Quote:
Originally Posted by Cube Inmate
A few points on telescopes:
The views in telescopes are nothing like you see in pictures! Almost everything is either faint, fuzzy, or roiling in a turbulent atmosphere. Get someone to show you the views of a few of the "famous" sights through a high-quality telescope, and then you'll know what you're signing up for.
In my experience, the mount is far more important than the 'scope. A shaky mount like those Celestrons above will absolutely frustrate the enthusiasm out of any observer. I started with a 4" reflector on a similar mount, and it almost never got used because the view was ruined every time I touched the thing to adjust it.
Cheap 'scopes come with smaller-diameter eyepieces (< 1"). Better 'scopes are designed for 1.25" eyepieces. Really fancy beasts apparently handle 2" eyepieces, although I've never seen one. The smaller ones are really not used by anyone serious, so they're often poor quality. If a 'scope you're looking at is designed for them...keep looking. The 4 mm eyepiece with those Celestrons is an absolute piece of garbage, and is only included so they can advertise "400x manification" or whatever.
On that note, magnification isn't everything...or really much of anything. Any department-store telescope advertising "400x magnification!" is selling you crap. I rarely use anything beyond 150x except on the steadiest of nights...and then only up to 250x.
And lasty, if you're still interested in getting a telescope after all this, remember that it's really "the hunt" that's the most satisfying. When I find a faint, almost invisible galaxy, it might not be very impressive visually but knowing that I found it is really great. So don't over-value those fancy "go-to" telescopes...they take away a lot of the fun, IMO.
And (really lastly) always keep an observing log...I don't get out much, but when I look at all the observing I've done over the last 15 years, it really brings back some good memories.
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There are some good points here but some things I disagree with as well.
Yes the mount and tripod are better when they are thicker and more stable however the scope quality is just as important. You can have the best mount in the world but if you have a low quality scope then it won't matter. It is a hobby that is going to hook you and hook you hard. As far as eye pieces go the general rule I find is the higher the magnification with the eye piece the less detail and more fuzzy the image is. I think when Cube Inmate is saying everything is fuzzy he must be referring to galaxies, and nebula. He is right, you are not going to see vast explosions of colour if you are looking at lets say the Orion nebula, it is going to look like a fuzzy cloud. The moon and planets however can be seen quite clearly with nice colour with a decent scope.I think my favourite item in the sky to look at is Saturn, seeing the rings and the body is amazing but don't expect it to be a gigantic view, we are talking the size of a pea. I strongly disagree with the hunt is the most satisfying. When I first started out I didn't bother programming the Autostar and it was very frustrating trying to locate some things. I love the Autostar not only finds the object but it will keep it tracked in view because the sky is always moving and objects don't stay in your view long if you get on it and lock it in and then leave it. The more magnification you use the faster it will move sideways out of your view so the Autostar is great for staying on your object if you are going up into the higher eye pieces and sacrificing some details. In the end it comes down to what you want to spend and if how much you will dabble in it. Celestron makes decent scopes but the ones you found are the bottom end. Is there a store where you are that sells scopes? They would probably have some used models that will be higher up and in your price range. I personally recommend Meade as their optics and glass are second to none imo but if you are just going to take it out once in a blue moon (bad pun) then you could always try out a cheap model like you found. The only thing I am concerned about for you with that is a) they have little to no re resale value and b) You will wish you had spent a bit more for better quality.