Amateur Astonomy...
Anyone on here delve into this hobby at any time? Ive been wanting to get a telescope for a good many years now, but its been one of those items I never would buy for myself. Ive asked for one for Christmas, and even if I dont get one, ill be purchasing one in the near future. If anyone has any knowledge on the subject, id like to "pick your brain" so to speak, on the subject of buying one or what would be a nice starter scope for myself.
I used to be!
#1 rule IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE!!! Put's any Pachislo addiction to shame!
There are 3 basic types of scopes: Refractor (your traditional looking scope), Reflector (Look from near the top and a mirror reflects at the bottom), and Schmidt Cassegrain or Masksutov Cassegrain.
Diameter is key to "what you can see". The smaller the diameter the less light you can absorb and less you ultimately will be able to see.
Refractors are typically best for the sharpest images. Many who want to see detail on planets go for a refractor. Now when I say detail I mean rings or moon that look like stars (no real surface detail). The only true detail you will see will be on the moon. A refractors image will be smaller than the other two types of scope. No one scope does everything! Many hobbyists have 2. One for looking at planets and stars and another for galaxies and nebulas, etc. Then you get into issues of optics and ED glass and other things that make the image as best as possible. I never new what Chromatic Abberation was until I got into this hobby.
One of the best sites is here: http://www.astromart.com/
These 2 are great resources as well:
http://www.astronomics.com/
http://www.cloudynights.com/new.htm
Unfortunately you seem to get what you pay for in this hobby. A Sam's or Costco telescope will probably be looked at a few times then put into a closet somewhere. And also, 2" eyepieces are worth every penny in my opinion over 1 1/4" during your venture!
You can easily spend $500-$2000 on a decent scope and assortment of eyepieces. And the sky's the limit on top end stuff. There are some pretty neat "Go To" scopes from Celestron now that have motors and basically point the scope to a specific object. VERY NICE Feature.
Each eyepiece hits a specific focal length. A tool called a barlow can effective double the magnification of an eyepiece so expect to invest in one to cut down on the number of eyepieces you buy.
Also, a quality tripod is important. A cheap one will have your images bouncing all around making it extremely difficult to find anything or follow anything.
Another thing you might consider is a sun scope. Typically it can cost a lot to get a good filter to look at any detail on the sun. One company came out with a "Sun Scope" for about $500. http://www.coronadofilters.com/cgi/p...amp;w=1024#pst
And lastly having the space for the scope! Some of these things are huge! I remember one time I bought a 4" refractor thinking, 4" shouldn't be too bad. Well, on the tripod it took up about the same amount of space as a recliner.
If I was to get back into it again I would either go with the 8" Celestron Nexstar (Go to scope) or a Tele Vue 85. Tele vue by the way makes some of THE best eyepieces and buying used is a great way to go.
http://www.televue.com/engine/page.asp?cat=1
http://www.celestron.com/mainf.htm
Firewire
Davis,
You should check with any Universities (IU perhaps :-) ), observatories or other "science centers" in your area to see if they have any free "viewing nights". The observatory here in Cincinnati has them weekly.
That way you get to check out other people's equipment and ask the experts before sinking your hard earned cash into something that may not be what you really need.
I considered the hobby a number of years ago, and finally passed on it because, like David R. points out, it quickly became obvious that to do it right was going to be very expensive.
What I was looking at was using a video camera attached to the scope to feed a PC. Because the special chips used in telescope video cameras can gather the light over a long period of time, you can see things this way that you can't see by just using your eye.
But, like I said, it was going to be way toooooo expensive, and besides I already had too many hobbies.
What I did do for a little while is get a user account and password for Hubble. This was a bit tricky since (at least back then) all the software you needed for this ran under Linux.
My thinking was, even if I got the best scope, camera, software, etc that I could afford, it wouldn't come close to even the worst stuff you'd find in at any university. With a chance to access the data from Hubble, why even bother. You just can't get a telescope that's better than that!
I got tied up in other projects and never did do much with the Hubble data, but there is tons of data archived in their database. There has to be lots of important stuff there that will never be seen by anyone. So, there is actually a chance to stumble upon a significant discovery - if you wanted to spend the time it takes to really get into it.
Another reason I didn't do it was all the light pollution around Indianapolis. I'd have to drive an hour out of town to get a clear sky. You might be in better shape in Anderson.
Good luck, and let us know how this hobby turns out.
I guess before I typed this, I should have asked a simple question. Are you getting the telescope to look at the stars, or your neighbors?
.
Gary
=================================
"The only way to win is to own the casino."
.....For a list of machines owned, see my profile.
Good point! Light pollution will easily rain on your parade!Originally Posted by gwarzin
Too much city light will effect your viewing capabilities.
Again, making the PST Sun scope more appealing to some.
Firewire
Year ago I had one to watch the lady next door, but the wife took it away. I told her I was only watching for her safity, in case she would fall and could not get up.
No not really, I tried it and got bored real fast.
"This is My Personal Opinion and no others"
I've tried the Meade computerized telescopes, but the affordable ones don't work all that great (again, its an expensive hobby).
I worked for NASA on the Space Shuttle team for 4 years, and was looking to build a PC controller to move the telescope over the shuttle's orbit. In the end, couldn't see the shuttle. On some higher powered scopes you can see the shuttle as a tiny blob, and watch it move.
We (NASA) have used ground based telescopes to inspect the shuttle in the past. We had a concern some time ago about tiles that fell off at launch (and we do loose a few from the vibration of launch). Typically they're belly tiles or less significant ones, not the reinforced carbon carbon tiles that are on the nosecap or leading edge of the wings.
Anyhoo...
Great info David and the rest of you guys! Thanks alot! Ive always been interested in this stuff, so I can say that id get bored with it quickly! I want a quality product that will give me that best ban g for my buck. If i get into it and see that I enjoy it, i could easily see myself spending more money on a nice scope. Just think right now I want something very reliable and quality made so I can check out constellations, maybe some planets when they are viewable, and obviously the moon. The light pollution isnt horrible around here, but I could see it as being a bit of a problem. I dont have a problem with driving a little ways out of town to find a good spot though either!
I was looking at the celstron scopes and noticed some of the advanced models aren't horribly overpriced. Would you suggest any of them for a beginner? At this point I need to figure out how much ill enjoy it at first, then later look into buying a top of the line model if it is something I will consider pursuing!
Same here. I guess I expected too much... even for a $300+ scope.
I like Wal-Mart's return policy. :wink:
logicprobe
Retired - Living on a Wing and a prayer!
A pair of binoculars and a bottle of tequilla and you'll see all the planets and stars moving around you want to. Maybe even a galaxy or two flying by..
Meanwhile, somewhere in Oklahoma.
Actually binoculars aren't too horribly bad since you get to see in STEREO!A pair of binoculars and a bottle of tequilla and you'll see all the planets and stars moving around you want to. Maybe even a galaxy or two flying by..
Orion sells some large ones for Star Gazing.
Bang for the buck would have to go to a Dobsonian IMHO. You can get an 8" for about $339 right now. That would let you see nearly as much as a scope costing 3 times as much. I think though you are supposed to leave them outside for like an hour before you view so that the mirror matches the air temp. or something.
Dobsonians at Orion
Firewire
I was checking out that dob too, looks like a nice scope! What do you set them on to gaze since its not on a tripod?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
