: http://scopereviews.com/begin.html

Here is a pertinent excerpt (though you should read the whole page):

This is a tough one to answer, since everyone has their own priorities and
preferences. Still, knowing what I know, if I were starting out today, I
would probably get a 6" or 8" Dobsonian-mounted reflector. The fact that
I am something of a "refractor guy" says a lot about this choice.

A 6" Dobsonian is simple, cheap, and will teach you a lot. The simplicity part
is important, since you will spend your time aiming and observing with your
telescope, rather than playing around with the sometimes complicated controls
on an equatorial mount.

Beginners need early success, and the 6" or 8" aperture is big enough to throw
up a bright image of most common celestial objects

EDIT: D'oh! Just realized how old this thread is...

[Kaptain K]

Old or not, it is still relevant to any newcomer!

[Major25]

agreed, thank you for posting! (even though I'm sure you wont see this lol)

[Kyle Edwards]

I agree with the ones who suggesed Orion. Orion seems to be the best for beginner telescopes, I would suggest staying away from their inexpensive computerized models though.