Posted by Deneb on June 1, 2005, at 18:06:13
In reply to advice about telescopes - Deneb, or anyone else?, posted by JenStar on June 1, 2005, at 17:01:33
> I'm actually interested in getting a telescope, not too expensive, but something I can use to check out the moon & the other "stuff" that is out there. I love taking pictures so eventually it might be cool to add a camera to the mix (can you take pictures thru a telescope?)
Hi JenStar...thanks for taking my mind off to a better place :-)
If you've never done any observing before, it is quite the leap to go into something like astrophotography...you need very special equipment and it can get *very* expensive.Most people think that they need a telescope to enjoy astronomy, this is not true at all. If you do not *know* your way around the sky it can be next to impossible to find things using a telescope. (unless you use a GOTO telescope that goes wherever you *tell* it to go to...but IMO this takes a lot of the fun of of astromony). For the absolute beginner, you may just need to get a red flashlight, some bug repellent and a planisphere. You can start by learning your constellations. You can also get a pair of good binoculars with at least a 50mm aperture...make sure they are the porro prism design...it is much less expensive than roof prisms and of much better quality for the price. If you want to hand hold the binos (as opposed to using a tripod)...make sure you do not use binos with a magnification of more than 10x...things get very shaky otherwise.
I myself don't even own a telescope...the club I belong to is great. They like to setup "sidewalk" astronomy sessions where they set up telescopes on the sidewalk so people can have a look at the moon and planets. When the MallinCam is setup (a type of CCD camera a member invented), people can even see galaxies in the light polluted skies of a parking lot!!! They are great...they let me go out to dark skies with them and have a look into their scopes. I only own a pair of 10x50 porro prism binos...I actually got them as a gift from a member of the group! They aren't high class but they do the trick! If you decide to go the bino route, I have lots of other advice I've dug up.
If you really really want a telescope...the MOST important thing is: DO NOT EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES...BUY A CHEAP SCOPE!!! AKA DEPARTMENT STORE SCOPES! You can usualy tell department store scopes from "serious" scopes by the wording on the fancy packaging...most of the time they say something riduculous like...gives 450 power magnification or something. They are usually medium quality refractors with a 60mm objective lens. The problem is not with the lens itself...it is the mount. They are totally inadequate and you will be lucky to see anything more than the moon with these scopes.
If you are serious about getting a telescope, you have to expect to spend at least $300. For just observing, the simplest and best value scope is a newtonian reflector on a dobsonian mount. They give the largest aperture for the dollar and are very easy to use.
If you plan on doing astrophotography, you will need an equatorial mount etc.
It is possible to do some very simple astrophotography with a digital camera though...just point and shoot from the eyepiece. It is impossible to get shots of nebulas or galaxies and other faint objects though. Your best bet would be to shot pics of the moon...the moon is a wonderful object to study...most people are completely floored the first time they see the moon through a telescope. The good thing is, any telescope will do and you don't need to travel kilometres just to get away from city lights...cuz the moon is glaringly bright! Wow, this really cheered me up! There is a lot more I could share, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm not even sure you want to know all this info!
jenny
>
> Does anyone have expertise and could give me advice on what would be a good starter setup?
>
> thanks!
> JenStar
poster:Deneb
thread:506401
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050525/msgs/506451.html