Amateur telescope reccomendations?

Shop deals on ebay
rocket sok
The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
The practical magnification is limited by many things, including atmospheric distortion, telescope optical design, Airy disk diffraction limited image contrast, and aperture light gathering power. Too much magnification, and you only see a dim smudge instead of anything visually useful.

One of the biggest errors that novices to amateur astronomy make is to focus on magnification power.
 
My experience with Barlows hasn't been good. They cut the light in half and they seemed to interfere with focus. But as well, I've always had cheap junque and lousy mounts, so there's that, too.
 
Just a thought...

Your experiments thus far have been with multiple optical choices for one specific telescope of unknown ability.

Try to find a local observing group and look through some different telescopes at a “star party”.

Warning: Astronomy is an expensive hobby but the cash outlay can be a lifelong investment in precision instruments.
 
Total astro-noob here but could you test your optics out on a not-so-distant object that should be easier to get good focus on (aka the Moon)? Or is that too close for this kind of 'scope?
 
Mars is a tough nut to crack, and seeing conditions make it worse. :(

Do check your collimation, but don't expect surface details.
A 130 newt is not a bad scope, the mount is it's weakest point.

Cameras always pick up the details before the eyes.
Astro Photography (AP) is almost like another hobby and is very expensive.
To do AP, you need a REAL sturdy mount, and a lot of patience.
 
heada said:
Total astro-noob here but could you test your optics out on a not-so-distant object that should be easier to get good focus on (aka the Moon)? Or is that too close for this kind of 'scope?
Click to expand...
For all practical purposes the moon and the stars are all at infinite distance. However, almost any scope will give a decent image of the moon, partly because it's so bright. The ultimate test used to be a Foucault test of the main mirror, but today it appears that a star test, properly done on a good "seeing" night, is the best test. A person skilled in star testing can tell precisely what errors are on the main mirror (or objective lens), whether it has a turned-down edge, etc.

I only know what cloudynights.com has taught me. Telescope making has changed enormously since I made my first 8" mirror as a college freshman.

Best -- Terry
 
so far:
  • Covid lock down, so not too many gatherings, but I am looking
  • moon has just passed the "new" stage, and we will be seeing it soon enough!
  • All those hurricanes mid-west cold fronts that've passed thru?! Yeah, that all comes up my way! So, been cloudy & rainy most nights over the past few weeks..
The wife did talk about Saturn again tonight, said again that it was pretty cool. So, she's gonna hound me a bit to get out on some nice nights!

You guys help too!! and thanks for that! :D
 
Not to hijack, but I was curious, and I bought the Celestron FirstScope off Amazon. I've been using it on clear nights to look at the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn from my backyard. I live in the middle of major metropolitan area (streetlights, house lights, etc). I can just make out Mars as an orange blob, Jupiter as grayish disc, and Saturn as a gold oval.

Would it be better in the country with less light around, or is that about the best a small scope can do?
 
gna said:
Not to hijack, but I was curious, and I bought the Celestron FirstScope off Amazon. I've been using it on clear nights to look at the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn from my backyard. I live in the middle of major metropolitan area (streetlights, house lights, etc). I can just make out Mars as an orange blob, Jupiter as grayish disc, and Saturn as a gold oval.

Would it be better in the country with less light around, or is that about the best a small scope can do?
Click to expand...
A decent 3" scope should give sharper images than that. Did you have dew when you viewed? The primary mirror should be ok but the secondary and the eyepiece can get covered with dew pretty easily.

Try it in the country, on a night when there should be little dew.
 
prfesser said:
A decent 3" scope should give sharper images than that. Did you have dew when you viewed? The primary mirror should be ok but the secondary and the eyepiece can get covered with dew pretty easily.

Try it in the country, on a night when there should be little dew.
Click to expand...
Don't think so. It's been warm for the last few days, but relatively dry. It was about 50 degrees at the time, dewpoint was mid-30s.
I wear glasses, and tried with and without glasses. I think I have a slight astigmatism, but it was slightly better without glasses.

The telescope is very small and compact, so it would be easy to take out in the country. I'll try that.

I'll see if I can get my daughter to look through it. If she can see things clearly I'll blame my eyes.

I did learn not to look at the almost full moon--it's so bright it hurts.
 
gna said:
Don't think so. It's been warm for the last few days, but relatively dry. It was about 50 degrees at the time, dewpoint was mid-30s.
I wear glasses, and tried with and without glasses. I think I have a slight astigmatism, but it was slightly better without glasses.

The telescope is very small and compact, so it would be easy to take out in the country. I'll try that.

I'll see if I can get my daughter to look through it. If she can see things clearly I'll blame my eyes.

I did learn not to look at the almost full moon--it's so bright it hurts.
Click to expand...
A “lunar filter” will help with the bright moon.

Usually such a filter is simply a neutral density lens that dims the brightness to a specific level.

They come in a variety of “strength” and are reasonably priced.

WRT image sharpness, it’s always a good idea to have others look through your scope to get their opinion. They may either confirm your observations or ooh and ahh over the views. In the latter case it would seem your eyes might be the limiting factor...especially with astigmatism.
 
Mike Helm said:
If you can build a rocket you can build a really nice telescope. I was lucky enough to attend an event (StarFest?). Anyways a bunch of folks from the Sidewalk Astronomers were there. I spent much of the time in the courtyard with builders who could put together a decent scope out of found items...meanwhile my wife and daughter were inside attending a lecture by John Dobson himself. https://www.sidewalkastronomers.us/
Read a lot and be informed before jumping in because there is a lot to know. Decide how much space you have that your willing to dedicate in both your home (storage) and your car (transport). I would also suggest that you seek out and attend a local star party where you can meet others and experience their equipment. I live near Los Angeles and Griffith Observatory hosts a star party once a month and you can walk from scope to scope and get a real good feel for each one and talk to the owners who are very passionate about sharing their knowledge and experience.
Click to expand...
I second these recommendations. My first scope was a 4.5" reflector that I got as a gift, as soon as I started researching, I exchanged it for a 6" reflector on a much heavier equatorial mount. I'm glad I did, the mount is so much more solid, it makes a big difference in how still your views are at magnification. Anyway, a few years later, I built an 8" dob with my kids. It wasn't that difficult, and is my go to scope, because it is a large enough mirror to pull in enough light to see dimmer objects. There are lots of resources online as well as books with dob plans. Not to mention, go to an astronomy club's viewing event, and you will likely run into people who have built their own scopes, and would probably love to talk about it.
 
Sooner Boomer said:
Anyone use a smart phone adapter with their scopes?
Click to expand...
Excellent suggestion!

If the image displayed on the phone screen is sharp but eyeball image through the eyepiece is blurry, the eye is the issue.

Many people use an electronic eyepiece and watch the image on a TV or a PC/Mac screen.

Mallincam is a big player in that area.

No longer is it necessary to hunch over an eyepiece to observe the heavens.

And through electronic wizardy, such devices can make very faint objects easier to see,
 
I'll see if I can get my daughter to look through it. If she can see things clearly I'll blame my eyes.

I did learn not to look at the almost full moon--it's so bright it hurts.
Click to expand...
If you have to remove glasses to look in the eyepiece, any/all vision faults esp. astigmatism will present themselves. Definitely get young eyes to look through the scope. Sadly, your daughter may be unwilling to have you replace your eyes with hers. A bit painful. :D

FWIW laser surgery for vision correction may result in star images that have spikes, corresponding to the scars left on the cornea. One reason why I continue with old-fashioned glasses.

Best -- Terry
 
prfesser said:
If you have to remove glasses to look in the eyepiece, any/all vision faults esp. astigmatism will present themselves. Definitely get young eyes to look through the scope. Sadly, your daughter may be unwilling to have you replace your eyes with hers. A bit painful. :D

FWIW laser surgery for vision correction may result in star images that have spikes, corresponding to the scars left on the cornea. One reason why I continue with old-fashioned glasses.

Best -- Terry
Click to expand...
Youth is wasted on the wrong people.
 
for planets, collimation, magnification (up to the limit of your scope and atmosphere) are your friend. On my 12" SCT (F/10), a 14mm UWA (214x) is just always right on the edge of atmospheric limitations. I do have an 8.8 UWA (341x) and a 7MM Nagler for those amazing nights, but they see very little use. My views are pretty similar to the ones shown above for Saturn and Jupiter.
 
gna said:
The FirstScope comes with two eyepieces, an H20mm and a SR4mm. I gather they are not very good. So what would be a good eyepiece that would help the performance?
Click to expand...
A Plossl eyepiece is made of two achromatic (color-corrected) lenses, and is probably the lowest-priced decent eyepiece.
https://www.astronomics.com/eyepieces-barlows/eyepieces.html?___SID=U&dir=asc&limit=50&order=price
The FirstScope spec says it has a 300 mm focal length. I'd suggest a 10 or 12 mm f.l. eyepiece, and a 2x Barlow (preferably a Barlow that can be adjusted between 2-3x). That would give 25-30 power, a good general use power, and 50-60x when conditions are better. You *might* be able to go up to 120x with that scope, but it would have to be a perfect night of still, clear air. That happens in about one in every 20 or 30 clear nights.

You could get the same powers with a 10mm and a 5mm eyepiece, but...eye relief. That's the distance between your cornea and the eyepiece, and it decreases with the eyepiece f.l.. With a 10mm eyepiece and 2x Barlow, you can get higher power but with the longer eye relief of the 10mm eyepiece.

Best -- Terry
 
prfesser said:
I would suggest Cloudy Nights, with a search for your vendor. Also, the beginner's forum may tell you a lot that you'd like to know.

Best -- Terry
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll try that. I found the parent vendor for that sales outlet and they weren't much more help, but they answered the phone and told me where to look in my information.

If I can't find it, I'll post back.
 
o1d_dude said:
Nice bino set up you’ve got there.

Love me some bino. They get more use than my Stellarvue refractors.
Click to expand...
@o1d_dude , I made myself a 5" binocular mounted on a Dob mount a few years back. I live in a dark area rurally and with sky filters I can easily see the Veil Nebula. There is something about having both eyes integrating the photons that make things brighter. I also used these binos to watch the 2017 Solar Eclipse from southern Illinois in the path of totality. :) WALL-E.jpg
 
Greg Furtman said:
@o1d_dude , I made myself a 5" binocular mounted on a Dob mount a few years back. I live in a dark area rurally and with sky filters I can easily see the Veil Nebula. There is something about having both eyes integrating the photons that make things brighter. I also used these binos to watch the 2017 Solar Eclipse from southern Illinois in the path of totality. :) View attachment 438199
Click to expand...
That is awesome!
 
gna said:
The FirstScope comes with two eyepieces, an H20mm and a SR4mm. I gather they are not very good. So what would be a good eyepiece that would help the performance?
Click to expand...

I have a Celestron First Scope (circa 2009) and it came with an accessory kit that adds a 6mm and 12.5mm, finderscope and moon filter to the standard setup.

Not bad with the 10 or 12.5 for lunar stuff, but a lot of other things are elusive. Also, the mount is garbage. I get better results with good binoculars. Our sky here on top of the ridge is astounding most nights. Magellanic clouds with the naked eye astounding.
 
Cape Byron said:
I have a Celestron First Scope (circa 2009) and it came with an accessory kit that adds a 6mm and 12.5mm, finderscope and moon filter to the standard setup.

Not bad with the 10 or 12.5 for lunar stuff, but a lot of other things are elusive. Also, the mount is garbage. I get better results with good binoculars. Our sky here on top of the ridge is astounding most nights. Magellanic clouds with the naked eye astounding.
Click to expand...
Would love to see the Magellanic Clouds, also Omega Centauri.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top