i searched and found nothing. i'm thinking about getting a telescope. something pretty basic. i want to look at planets and whatnot. i know nothing about them so i'm not sure where to start. a long time ago we had one that you could program w/ your lat. & long. and it'd take you on a tour of different stars and planets, but we never programed it and my dad gave it to a friend. that kind of thing would be cool too, but i'm sure it's expensive.

any ideas?

5/21/2007 10:56:53 AM

meade 3400 (i think)

only like 150 bucks. they usually come with a pre-programmed star finder.

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 11:29 AM. Reason : sdfg]

5/21/2007 11:28:16 AM

thanks, i'll look it up.

to clarify, i searched tww. i looked on google some but i wanted more specific recommendations for makes/models for people who know nothing about telescopes. and by nothing, i mean nothing. i know they're used to look at objects far far away, that's all.

oh and i don't want to look at things on the ground, just in the sky. we've already got some big ass binoculars for that.

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 11:57 AM. Reason : ]

5/21/2007 11:49:40 AM

well i can be more specific, but honestly i am to lazy right now ( i actually had to work this morning at work ) to think about it and type. i will however after lunch give more details ok

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 11:53 AM. Reason : sdfg]

5/21/2007 11:53:17 AM

no problem, that comment wasn't so much directed at you as it was other ppl reading. thank you (:

5/21/2007 11:55:41 AM

go here
http://www.astronomics.com/main/category.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/How%20to%20pick%20a%20telescope/Page/1

that website has links at the top that tell about different types of telescopes. you can also use the links on the left to check out scopes in your price range. i suggest the meade brand. You don't need that nice of a scope to pick out planets and other features. You'd be surprised what you can see with a mid-range scope. Also, try to choose one with the "autostar" feature..that will guide the scope to what you want to look at automatically, it is awesome.
I have a SCT (Schmidt-Cassegrain) Meade LX90 and absolutely love it. Granted it is pretty steep in price, it was well worth the money. I have pictures of it in my photo gallery.

5/21/2007 10:04:26 PM

RC Optical Systems 20" Ritchey-Chrétien Cassegrain reflecting telescope
http://www.rcopticalsystems.com/20inchtruss.html
$54,300
Doesn't include anything but the telescope--no computer tracking, nothing. Although, it does let you see things like this...

M83


NGC5866


Helix Nebula

5/22/2007 12:30:06 AM

the most important thing is the diameter of the telescope. the larger the diameter, the more light that is coming in and the brighter your images will be.

5/22/2007 6:17:35 PM

It also depends on the kind of telescope--refracting vs. reflecting.

5/22/2007 6:24:22 PM

there is a telescope store in the shopping center off of duraleigh near glenwood.

might want to check them out.

5/22/2007 11:25:08 PM

i don't live in raleigh, but thanks.

my dad dug this out of his closet at the beach house:
http://www.shoptics.com/bu-ts-789570.html
i'm pretty sure it's just a dept store scope, but it's mine now and i didn't have to pay for it. i'm not sure how long he's had it (under 10 years for sure) and it's been used maybe 5 times total. i can look at the moon and get pretty good detail. i would rather have one with a larger aperture though.

should i stick with this for a while, or go ahead & sell it on ebay and get a nicer one? i haven't tried it at my house yet, only at the beach.

he also has these (he loves gadgets):
http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/productdetails/sku__AR001
and i can see stars that are not visible otherwise with them. they're mounted on a crappy tripod, but they're very easy to use. what should i expect to be able to see with something like that?

[Edited on May 28, 2007 at 10:06 PM. Reason : ]

5/28/2007 10:02:49 PM

at 140x i would think it would be really hard to keep the binoculars from moving, even with a tripod. is that a problem when you use them?

5/28/2007 11:07:25 PM

yeah. you HAVE to use them on a tripod and don't dare touch them after you get something in focus. it is possible though. we hardly ever zoom all the way in on something, the most maybe about 75%. there's just not enough light.

5/29/2007 10:05:49 AM

Get a dobsonian. A good basic one starts at $400 but they are more bang/buck than those galilieos.

[Edited on May 29, 2007 at 1:16 PM. Reason : ]

5/29/2007 1:10:43 PM