telescope buying

[shankar kadiyala]

Hello all,

I am 52 years old and now I am getting some free time in life. I would like to buy a good telescope for exploring the universe. Price is not a constraint for me. I would like to buy something advanced  and if possible easy to operate and portable. I am a novice to this world of astronomy but I would like to study deep. Pls help me out as i would like to get it from China next time i go. 

Please guide me and suggest some good telescopes. 

regards,

Shankar

[keerthi kiran]

If you want a visual telescope, Celestron 8SE would be a good choice. This comes with a 200mm mirror and 2000mm focal length. Celestron also has telescopes up to 14" in the same range. But as the telescope gets bigger, it becomes more difficult to set up and operate. 

Celestron 6SE has a mmall tube, it is easy to set up, has long focal length, and is good for seeing planets and galaxies. 

If you want to do photography, Takahashi has a range of premium telescopes to choose from. Apart from the telescope, you will also have to buy a tracking mount, a DSLR or a dedicated astro camera, a guide scope and a guide camera and so on. 

Thanks and Regards,

Keerthi

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[shankar kadiyala]

Thank u for the reply. Since it is a onetime affair for me i had to ask. I will get one.

Regards

Shankar

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[keerthi kiran]

The best thing to do would be to go to a star party, see what other people are using, talk to them, see through the telescopes and decide. 

Also you could join our telegram group, see the discussions and then decide. 

Thanks and regards,

Keerthi

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[shankar kadiyala]

thank you very much. Unfortunately in my part of India there are no people with such enthusiasm.But still i will try

regards

Shankar

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[Arnab Mukherjee]

Hey,

I am not an expert buy love astronomy.

I think you need these things to enjoy universe:

1. Binoculars(10x50)

2. Naked Eye.

3. Clear and Dark Sky.

This is the perfect time to start, winters have best night sky.

Regards 

Arnab 

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Regards,

Arnab Mukherjee

Mobile-7760684595

[Ajay Talwar]

Hello Shankar,

I wanted to reply to your query, but somehow missed it. I see that there have been a few replies to your email, and you may have posted your query in the BAS telegram group too. Nevertheless I would like to add my experiences with various telescopes as an aid for you to reach a conclusion.

I have been making and using Dobsonian Telescopes since the 90s and found them very handy. I learnt a lot of sky, constellations, patterns and the path to deep sky objects by using Dobsonian telescopes. The path to deep sky objects using star patterns in the sky, a.k.a. "Star Hopping" is so ingrained in my mind, because I have been doing it since the beginning of my hobby. Weather it is NGC 7662, or that planetary nebula in M46, I can locate it easily, using a manual telescope.

After many years of using a Dobsonian, a friend of mine in the US wanted to dispose his Meade LX200 8inch telescope, and it was an opportunity for me. I purchased it at a good price and brought it back home. The first night out with the telescope, I was able to see about 100 objects! It is a goto telescope and I operated the telescope using car battery.

The cost of purchasing the 8-inch goto telescope was enough, that I could have purchased a larger Dobsonian manual telescope.

Some important key points to keep in mind regarding various telescopes/mounts:

A mount is as important as the telescope,

Manual equatorial mounts are extremely cumbersome for visual use, (in my opinion "junk")
Low cost GOTO equatorial mounts are prone to electronic as well as mechanical failure,

An 8-inch Dobsonian is the minimum size that you should go for,

A 10-inch Dobsonian (approx 48" length) will fit in the back seat of any car, even small car, to take it to dark skies,

A 12-inch Dobsonian telescope will need a car with a big boot, will show lots and lots of deep sky objects easily from dark skies,

A 20-inch Dobsonian telescope will need a innova to carry, will show numerous deep sky objects even from nearby cities, at dark places a 20-inch you will see faint outer regions of the deep sky objects, you will not feel the need of doing astrophotography.

A large Refractor such as a 6-inch will be heavy, but an overall small package, will out-perform as a 10-inch dobsonian but will cost the earth. Astro-Physics refractors are considered the best, and there is a couple of years waiting time to purchase one.
6-inch to 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes with one fork have a lot of vibration even in little wind.

I would be happy to answer more questions.

Ajay Talwar

Nightscape Gallery: www.ajaytalwar.com/gallery
TWAN Gallery: www.twanight.org/talwar