Telescopes

forestwildlife · #1 (**permalink**) 24-08-2009, 02:21 PM

After some tips really on what the best telescopes to buy are, ive got around £150-200 to spend so anything around this would be good.
What scopes have you got and are they any good? Links of where to buy online etc would also be a help

I've just found a skywatcher explorer 130 on ebay for £140 is this any good and is that a good price if so?

nytecam · #2 (**permalink**) 24-08-2009, 05:48 PM

A tricky one as we don't know your expectations or interests

Quality telescopes can be horrendously expensive and your budget is on the low side. However you may like to scan some s/h scopes at
U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell
and enter max value; telescope 'refractors'; reflectors; catadioptic
or
North Star Optical The Vista 80S Spotter and astro scope starter kit for a cheap option

or Google TelescopeHouse - good luck

forestwildlife · #3 (**permalink**) 24-08-2009, 05:58 PM

im a total newb to be honest and only started looking with last weeks meteor shower, i suppose id like to be able to see the planets closer, would i be able to do that with the telescope you've linked to in your second link?

nytecam · #4 (**permalink**) 24-08-2009, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forestwildlife

im a total newb to be honest and only started looking with last weeks meteor shower, i suppose id like to be able to see the planets closer, would i be able to do that with the telescope you've linked to in your second link?

I had a look at Jupiter tonight [bright 'star' low in SE] with a comparable [70mm] aperture scope - the oval disk of Jupiter with two faint belts visible on disk plus 4 bright Galilean moons in a line.

Venus [morning star] will shows phases like the moon and Saturn [morning star] will show the projecting ring system plus moon Titan as a tiny point of light beside it. Mars poorly placed 'till after Xmas but still a tiny disk and no marking until it moves closer again. The moon will be spectacular especially away from full moon.

Tonight I also tried the Ring Nebula [near brilliant overhead star Vega] as extremely faint smoke-ring and the Dumbbell Neb likewise near Altair bright star but lower down. This scope also ok for terrestial viewing too - it has an erecting prism so view is right-way up and angled so stuff high in the sky is less neckbreaking

That said I've not tested this scope personally