Beginner Telescope?

[Nodak]

Have fun with your new scope.

[GalaxyBoy]

The classic advice for a beginner's scope is not a telescope at all, but a pair of binoculars with 7x50 being a very good size for astronomy. Binocs give a wide field of view making it easy to find things, and you will learn your way around the sky while doing it. Plus, if you decide to take the plunge and invest in a "real" telescope, you will still use the binocs a lot. I own an 18" Dobsonian (hence my screen name) but I still routinely use my binoculars. Plus, you can use binoculars at ball games, etc.

The Astroscan is a very close second recommendation. It also gives a wide field (although not as wide), and you will also keep and use it if and when you go for a bigger scope. One big advantage of the astroscan is that it uses standard, 1.25" eyepieces instead of the cheaper 0.965" eyepieces that come with the el-cheapo refractors at Wally World (a/k/a "Christmas Trash Scopes"). A good friend of mine still loves his astroscan after several decades of use and his main scope is a 25"!

Some celestial objects are quite large (in apparent size against the sky, I mean) and need a wide field. For example, M31 - the Andromeda Galaxy - is far too large to fit into the field of view of almost all telescopes except the astroscan. The occasional good comet also demands the astroscan. I could list others.

A second "purchase" might be to join your local astronomy club. There you will find all sorts of good advice.

Good luck, and clear skies!

EDIT: Forgot to mention to the OP to be sure to get something to deal with dew, especially a dew cap. I have attended astronomy club meetings where the entire meeting was devoted to how to deal with dew. As a minimum, have an old hair dryer handy if you're near power. Unless, of course, you live in the dry desert or something.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GalaxyBoy The classic advice for a beginner's scope is not a telescope at all, but a pair of binoculars with 7x50 being a very good size for astronomy....... !

Thanks. DW already spends a fair amount of time using the binoculars in conjunction with an iPad app to track the comings and goings up there

Quote:

EDIT: Forgot to mention to the OP to be sure to get something to deal with dew, especially a dew cap. I have attended astronomy club meetings where the entire meeting was devoted to how to deal with dew. As a minimum, have an old hair dryer handy if you're near power. Unless, of course, you live in the dry desert or something.

Right. Edmund sells a dew cap for $16 including shipping. I may just make one, though.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover I ended up buying the eBay Astroscan with an extra lense for about $150 with shipping - half new price. This one is made in Japan, new ones are Chinese. I hope DW likes it.

I got the scope today, but was alarmed to hear it clunk when I took it out of the box. One of the two cast iron counterbalance weights has broken loose and broken the mirror.

The good news is that the seller has cheerfully offered to refund my money, so it looks like my loss is limited to the $20 or so to ship it back.

Back to the hunt..........

[Fermion]

If you are near Seattle, I have a 10" Dobsonian Orion SkyQuest series in excellent condition. It is rather a monster, almost 5 feet long. All manual though..no auto tracking. They are pretty inexpensive for the quality, but there is no way I can fit this in our RV when we ER next year so I am trying to downsize everything.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fermion If you are near Seattle, I have a 10" Dobsonian Orion SkyQuest series in excellent condition. It is rather a monster, almost 5 feet long. All manual though..no auto tracking. They are pretty inexpensive for the quality, but there is no way I can fit this in our RV when we ER next year so I am trying to downsize everything.

Thanks, sounds like a nice 'scope.

I haven't given up on the Astroscan, which is readily portable and should get used.

[zinger1457]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover I haven't given up on the Astroscan, which is readily portable and should get used.

I almost scooped up an Astroscan on ebay a couple days ago with a BuyItNow price of $75. In the 5 minutes I was thinking it over and decided to go for it someone else grabbed it.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinger1457 I almost scooped up an Astroscan on ebay a couple days ago with a BuyItNow price of $75. In the 5 minutes I was thinking it over and decided to go for it someone else grabbed it.

Next time PM me!
I found one on Craigslist at a good price, but it is 300 miles from me, so I'm still lookin'.

[GalaxyBoy]

By the way, THE place to go for telescope classified ads on the 'net has been for years astromart. Probably caters more to the intermediate or advanced amateur, but I thought I'd post it for reference.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GalaxyBoy By the way, THE place to go for telescope classified ads on the 'net has been for years astromart. Probably caters more to the intermediate or advanced amateur, but I thought I'd post it for reference.

Looks good, but they want $15 a year just to join.

[Nodak]

Lots of good info at these sites.

Astronomy Magazine - Interactive Star Charts, Planets, Meteors, Comets, Telescopes
SkyandTelescope.com
Skymania News - Space and astronomy news and advice

Sky and Telescope has a free android app (S&T Skyweek) that will give observing tips for upcoming events.

[travelover]

After lots of internet research and a little compulsion, I bought a new scope. The new scope is an Orion Starblast. Unless you are a geek, quit reading now. Some of what follows was pointed out by others, but I wanted to put together a synopsis in case anyone searching in the future has a similar question.

The Starblast is very similar to the Astroscan in operation, but instead of a ball joint type mount it uses a two axis adjustable mount to scan the sky. Like the Astroscan, it is very compact and can be stashed in a trunk and set up on a picnic table, which should make it more likely to actually get used.

Supposedly, the Astroscan is collimated (aligned) for life, but the mirror is tensioned in place by foam rubber. The best models are older US or Japanese models, but that means that the foam rubber has had more time to deteriorate. Also, if the scope was not aligned perfectly to begin with, you are kind of hosed. So, the beauty of the Astroscan is that it is all self contained and never needs adjusting, but that un-adjustability is also its major flaw. The Starblast is readily adjustable.

I bought the new one on Amazon. Amazon usually has several "used" versions of anything for sale at at least 10% off. These items, if fulfilled by Amazon, are actually new but in a scuffed package. I bought the "used" Starblast for $186 as opposed to $320 (shipped) for a new Astroscan. I did find a used Starblast 10 miles from me on eBay for $100, but it was dirty in the pictures and I had been warned about mold and mildew inside scopes stored in damp basements or garages, so I decided to splurge on new.

[Nodak]

Sounds like a good little scope. I am not familiar with it but will have to check it out.

[GalaxyBoy]

Looks like a great little scope and I'm sure you and your DW will have a great time with it. This time of year there are some great targets for widefield scopes, such as M42 (Great Nebula in Orion), M45 (Pleiades), M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), the Double Cluster in Perseus, and more. Not to mention simply sweeping the Milky Way.

Now, go forth and learn how to locate these things. That's half the fun!