IntJohn and txmnjim were discussing telescopes in a welcome thread, so I started a new thread to ask them for advice. I noticed John's telescope cost over $2K. Can you guys recommend a telescope for someone on a limited income? Do any budget telescopes even work? Eg. under $500
Telescopes
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INTJohn
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For inexpensive entry level prolly a 3 or 4” refractor. Expect to pay 300 to 500$.
Do not buy something for less, really you want quality lenses and light gathering ability in an inexpensive scope for entry level or your experience will be disappointing.
ITS NOT ABOUT MAGNIFICATION per se’ this is biggest mistake people make at first. It’s about quality lenses/mirrors and light gathering ability.
Maybe a 3 to 5” refractor celestron or similar. A 4” reflector is good too; to start
INTJohn
Do not buy something for less, really you want quality lenses and light gathering ability in an inexpensive scope for entry level or your experience will be disappointing.
ITS NOT ABOUT MAGNIFICATION per se’ this is biggest mistake people make at first. It’s about quality lenses/mirrors and light gathering ability.
Maybe a 3 to 5” refractor celestron or similar. A 4” reflector is good too; to start
INTJohn
INTJohn
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Idk your situation where you live etc.
If you’re some place where you don’t need to travel to get away from “light pollution” then you might want a telescope that is less portable.
Otherwise if you need to travel frequently to a place out aways where it’s treeless nice and dark then you’ll want something very portable with ease of take down and setup.
In txmnjims avatar is a classic Dobsonian “light bucket” reflector. You can get these in kit form for 400 or 500$ depending on diameter.
Galileo first built a 2” refractor so yeah you can have something waaay better today in a 3” or 4” refractor than what The Man himself first built.
Think about that! 400ish bux.
Meade or Celestron. They’re both quality good. I lean towards Meade but that’s just me. It’s like Chevy Ford; McDonalds Burger King.
INTJohn
If you’re some place where you don’t need to travel to get away from “light pollution” then you might want a telescope that is less portable.
Otherwise if you need to travel frequently to a place out aways where it’s treeless nice and dark then you’ll want something very portable with ease of take down and setup.
In txmnjims avatar is a classic Dobsonian “light bucket” reflector. You can get these in kit form for 400 or 500$ depending on diameter.
Galileo first built a 2” refractor so yeah you can have something waaay better today in a 3” or 4” refractor than what The Man himself first built.
Think about that! 400ish bux.
Meade or Celestron. They’re both quality good. I lean towards Meade but that’s just me. It’s like Chevy Ford; McDonalds Burger King.
INTJohn
Malamute
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What do you want to use it for?
A telescope suitable for semi-serious stargazing is a different animal than one you want to use to look at stuff on the ground. I like a decent spotting scope for ground based things, but have no real need for a stargazing telescope.
I used a spotting scope on a tripod to watch the moons of Jupiter in the early 2000s, it worked pretty well for that level of looking, the moons could be easily seen moving in relation to the planet in a very short amount of time. I could also see the rings of Saturn with it. Its not as powerful as a true stargazing telescope but was adequate for my level of interest, and I use it quite a lot looking for animals and the distant scenery.
A telescope suitable for semi-serious stargazing is a different animal than one you want to use to look at stuff on the ground. I like a decent spotting scope for ground based things, but have no real need for a stargazing telescope.
I used a spotting scope on a tripod to watch the moons of Jupiter in the early 2000s, it worked pretty well for that level of looking, the moons could be easily seen moving in relation to the planet in a very short amount of time. I could also see the rings of Saturn with it. Its not as powerful as a true stargazing telescope but was adequate for my level of interest, and I use it quite a lot looking for animals and the distant scenery.
INTJohn
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Read/study this it covers the basics really well without getting too technical.
INTJohn
INTJohn
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Thanks John and Malamute! Really appreciate all your help.
I have an 8" dobsonian, hand made in a class taught by John Dobson himself. It is WAAAYYYY too big for me to cart around, so sadly it's been stored for a good 10 years now. If anyone here has a place for it, I'd be happy to give it away...
So tempted but it would wind up the same for me 90% of the time... stuck in storage.
eDJ_
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I have this Meade NG 60 SM that was given to me.
Dad got a newer Telescope and let the kids half destroy this one learning how to use it. One of the kids must have taken the eye piece out of it to keep the others from using it (and lost it) or maybe it was Dad trying to keep it from being completely destroyed all together.
The eyepiece opening is 1 1/8" but I don't know where to find another one that is use and affordable.
Other detail: F=700mm D=60mm
If I could find an eyepiece I'd take it apart and clean it up to restore it. I'm sure it was a nice outfit when it was new.
Dad got a newer Telescope and let the kids half destroy this one learning how to use it. One of the kids must have taken the eye piece out of it to keep the others from using it (and lost it) or maybe it was Dad trying to keep it from being completely destroyed all together.
The eyepiece opening is 1 1/8" but I don't know where to find another one that is use and affordable.
Other detail: F=700mm D=60mm
If I could find an eyepiece I'd take it apart and clean it up to restore it. I'm sure it was a nice outfit when it was new.
A place to read and learn is a forum like this one called ’cloudy nights’. They also have a classified section where you can get a setup from someone who is upgrading or just changing hobbies. The deals are much better there than retail. You will also need to get eyepieces and a mount, and decide if you want a smart mount (goto). Outside of the city you could do well with a 4 inch refractor. As mentioned a Dobsonian is also a good choice. A goto mount which knows where cool stuff is could be a good choice if you can afford it. I bought used eyepieces and they are fine. https://www.cloudynights.com/index
Also, binoculars are useful for stargazing.
Also, binoculars are useful for stargazing.
I recently bought a pair of astronomical binoculars and wow....they are impressive.
Heavy tho, so you pretty much have to use a sturdy tripod, which I already had.
This particular model is a Celestron Skymaster 18-40x80, I own a Celestron Spotting Scope so I decided to stay with Celestron...the price was right, about $150 on Amazon.
These are for casual nightime skysurfing....the moon looks very sharp and bright, you can easily see the texture and ridges around the craters....stars are...well stars are bright points of light. Planets are somewhat discernible as 'disks'...have not been able to get a good view of Saturn yet, due to hazy/cloudy skies and schedule conflicts, Plus its kinda farther away and so small in the binoculars this time of year that it's hard to see the rings. Maybe it will be better as time goes on and our third rock from the sun gets a bit closer.
Terrestrial viewing is...wow....I can easily read vehicle license plates that are 1/4 to 1/2 mile away....that's kinda scary!
Heavy tho, so you pretty much have to use a sturdy tripod, which I already had.
This particular model is a Celestron Skymaster 18-40x80, I own a Celestron Spotting Scope so I decided to stay with Celestron...the price was right, about $150 on Amazon.
These are for casual nightime skysurfing....the moon looks very sharp and bright, you can easily see the texture and ridges around the craters....stars are...well stars are bright points of light. Planets are somewhat discernible as 'disks'...have not been able to get a good view of Saturn yet, due to hazy/cloudy skies and schedule conflicts, Plus its kinda farther away and so small in the binoculars this time of year that it's hard to see the rings. Maybe it will be better as time goes on and our third rock from the sun gets a bit closer.
Terrestrial viewing is...wow....I can easily read vehicle license plates that are 1/4 to 1/2 mile away....that's kinda scary!
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txmnjim
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i think a good used 8" dobsonian is a good entry scope as very easy to use and has tremendous light-gathering ability. they are usually under $500. a good site that is cloudynight.com, with used equipment and wealth of information. however, if travelling in tight quarters it is too big, so a smaller "desk top" scope is better such as Meade etx 90 or refractor as John suggests. i also hung out with a local astronomy club for quite a while and borrowed "loaner scope" where you can get a feel of what's out there, and many groups have "public nights" monthly. you can find many groups and resources including observing programs at https://www.astroleague.org/. i also love observing with the large field of views that binoculars (7x50 preferred) offer as tx2sturgis recommends. its a wonderful hobby and can be done on a budget and wish you well in your endeavors. pm if any questions...
jim
txmnjim
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this would be awesome! Dobson was my hero and i hear a wonderful human being
