Need a little help...Norah wants a telescope

ryantt

As the title says Norah Grace wants to get a telescope...I have no idea what to buy and do not want to break the bank.  Thinking under $300.  Any suggestions, as you guys seem to know just about everything.

Kayak

At that price point, maybe start with a good pair of binoculars? A telescope in that range (other than used) has a high likelihood of poor quality and high frustration. You might look at Oberwerk, or Orion. At least you'll learn some things from them. Good luck!

lkapigian

I went through this awhile back on this thread..there is a couple good reads I did first 

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1225111/way-ot-telescope-pros

Not sure where you live but where I am, Light Pollution ( street lights homes ETC) and Air Pollution really limits you @ home, so If driving to view , consider something portable 

WeberWho

I know nothing about telescopes but your best bet might be something used in that price range. My dad's work associate was down sizing his house and gifted my dad a really nice used telescope for nothing as he didn't have the room or location for one anymore. A telescope is one of those items someone really wants until they don't. You might be able to snag one off someone who is looking to downsize or just not interested in it anymore on the cheap. 

ryantt

@lkapigian ordered the book.  

Also we live near the Amish so we can get to the country pdq.

this is my version of rush hour traffic 

SciAggie

These folks make quality produces. The telescope you need depends upon what you want to view.

https://www.telescope.com/

For example Reflector telscopes are a great value but the image is upside down and backwards. No big deal if you are looking at stars and nebulas. It's a big deal if you are looking at deer.

QDude

I would look for a used Dobsonian design telescope on Craigslist - 6" or larger. Avoid the crap scopes that are advertised for Christmas every year. The scope is just the beginning of the cost as decent lenses cost a pretty penny.

thetrim

Steer clear of something like this.  

https://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/for/d/holiday-tasco-45t-telescope/7196184590.html

fishlessman

no idea about the telescopes but pay attention to the tripod as well. just worked on a project with cheap tripods and ended up gluing most of the joints to get them to work in a way the client could use them. worth paying for a good tripod as they can be used on other things like video and photography

dannys

I have a friend who is very into astronomy. When my late wife wanted a telescope I  asked him. He said emphatically Orion XT6.  It is within your preice range.

Corv

I used to have two telescopes for astromony. Neither are in your price range but what I learned might be somewhat helpful.

The 90 mm (about 3.5") Televue gave a wonderfully clear view, but the only mount I could get at that time was an equatorial mount, which worked fine but was very awkward. The telescope optics were first rate.

The 8" Meade was easy to use and became my go-to much of the time for that. But the size meant that it saw more atmospheric turbulence than the smaller Televue. That meant that the picture shook and vibrated much more. The optics, while quite acceptable, were not of the quality of the Televue, and side by side, that was easy to see.

One thing I noticed looking at things around me with the telescopes is that for long distances here on the ground, the haze reduces the quality of the image. Basically the view is no better than what you can see - if it's hazy you'll have a washed-out view. For looking at the sky, I disliked the clunkiness of the equatorial mount. For mounts generally, set the telescope up and give it a tap. It should not move perceptably. If it does, the mount isn't stiff enough.

Good luck!

ryantt

Called Orion and they suggested a few items that we've ordered. Amazing customer support when we called.  I thought for sure they’d want to up sell, but they pointed us to something under budget and then suggested some items to make it more versatile. Excited to get it and let her take it for a spin.  

td66snrf

I would suggest the app Starwalk 2. You can point your smart phone and it will tell you what planet or star you're looking at. We had a 300mm refractory as a kid but by the time you set it up it was a major ordeal and then it was boring. I have no connection with this app. I think it's like 5 bucks but it's  way cheaper than a telescope. Buy the upgraded version. 

Killit_and_Grillit

When I was in middle school the high school neighbor girl and her friends started tanning in her backyard on the trampoline.

I asked for a telescope for Christmas. She moved away. It’s probably still in a box around here somewhere. 

lkapigian

I will a this, a good pair of binoculars will get you some very good gazing 

RyanStl

I agree with the good binoculars statements. At least they can be useful other than looking at the night sky. Luke someone else said, telescopes sound like fun, but unless you get an expensive one, it will be a let down.

RyanStl

thetrim said:

Steer clear of something like this.  

https://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/for/d/holiday-tasco-45t-telescope/7196184590.html

I had one of those as a kid in the 90's. If I recall, it was closer to a hundred at the time. It was not the fun I expected.

thetrim

Does anyone know if this is a good deal or not?

https://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/for/d/spring-hill-meade-lx-200-emc-8-telescope/7200093987.html

Botch

RyanStl said:

I agree with the good binoculars statements. At least they can be useful other than looking at the night sky. Luke someone else said, telescopes sound like fun, but unless you get an expensive one, it will be a let down.

Agree; I had an inexpensive Tasco as a kid.  It actually was a lot of fun looking at the moon (especially first/third quarter) but stars still looked like points of light, and without a camera you couldn't see anything else in real time.  

HeavyG

Botch said:

RyanStl said:

I agree with the good binoculars statements. At least they can be useful other than looking at the night sky. Luke someone else said, telescopes sound like fun, but unless you get an expensive one, it will be a let down.

Agree; I had an inexpensive Tasco as a kid.  It actually was a lot of fun looking at the moon (especially first/third quarter) but stars still looked like points of light, and without a camera you couldn't see anything else in real time.  

Stars (other than our Sun) will always look like points of light regardless of the price of your telescope.

GregW

You may want to take a look at cloudynights.com
They have an active forum and members sell their used equipment.