Telescopes. A question about what telescope to buy.?
Hey guys. I want to buy a telescope but I’m not sure which one to get, could you guys help me out please? I want the telescope to look at planets, the moon and galaxies. I would like really good close ups of the moon also. These are the three telescopes I’ve been debating over: “Celestron NexStar 127 SLT Telescope” “Celestron NexStar 4 SE Telescope” “Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope 8 inches” Which one do you guys think I should get?
There are of course pros and cons to buying either a Dobsonian or GoTo (computerized) scope: Some of them for Dobs (which the XT8 is a Dobsonian):
PROS
1. They are inexpensive as compared to other scopes
2. They are easy to set up.
3. They don’t require a lot of accessories
4. They facilitate you learning the night sky
CONS
1. They are pretty much a “plain-vanilla” scope. Other than observing, there isn’t much flexibility to do anything else (like astrophotography)
2. Most Dobs won’t track your object. Walk away from it for any period of time or just slightly bump the scope and you have lost your target.
3. You’ll find yourself in various positions (sometimes contortions) trying to look through the eyepiece.
4. Again, with most Dobs at the lower price range, if you are a beginner and don’t know the night sky very well, you will spend a LOOONG time searching for your targets b/c there is no “GoTo” function.
That’s the short list. Whether you purchase a Dob or some other type of scope is a matter of personal choice. My choice was to spend the money on a computerized GoTo scope (which tend to be more expensive) b/c while star-hopping is good to know, I would rather learn the night sky using binoculars and star charts (which I did) rather than spend my money on something that would neither save me time when I wanted to quickly find an object nor be of any use for my ultimately pursuing astrophotography. Although Dobs get the job done for viewing inexpensively as opposed to a GoTo scope, a notebook and a pencil get the job done inexpensively as opposed to a laptop. My philosophy is that if the technology is there, USE IT. If you want to learn the night sky with your scope, don’t power it up and just use it manually. At least you have that option (which you don’t with a Dobsonian).
Whatever you do, think ahead for what you want your scope to do for you in the future, not just for the present. Make sure you look at ALL the benefits and drawbacks BEFORE you spend your money so you don’t wind up with a very expensive coat rack.
The link below has some good information. One is called “Telescopes 101″ and the other is “Understanding Telescopes.” I would advise you to start there in researching scopes. Most of the time, it comes down to what you are willing to spend, but you need to know some basic information before you make a choice. A scope is an investment whether you spend $300 or $3000.
Wish you all the best in your new astronomical pursuits!
Clear Skies!
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