First telescope, which one
 

So I ahve the opportunity to cash in some points from travel and want to get a telescope for my son and I to fool around with. We're not hard-core astronomers, just thought it would be fun.. My choices with the points are:

Bushnell® Voyager® 900mm x 4.5-Inch Reflector Sky Tour™ Telescope

or

Meade® 114EQ-Astr Equatorial 114mm Reflector Telescope


Mostly moon and planet gazing.

Any suggestions? ...no, I don't have any other options....

I would probably recommend a trip to an observatory. You can see more with spending less money.

I have the Meade you mentioned. It's too cheap and not stable. I picked mine up second hand for a pittance, so it was not a disappointment.

I also have an Orion SpaceProbe 130ST equatorial reflector telescope. This is a great beginner telescope. I also picked this one up used. I really like using it. I've used it to look at the moon and planets, so far, and hope to move on to deep space objects. It's a much beefier telescope than the Meade, but not so much that I can't readily move between inside the house and out in the back yard. Here's the link to this telescope: SpaceProbe 130ST Equatorial Reflector Telescope | Orion Telescopes

I hope this helps, Chris.

Thanks guys,

Again, the above two that I listed are FREE to me... SO I have to pick one of the two...

D'oh!

Well Chris, I have this particular model of Meade telescope, and I can tell you it is usable to see the moon and planets. It's very sensitive to slight movement (image shakes). The declination and right ascension controls are not as smooth as I'd care for, and they are a bit too fast. The finder scope is a bit of a PIA to get/keep lined up. I have some folded up paper between the front part of the finder scope mount and the telescope tube to get it lined up. Still, this telescope does work. You and your son can have fun with it.

good for you Chris!! i remember asking my parents for a telescope and they told me NO! i was bitter. they did buy me a microscope and a chemistry set..apparently it was a safety issue.

anyways..anything like this in your neighborhood?

Telescope Makers Workshop | Chabot Space & Science Center | East Bay Area - Oakland CA

one of my coworkers did this and built one!! i have always seen the groups..(archery club is at the same place), and it looks like a blast! i plan on doing it oneday.

Pretty much all the small reflector and especially refractor, scopes are disappointing. Hard to get a polar alignment, no clock drive so you are constantly adjusting, poor optics. That being said, they are affordable and ok for the stuff that is "in the neighborhood" (neighbors, moon, and planets) These are always marketed as"first scopes" but to me they can be so frustrating it's a wonder anybody ever gets involved with the hobby. Play with one of these but when you are ready, get an 8" schmidt cassegrain with a drive unit. They are pretty cheap used.

However in your situation I would go with the Meade. It's a lot more scope.

Chris-
Not serious into it, but enough to keep interest. We have a few reflecting telescopes in the family and the first one we purchased (on a whim) was a Meade with the 4 1/2" mirror similar to the one you listed. I don't recall exactly the price but thinking it was $250 from a Sams Club. It came with a computerized handset that we first ignored. Later on we started to play with it. Overall, the scope diameter is good enough for starters but the eyepieces are not. You can call Meade for a free eyepiece adapter and buy some large diameter eyepieces off ebay or Orion. Highly suggested and a major improvement that doesn't cost much. The tripod and motors are good for the little money. For setting-up and proper, easy polar alignment, watch some of the online tutorial videos. The hands on instructions really help to fully appreciate and utilize it. Hopefully, out of the box alignment is good but you should check collimate but there are some $40 laser types that will help adjusting your scope sharp and clear.

Since the Meade is only one of two options, I'd say your safe and overall a nice place to start backyard or camp-out star gazing.

Now for some laughs (don't ask me why one night my wife flips thru the channels and lands on HSN??) but here was this brand Galileo 6" reflector scope with some larger 2" eyepieces at a lower price than the Meade. Pleased but the tripod and a few other plastic parts were junk. No computer drives either, so I took the tripod and motors from the Meade and adapted to the 'HSN special'. We really enjoy it and for the budget of these two scopes, the kids love them.

Lastly, see if that Meade has the connector tap for a PC or tablet. You can look and point on the screen and drive the scope to that object. The cable and software might be extra cost option, but rivals big dollar scopes.

Here's another super cool freebie download for everyone (looks beautiful on a big screen TV):
WorldWide Telescope

Any more advice for a beginner telescope? Looking to spend roughly $300. Something for the wife and kids. Amazon options would be great, for quick delivery.

Got this one in the cart right now:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E5DVONO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

A couple things to add. When I was a kid a friend had a telescope. Nothing special and this was the 80's. I remember it had a sun filter. A lot of the ones I see on Amazon don't say if that's included.

Also a few years ago my neighbors and I were observing a "UFO" from my front yard in the middle of the afternoon. What we were looking at was a small faint white dot way up in the sky that was slowly moving. Too far out to make out any details. A good telescope at the time would have helped to figure out what it actually was.

I started with something very similar to that. It was a good start.

I was going to suggest a dobsonian-style scope, but those are outside of your budget (price has gone up since my last purchase). THere are some table-top dobsonian scopes that I frequently see recommended as starter scopes.

Something like
https://smile.amazon.com/Zhumell-Portable-Altazimuth-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B07BRLSVWM/

or

https://smile.amazon.com/Zhumell-Portable-Altazimuth-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B07BR6G589/

Most scopes don't come with a sun filter, but those are available for just about anything. Before the last solar eclipse a few years back, I bought a pair of solar binoculars, and they enabled me to see not only the eclipse, but even sunspots. I think solar filters and solar observing is cool. you just have to be careful because of the possible damage to the scope and your eyes.

GG DO NOT TAKE ANY SHORT CUTS WITH SOLAR FILTERS. Seriously even a split second without proper filtering will be tragic.

Start by looking here

https://www.highpointscientific.com/shop?q=solar+filter

If you're not in a hurry these types are easy to use and are very stable

https://www.highpointscientific.com/sky-watcher-heritage-130-tabletop-dobsonian-s11705

I do not work for High Point, they are my local shop.

Get the one with the largest mirror.
An equatorial mount is also a necessity. Otherwise, it is VERY difficult to track anything.

That's funny. In my post above, I originally had a link to High Point for the 130 and 114 sky watcher scopes. But since he specifically mentioned Amazon, I switched to a similar product there. I know that high point is a common source for scope gear for a lot of folks. I think I may have ordered some eye pieces from them many years ago.

I did have a larger (8") Zhumell dobsonian scope as my second scope back in the day, so I think the one that I recommended would also be a good buy of a similar style to the Sky Watcher that you posted.

If only doing visual observation, and with a small scope (4" refractor or 5" reflector) that won't really support super high magnification (100x-200x max), the tracking is less of an issue.

My second scope was a manual Newtonian OTA on a Dobsonian mount. No tracking.

I think Equatorial mounts or more complex, heavier, and more expensive than a similar Alt-Az mount, so at this level of scope, probably not ideal. Unless you're doing AP, I don't see an Eq mount as a necessity. My first scope that was a 102mm Orion was on a camera tripod.

Steve, you are right.

I have been out of stargazing for quite some time living in LA. Not much sense dragging out the telescope if all you can see is the moon and a planet or two.
I haven't really seen the Great Nebula in Orion in years.
Now that we have a place where it actually gets dark, it is becoming an interest again.

I should have said Alt-Az. On higher magnifications, objects move out of the field of view too fast.

much safer to project a solar image onto paper
even a small survey transit will produce a clear sharp 8'' dia sun with spots on white paper
as will a small telescope

and no way it can blind you
direct views of the sun can blind you

an older used scope is a good way to start outside his points deal
even a old mirror can be re-silvered [they use aluminum today]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassegrain_reflector are best but cost more

cheaper but big and bulky are https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtonian_telescope

I have a small cassegrain and two large 8'' newtonians one the wife ground as a kid
the other bought for the equitoral clockdrive mount paid about 200 each but years ago

truth is with hubble and web their pictures are so much better why ever try anymore to do your own ?

Alright guys, if you have $200 or less to spend, get a good quality pair of binoculars like 8x42 Vortex, 10x50 Celestron or Nikon, and spend a year learning the sky with these and a good Zero gravity lounge chair for comfortable viewing.

If you really want a telescope to begin exploring the night sky my 1st recommendation is to start with good optics AND a very sturdy mount that can be easily pointed. You just can't get this with any "free" scope so spend your "free" on something else and spend a bit of real cash on a scope that will bring you pleasure rather than frustration.

The 1st recommendation is a classic 6" Dobsonian reflector. Good optics and a very sturdy mount that is easy to point will open up the moon, planets, and bright deep sky objects under dark skies. This is a nice one but there are many others. Sometimes you can find these used for around $250 and that is a great way to get introduced to astronomy:
https://www.astronomics.com/sky-watcher-6-f-8-classic-150p-dobsonian-telescope-s11600.html

My 2nd recommendation is for a small Mak with a solid mount for observing bright objects like moon and planets, and also as a quality terrestrial spotting scope for wildlife, hunting, birding etc. With this one you give up some brightness to gain higher magnification for longer reach. The Nexstar 90SLT has high quality optics that won't disappoint and the mount will find and track objects in the night sky once you have it aligned.
https://www.celestron.com/products/nexstar-90slt-computerized-telescope?_pos=5&_sid=7bdc902ff&_ss=r

Both of these are quality entry level scopes that are easy to use and transport to dark skies. They are WAY better than any "free" scope you can get from air miles and arguably better than the ones Charles Messier used to chart bright diffuse objects in the heavens. Ditch the cheesy finder they come with and spend $40 on any decent red dot reflex sight for ease of pointing the scope.

Why listen to me? I have been a backyard astronomer all of my life. I started with a TERRIBLE Sears 60mm refractor on a frustrating wobbly mount at age 12, graduated to binoculars as I got older, and did astro imaging for 10 years in the 90s with a Celestron C8 and Byers worm drive mount. After learning the sky and photographing it's wonders my interest has shifted to periodic comets and solar eclipses. I currently own a Celestron 90SLT, several nice tripod mounts, and an Astro-Tech AT70ED scope for eclipse and comet photography. Simple quality tools that travel to dark skies and solar eclipse totality easily.

Cheers!

You want to buy The Stars: A New Way to See Them by HA Rey(yes, the Curious George guy) Buy the book, and a red light to use when you go out, to preserve your night vision.


Seriously, you want to buy this book if you have a kid with even a remote interest in astronomy. Albert Einstein was a fan, no seriously.