Telescopes

[Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO]

Or Stellarium...

 

http://www.stellarium.org/en_GB/

 

It has telescope control so if you have a motorised 'scope it couldn't be easier and motorised scopes are not that expensive.

It's worth taking some time to read through the available options as the basic download doesn't include everything but there are still 600,000 objects in there. It does satellite tracking too. Click on a celestial body or a satellite and the astronomical details are placed on scree. I LOVE Stellarium...

Oh ta Blatman I forgot about that

I had it on my last pc, but when it died and i  replaced it with a new one I forgot to download Stellarium, It's great.

[BillyPee]

Hi Martin. I would not recommend getting a telescope at this stage. Personally, I would borrow or purchase a pair of 10x50 binoculars which give a good field of view and magnification but are not too big to handle that you need a tripod to support them. These are a good size for non astronomical viewing too, e.g. birdwatching, so you will get more use from them.

 

I would highly recommend "Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars" by Patrick Moore, as that will increase your interest and enjoyment and give you plenty to look at and see whether the interest continues before making a telescope purchase. I'm afraid that good telescopes are a lot of money and the cheaper ones are very much like toys and sure to lead to disappointment. Before you invest in a telescope, go to your local astronomy club and try different telescopes to see which type suits you best. Above all, have fun exploring the night sky.

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Stuart]

After a fair bit of research I just bought one of these. Arrived next day (which was this morning) and looks great but I can't set it up yet as it's an Xmas pressie.

[Rory's Dad]

Thanks chaps.  You know that thing about more power etc...  Strathspey sell their 10 x 50, 12 x 50 and 20 x 50 all at £49.99.  I'm tending to think 12 x 50s would be the best compromise - would you agree??

 

I think the book's a great idea BillyPee - I'll get one ordered.

 

Thanks again 

[Rory's Dad]

Sadly, the Patrick Moore book has had some poor reviews but this one seems the most popular on Amazon.

[Blatman]

Strathspey sell their 10 x 50, 12 x 50 and 20 x 50 all at £49.99.

I assume you are choosing 12 x 50 over 20 x 50 in order to see a slightly brighter image based on exit pupil diameter calculations?

[BillyPee]

Hi Martin.

 

I wouldn't consider the 20x50 for casual astronomy. I would suggestion you choose between the 10x and 12x. Just to be clear, 12x is the magnification and the 50 means that the glass at the big end is 50mm in size. So with all these binoculars, they let in the same amount of light. My choice would be the 10x, as it gives the biggest field of view (so you can see a bigger patch of sky at once and say get all of a star cluster in the field of view). All stars are going to be a point of light at these magnifications so I don't see any value in higher magnifications, unless say you want to see more detail on the moon. As for the specific binoculars you are looking at, I'd say they are absolutely fine and will serve you well for other pursuits. You can pay more, if you pockets allow, with the main benefit to look for being the minimisation of chromatic aberration which, put simply, is false coloured borders around objects. A good shop will let you try before you buy, and specialist shops might let you use them overnight.

 

I have the Patrick Moore book and recommend it (I haven't read the reviews). I got the book over 10 years ago and found the advice regarding binoculars and telescopes to be sound. Also, it gives a good list of objects to view which will reward the casual observer with binoculars.

 

As for the Dobsonian, you get a lot of bang for your buck (aperture in telescopes is a lot like displacement in engines) but the price you pay is having a very large telescope that is a pain to store and transport. I don't know where you live but if you want to get the best from your telescope but live in a city, you will end up travelling to dark sky sites and you'll likely need a large car or an estate. Also, they are a bit unwieldy. If these aspects are not a concern, then this represents a great telescope. There are, however, more convenient designs of telescopes but you do pay more and the type of telescope you get will depend on if you develop a specific interest, e.g. lunar/planetary, deep space, solar, etc. Even then, I don't get my telescope out very much as its much more of a palaver to set up than a pair of binoculars and its only better on short sessions if I'm looking at planets.

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

I assume you are choosing 12 x 50 over 20 x 50 in order to see a slightly brighter image based on exit pupil diameter calculations?

 

uhh my brain hurts

[Rory's Dad]

uhh my brain hurts

 

...mine too 

 

What I'm asking is if my wife gets ( ) a pair of 12 x 50 binoculars, would that a reasonable choice for gazing at the moon and stars and also for bird watching??

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

My Srathspey 10x50 astronomical binoculars are brilliant and I am really happy with mine.

Nice and light and comfy to hold and use and I have never thought... I wish I got bigger ones.