Telescope recommendation

[Campo Steve]

OH wants a telescope to look at the moon and planets. I know nothing about telescopes and their specifications. Don't want to spend too much as I don't know how much it wil be used, but would like one that that is effective. No point getting one that is rubbish as it would probably go back in the box after one use.

Any recommendations or advice?

[Devils Advocate]

Hiya Steve, we've mostly all been through this one. I wanted a scope and asked on a forum as you have and the most common reply for the budget v quality was Meade. So OH bought me one for a birthday, boy did it look the business ......however it did just what you fear and went back in the box....being ebayed a few years later. Just to fussy to use and I was flabbergasted to find that astonomical scopes view upside down when looking at something on Earth .........without of course splashing out more dosh on the correction lens which was also not that good.

So in essence I'd personally reccomend what I did. Buy a spotter scope, I've got a one with a X75 and X250 spotter. Only use the X75 as the 250 is impossible. I've left it in Spain now......it's superb for looking around the mountains and such and when pointed at the moon you feel as though you're on it.

Don't be fooled by big magnification claims either,it's like hifi, a proper 50watt amp will blow the doors off some Jap ones in Comet claiming 2000watts per channel.

Quality of lens is the important thing here not gimmicks..............stick with a big name maker with no huge magnification claims and you'll be fine. I did the same with my Binocs...........bought a 20x80 all singing zoom set and they are not a patch on the boggo Minolta 10x50s I swapped them for.

All the best with it...........and no bikini surfing

[katy]

We bought a complicated tripod one in Gibraltar years ago. Never got it working right. Gave it to the animal charity when we left, as new in box. Wasted on us

[Devils Advocate]

Did you take the lens cover off?

[knowal]

I've always been interested in Astronomy, but it wasn't until I came to Spain that I saw the rings of Saturn for myself. I have got a second hand cheap 150mm reflector with a 1400mm focal length. It has a couple of different eyepiece magnifications.
I know where to look and what I'm looking at, but I very rarely get it set up, unless I have visitors who are interested. Once you have seen the rings of Saturn, moons of Jupiter, Orion nebula etc. it's not worth the effort of mounting the scope on the tripod, finding the object, and tracking it.
Unless you have a polar electric drive, you'll be surprised how quickly the Earth spins and the object disappears from the view through the eyepiece!

[pmb]

I got a cheap shopping channel telescope as a Christmas present but I find it disappointing. Looking to buy a better one , maybe go for a Celestron. In the meantime can I point you in the direction of the excellent free program Stellarium that shows the night sky in real time at your location. Worth a google and download.