Telescope Question ........

[asphaltgambler]

Hey all - my elderly mother-in-law wants a telescope to gaze at the stars. So we are looking in the $300 range as that is the budget.....for now.

Anyone have experience and suggestions?

Thanks!

[Eric Hahl]

Orion Starblast 4.5

Orion 6" Dob

Starblast 6"

[Eric Hahl]

Adventure scope 80

Explore Scientific 102

Celestron 102

[Cajundaddy]

Agree with Eric. A 6" Dob or Celestron 102 would be on my my short list of satisfying entry level scopes. Add a star finder smartphone app so she can find the fun stuff to look at.
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/752-best-space-watching-apps.html

[Eric Hahl]

Of course you could all in like did with a 5" APO refractor riding on top of a 6" refractor on top of 300 plus pound mount, LOL.

[vash]

I vote that Eric gets all the telescope questions

[Sooner or later]

Add a 100 to your budget and get one wirh a go to system. Orion and Celeron have nice models in that range. Not sure about Meade.

[flatbutt]

Will your MIL be able to leave it in place once it is setup? Can she drag it in and out and set it up herself? If not then maybe a good set of astro binos on a tripod will suffice.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008Y0VN/ref=as_at/?imprToken=.j-3fd9hujiTOYb.OgSsYA&slotNum=19&ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00008Y0VN&linkCode=w61&tag=optdenbinobing-20

[masraum]

2What's really important is how much weight she will want to carry and setup, and how much time she'll want to spend setting things up.

Eric's suggestions were spot on, of course.

You can get a lot of telescope for $300. The best bang for the buck would be a 6" or 8" dobsonian (newtonian scope mounted on dobsonian base). You used to be able to get a Zhumell 8" for $300, but a 6" should be a sure thing in that price range. And they require no setup, but they are the size of a small canon, with a 4' long 6" (or 8") diameter tube mounted on a base. They are fairly light for their size too, but still not super light or easy to lug around because of their size. Also, the Newtonian tubes require occasional adjustment (collimation) to get the best image.

An equatorial mount will be heavy, and requires a fair amount of setup to be useful for tracking.

A small reflector like a Newtonian or a compound like a Catadiopteric (sp) on an alt/az mount will be the simplest.

I started with a short tube 102mm (4") refractor (on something like an alt/az mount or photo tripod) and that worked well too. That will probably be the lightest scope with the easiest setup.

Types of Telescopes - Tips for Buying Your First Telescope

You'll encounter three basic types of telescopes:

Refractors have a lens at the front of the tube — it's the type you're probably most familiar with. While generally low maintenance, they quickly get expensive as the aperture increases. In refractor lingo, an apochromat offers better optical quality (and is more expensive) than an achromat of the same size. Watch an animation of light passing through a refractor.

Reflectors gather light using a mirror at the rear of the main tube. For a given aperture, these are generally the least expensive type, but you'll need to adjust the optical alignment every now and then — more often if you bump it around a lot — but that adjustment (called collimation) is straightforward. Watch an animation of light passing through a reflector.

Compound (or catadioptric) telescopes, which use a combination of lenses and mirrors, offer compact tubes and relatively light weight; two popular designs you'll often see are called Schmidt-Cassegrains and Maksutov-Cassegrains. Watch an animation of light passing through a compound telescope.

To help you sort through what Eric recommended, we'd need to know more about the lady in question.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

Will your MIL be able to leave it in place once it is setup? Can she drag it in and out and set it up herself? If not then maybe a good set of astro binos on a tripod will suffice.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008Y0VN/ref=as_at/?imprToken=.j-3fd9hujiTOYb.OgSsYA&slotNum=19&ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00008Y0VN&linkCode=w61&tag=optdenbinobing-20

This is a fantastic suggestion (I didn't check the link about the specific gear). A lot of folks find that a comfortable chair, a nice pair of binoculars, and a nice mount for them is very pleasurable. You won't get the "Wow" view that you do with a telescope, but the whole thing is much more casual, much easier to run outside for 10 mins or 30 mins or 2 hours without hassling with a bunch of setup and tear-down.

Also, even though you aren't likely to get as much magnification (which is a whole new discussion), because you are looking with both eyes, they say that having both eyes in play is like putting a turbo on a car, you're supposed to multiply what you can see by something like 1.4x. I don't remember the explanation exactly, but I think the deal is that the brain is receiving twice as strong an image of the same thing which means it's got more to work with. I have used several different binoculars and a couple of different scopes (4" refractor on a photo tripod and 8" Dobsonian). Being able to increase the magnification up to say 300x can give you some Wow factor at times, but you can't always do that due to weather conditions, and when you do go up to 300x or even 200x, it creates other issues (what you're looking at moves out of frame very quickly unless you've got a tracking mount). But, one of the most pleasant and fun nights that I've had looking at the stars was me sitting in a lawn chair with a really cheap pair of 10x50 binoculars.

[Cajundaddy]

I like medium size binos (8x42) hand held in a lounge chair under dark skies a lot. You can just relax and sweep the milky way in comfort. Any larger and they really need a parallelogram mount to put you in a comfortable viewing position. Trying to use them on a standard tripod is really awkward when looking up unless they have right angle eyepieces.

[Eric Coffey]

Unless you are really into it, I see telescopes as being in the same category as exercise equipment. That is, most think they will use it a lot more than they actually do, and the novelty soon wears off and it becomes a piece of furniture/clothes hanger. So, I'd probably find something used to start off with. There are probably plenty to choose from at Goodwill, or on Craigslist, etc.

[id10t]

Thing I always hated about telescopes was the image inversion thing. Which of course messes with the image at super high magnifications, esp. on colors of things.

I'd look at nice spotting scopes with appropriate tripod mounts. Check the bird watching forums or the long range bench rest shooters. Should still be able to see plenty of cool stuff, easier to use, and can also be used terrestrially for bird watching, the nude beach, etc.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

I like medium size binos (8x42) hand held in a lounge chair under dark skies a lot. You can just relax and sweep the milky way in comfort. Any larger and they really need a parallelogram mount to put you in a comfortable viewing position. Trying to use them on a standard tripod is really awkward when looking up unless they have right angle eyepieces.

I use my 20x70s on a monopod. Not as steady as a tripod but you can tilt it while sitting comfortably.

[asphaltgambler]

Hey - thanks all for the great feedback and suggestions! I'll need to do more digging as I'm not sure if it will be in one spot - or it needs to be moved around.

Lot's of really good comparisons above - Lots of good input as well!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

I like medium size binos (8x42) hand held in a lounge chair under dark skies a lot. You can just relax and sweep the milky way in comfort. Any larger and they really need a parallelogram mount to put you in a comfortable viewing position. Trying to use them on a standard tripod is really awkward when looking up unless they have right angle eyepieces.

Definitely. 8x42 is about max for easy of use. 10x is pushing it, and 10x50 is going to have a fair amount of movement. But, under nice dark skies, the 8x42 will be nice.

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

Unless you are really into it, I see telescopes as being in the same category as exercise equipment. That is, most think they will use it a lot more than they actually do, and the novelty soon wears off and it becomes a piece of furniture/clothes hanger. So, I'd probably find something used to start off with. There are probably plenty to choose from at Goodwill, or on Craigslist, etc.

Agreed, that's why I made the points that I made about easy of use and setup. Something small, like a small 4.5" table top scope or a pair of binoculars, while maybe not as sexy as a big scope will probably get more use.

It's a lot like picking a .22 or a 44 magnum for plinking. The .22 will probably get used a lot more for several reasons.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I use my 20x70s on a monopod. Not as steady as a tripod but you can tilt it while sitting comfortably.

I guess maybe you've got a ball head on your monopod?

I've got a pistol grip on my photo tripod and it works well, but can be a bear if you get anywhere over 60°-70° above the horizon.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by masraum

I guess maybe you've got a ball head on your monopod?

I've got a pistol grip on my photo tripod and it works well, but can be a bear if you get anywhere over 60°-70° above the horizon.

yes I do. 60 - 70 degress...chaise lounge!

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I use my 20x70s on a monopod. Not as steady as a tripod but you can tilt it while sitting comfortably.

It does work. I have used my 8x56 the same way, mounted on a monopod, hand-held, and steadied with my feet while lying back in a lounge chair. My wife won't go there though and I am guessing the OPs aging mother-in-law likely won't either.

The best tool is the one they will use.

[whotfami]

Originally Posted by masraum

2What's really important is how much weight she will want to carry and setup, and how much time she'll want to spend setting things up.

Eric's suggestions were spot on, of course.

You can get a lot of telescope for $300. The best bang for the buck would be a 6" or 8" dobsonian (newtonian scope mounted on dobsonian base). You used to be able to get a Zhumell 8" for $300, but a 6" should be a sure thing in that price range. And they require no setup, but they are the size of a small canon, with a 4' long 6" (or 8") diameter tube mounted on a base. They are fairly light for their size too, but still not super light or easy to lug around because of their size. Also, the Newtonian tubes require occasional adjustment (collimation) to get the best image.

An equatorial mount will be heavy, and requires a fair amount of setup to be useful for tracking.

A small reflector like a Newtonian or a compound like a Catadiopteric (sp) on an alt/az mount will be the simplest.

I started with a short tube 102mm (4") refractor (on something like an alt/az mount or photo tripod) and that worked well too. That will probably be the lightest scope with the easiest setup.

Types of Telescopes - Tips for Buying Your_First Telescope


To help you sort through what Eric recommended, we'd need to know more about the lady in question.

Highly appreciated! Thank you, that was a very informative and useful message for me, helped me with my debut telescope purchase