Do You Own A Telescope ???

[Scott McD]

Been watching a few programmes on tv lately about our galaxy and beyond, and it got me thinking about maybe purchasing a telescope. Have never owned one before, and i'm always looking for ideas as people never know what to buy me for presents etc lol. So think i might get one soon.

Anyone on here know much about them? Best ones to buy? Ones to avoid? Best deals?

[Martin]

I've been looking into getting one also. Of course for the best results you need to pay. You're looking at about $600 for a half decent one.

[cthulhu_waves]

Hey, wasn't there supposed to be a Google World type of site where you can view the stars in your monitor? I think I saw it being featured on AOTS weeks ago.

[96ukssob]

Originally Posted by Martin

I've been looking into getting one also. Of course for the best results you need to pay. You're looking at about $600 for a half decent one.

try a bit more. decent ones are about $1k+ and if you want to add a camera, then make that $2k or more.

when I was a kid we had one and used to look at stars all the time with my dad

[SEO Expert]

what's the point? even the Hubble telescope up in the orbit, million times stronger than whatever you could buy - it cant see shit. i mean, you might see some different color blips but that's it. you gonna play around with it for a week and then get bored out of your mind.

[Jack Sparrow]

Originally Posted by SEO Expert

what's the point? even the Hubble telescope up in the orbit, million times stronger than whatever you could buy - it cant see shit. i mean, you might see some different color blips but that's it. you gonna play around with it for a week and then get bored out of your mind.

Did you borrow someones bot to post?


Back to topic. I had one long long time ago when i was a kid. If you are into this kinda thing its awesome to look at the stars and the surface of the moon. Just make sure you dont expect a lot of colourfull things ;)

[Scott McD]

Originally Posted by SEO Expert

what's the point? even the Hubble telescope up in the orbit, million times stronger than whatever you could buy - it cant see shit.

O Rly ????

[Scott McD]

Originally Posted by mrfrisky

If you are into this kinda thing its awesome to look at the stars and the surface of the moon. Just make sure you dont expect a lot of colourfull things ;)

Yeah for sure.

Like i say i have just taken an interest really after watching a few programmes lately. A better look at the moon would be a start.

[SEO Expert]

Originally Posted by Scott McD

O Rly ????

if you think youre gonna see anything close to shit like that, i have bad news for you

[Scott McD]

Originally Posted by SEO Expert

if you think youre gonna see anything close to shit like that, i have bad news for you

Of course i'm not. I never said i would.

But you said Hubble doesn't see shit. I posted that to prove otherwise...

[Martin]

Originally Posted by bossku69

try a bit more. decent ones are about $1k+ and if you want to add a camera, then make that $2k or more.

when I was a kid we had one and used to look at stars all the time with my dad

Like I said half decent ones. The ones I checked on ebay were starting around $600.

[Tom_PM]

I dont, but I'd like one too. Too much light pollution here though. Need a place in the sticks ideally with a rooftop deck and nothing but night sky.

Those new huge scale scopes they're building in south america will kick ass. Hope I'm alive when the images start coming out, they're bound to be pretty damn cool.

[atom]

My neighbor down the street has one and he will have get togethers when something is in view and there are good weather conditions. Don't listen to SEO expert, he is full of shit. From the one down the street ive looked through you can see individual rings of saturn, make out colors spots on other planets and the moon looks wicked cool. The only frustrating thing is you only have around 15-30 seconds to view something very far away. Then you have to worry about finding it again, re-focusing etc.

Im not sure what kind he has, I have never seen anything similiar sold. Its a 16 inch lense. the base sits on the ground and the tube is 5 feet in length. Ive looked through some cheaper telescopes, 200-400 bucks in range and they suck. Autofinding is also worthless on the ones ive looked at. If you are seriously interested I can give him a call. He does photography through his and im guessing he spent big bucks.

[SEO Expert]

Originally Posted by Scott McD

But you said Hubble doesn't see shit. I posted that to prove otherwise...

i still think it's overrated. you see some random swirls of colors and shit.. what's exciting about that? a drop of acid would produce much better visual effects.

if you could actually see the surface of some planets millions of light years away then it would have been another story.

like i said, it's fun for a few days but then it must become really fucking boring.

and the $1000 price range scope would only be good for peeping at your neighbors tennage daughter.

[Scott McD]

Originally Posted by atom

From the one down the street ive looked through you can see individual rings of saturn, make out colors spots on other planets and the moon looks wicked cool.


If you are seriously interested I can give him a call. He does photography through his and im guessing he spent big bucks.

Sounds cool!

If you even found out from him how much he was roughly for one like that, and if he can recommend anything, i'd be greatful! I'm not too sure right now about my price range.

[atom]

Originally Posted by Scott McD

Sounds cool!

If you even found out from him how much he was roughly for one like that, and if he can recommend anything, i'd be greatful! I'm not too sure right now about my price range.

This is the newer version of his he said, he has a tube that runs the whole length. This one obviously doesnt.

http://www.amazon.com/Meade-Lightbri...1180671&sr=8-2

Eventually you would want to buy some more optics for it as well.

[PenisFace]

I own a cheap telescope that was like 200 bucks in 1997 or something. It's useless most of the year here because it never stops being cloudy, but when the sky is clear, it works surprisingly well. Just make sure you have it anchored down well, or as soon as you find what you're looking for, it's gone again as soon as you even so much as breathe.

[Tom_PM]

Some of them hook to your PC and you can just choose from a list of heavenly bodies in the database, click it, and your scope tracks to the proper position. I'd need one like that I think, hehe. I know the sky is UP, and thats 'bout it.

[PersianKitty]

I have one here that never gets used anymore. My son won't let me get rid of it though. Takes up space in my formal dining room.

It's a Meade 4500 Equatorial Reflector.. A beginners telescope

[redwhiteandblue]

Scotty, you and I both know you'll just end up using it to look through the bedroom windows of ladies across the road from you...

[Scott McD]

Originally Posted by redwhiteandblue

Scotty, you and I both know you'll just end up using it to look through the bedroom windows of ladies across the road from you...

Probably!

[CunningStunt]

I've been looking into this too for the last few days, I'm far enough out of Sydney for the light pollution not to be an issue.

Have a read of this, or you might be in for a bit of a disappointment: http://www.rocketroberts.com/astro/first.htm

Scope advice: http://www.backyardastronomy.com/Bac...elescopes.html

[$5 submissions]

This thread got me thinking: I wonder how viable telescope review sites would be. Blog or mini-site?

[CunningStunt]

Originally Posted by $5 submissions

This thread got me thinking: I wonder how viable telescope review sites would be. Blog or mini-site?

There's no money in telescopes....

Seriously, take a look at all these niches, there are big players all over the serps, you stand next to zilch chance.

[$5 submissions]

Originally Posted by CunningStunt

There's no money in telescopes....

Seriously, take a look at all these niches, there are big players all over the serps, you stand next to zilch chance.

Interesting point of view/predisposition.

[cam_girls]

I bought a $30 plastic telescope and we were living in a 12 story apartment so I pointed it out the window at other buildings and the first window I look at there's a guy looking back at me with binoculars!

Just get the biggest lense you cam afford with GOTO computer positioning

[turt_t]

I've got Celestron C6-RGT - and I like it.
You can choose other models here http://www.celestron.com/c3/category.php?CatID=11
I like Advanced Series because I can connect telescope with computer. The control of the telescope is easier in such case.

[Raf1]

a friend of mine has one and it's pointed at the beach 99% of them time, lol

[WebairMetz]

Here is my input- from experience -

I would check out www.meade.com

I would then look at their beginner telescopes- not that cheap $100 crap that wont really help you at all.... but something like the
Meade ETX-90EC (325 x 90mm) Telescope
http://www.meade.com/etx_premier/index.html


This will allow you to select an object and it will auto point to that object in the sky. All that you really need to know is where the North Star is....and you're golden.

If you purchase this, you will have hundreds of hours of mind melting cosmic experiences. You will see all of messier objects in this hemisphere.

If you purchase one of the cheaper models- that doesnt have auto track star features....you MAY be able to find some basic stuff like planets, and orion nebula, Andromeda galaxy and so forth. But finding star clusters and other galaxies will be VERY difficult and require a very experienced observer to pinpoint stars and locations and constellations and manually find the objects you are seeking. It will become difficult too much that you will want to check things out less and less.

With the auto star tracker....you can check out so many objects- you will feel like the king of the universe.

I live in the congested light pollution - new york area. Not upstate where the stars are intense...but in severely crippled areas with too much pollution. my buddy is a star master- and even in this condition- we can manually find about 20'ish objects on a good night. We dont have the auto tracker- but he is the star master- so its not "needed" - one day when I want to get more serious myself, I will get an EXT model or similiar....and open up a new world of exploration


Hope that helps

[Jack Sparrow]

Originally Posted by SEO Expert

i still think it's overrated. you see some random swirls of colors and shit.. what's exciting about that? a drop of acid would produce much better visual effects.

if you could actually see the surface of some planets millions of light years away then it would have been another story.

like i said, it's fun for a few days but then it must become really fucking boring.

and the $1000 price range scope would only be good for peeping at your neighbors tennage daughter.

And football isnt interesting because its just people throwing and kicking a ball and then running behind it to get it back right?

Damn your life must be boring.

[Scott McD]

Originally Posted by WebairMetz

Here is my input- from experience -

I would check out www.meade.com

I would then look at their beginner telescopes- not that cheap $100 crap that wont really help you at all.... but something like the
Meade ETX-90EC (325 x 90mm) Telescope
http://www.meade.com/etx_premier/index.html


This will allow you to select an object and it will auto point to that object in the sky. All that you really need to know is where the North Star is....and you're golden.

If you purchase this, you will have hundreds of hours of mind melting cosmic experiences. You will see all of messier objects in this hemisphere.

If you purchase one of the cheaper models- that doesnt have auto track star features....you MAY be able to find some basic stuff like planets, and orion nebula, Andromeda galaxy and so forth. But finding star clusters and other galaxies will be VERY difficult and require a very experienced observer to pinpoint stars and locations and constellations and manually find the objects you are seeking. It will become difficult too much that you will want to check things out less and less.

With the auto star tracker....you can check out so many objects- you will feel like the king of the universe.

I live in the congested light pollution - new york area. Not upstate where the stars are intense...but in severely crippled areas with too much pollution. my buddy is a star master- and even in this condition- we can manually find about 20'ish objects on a good night. We dont have the auto tracker- but he is the star master- so its not "needed" - one day when I want to get more serious myself, I will get an EXT model or similiar....and open up a new world of exploration


Hope that helps

Yes it does indeed, thanks!

[SCORE Ralph]

Interesting, the wife and I have been talking about setting one up in the backyard. We're on the west side (dark side) of the city, so we may have some visibility.

[scarlettcontent]

check out ebay for the computerised 6 inch reflectors, they are pretty good for the money - less than 400 bucks.