Quote:
Originally Posted by Northendzone
So my daughter has expressed an interest in stargazing, so last night we drove out to there serenity golf course (east of the city) is and looked at the sky for a bit (and got eaten by mosquitos).
i am thinking about buying a telescope (as i like to make sure her and i bond over certain activities - we make sure we go and see all the marvel movies as well).
what do i need to know about telescopes - i'd like to keep the spend to around $200 if possible. Outside of amazon/kijiji/facebook market place - where would one go to buy a telescope in Calgary? I guess, i am asking where is the telescope district?
Other than the observatory, where do folks congregate to do this? I live in New Brighton is the SE, so the serenity location was easily accesible.
PS - there was a similar thread, but it is 10 years old, so I thought I'd give the topic a reboot
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If you're just starting out, I recommend using Binoculars - 10x50 is sufficient. i use a Celestron Cavalry. I find it far easier to star-hop with binos. The binos are also a lot less money.
If you prefer a telescope, check out All- Star in Didsbury.
https://www.all-startelescope.com/
But maybe consider buying a membership with RASC/Calgary because you can rent telescopes from them on a monthly basis. I think you might get a lot more bang for the buck.
https://calgary.rasc.ca/scopes.htm
All you need to know about telescopes:
https://www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/wiki/index
I live in the NW and, for winter viewing, I drive to Keoma, which is East of Balzac. From here, the east and north skies are dark and I can get some decent photos of the Orion Nebula. I don't go out too much in the summer because to get decent photos of the Milky Way, you have to wait until after Midnight and more like after 0100. I usually drive out to Hwy 66, usually at the summit of the hill past Elbow Falls. The best spot, though, is along the Icefields Parkway. It is dark. Really dark, and the amount of stars you can see will amaze you.