Anyone know about TELESCOPES???

charley83

I am planning on buying my son a telescope for his birthday. I've been reading up and basically I know you have to buy a decent refractive one to make it worth it.
I could probably stretch to £200 - can anyone recommend manufacturers/ models etc. Sorry but I really know nothing and the more I look at different ones, the more confused I get!!!

Hope someone knows about telescopes!

Thanks, Charlotte

thor

You should have a browse through a few astronomy magazines at your local Whsmiths. They are full of adverts and reviews. Having said that though, I have bought a few issues of Astronomy Now for that very purpose and I must admit I still am not sure which scope I would choose for myself. There are so many types and brands out there!
I do know that you are going to struggle to get a decent one for less than £200 sadly.
There was a budget/begineers telescope reviewed in June's issue that impressed me. The price is a little out of your range but it does come with a GOTO system which allows you to easily find objects even if they are invisible to the naked eye(believe me this is a very useful function) and is extremely compact. It is called the Digimax-90 and is made by Konus.
It is currently being sold at uk-telescopes.co.uk for £289. The reviewer gave it the thumbs up so it is worth checking out.
If you can't afford to go above £200 then why not follow Sir Patrick Moores advice and get a pair of astronomical binoculars instead. Some are much better for observing than cheap telescopes.

charley83

Fantastic - I will check that telescope out. I will do my budget planner for the month and see if I could get it. Perhaps I could get away with getting him a lesser chrimbo present then.

Really appreciate you're help - that's exactly what I was after (someone who clearly knows more than me)!! Thanks

kwikbreaks

One thing to be wary of before shelling out lots of money...

If you live in a city then the light pollution will drastically cut down on the number of nights when you can see anything much at all.

Don't expect to see anything like the sort of pictures you can find on the web. With a small amateur telescope the planets are tiny specs of light which sweep across the field of view very quickly unless the mount is motorised or you have a very steady hand to track it.

My own (adult) son counts astronomy as one of his hobbies and you need to spend quite a lot to get halfway decent results.

TimothyEBaldwin

kwikbreaks wrote: »

Don't expect to see anything like the sort of pictures you can find on the web. With a small amateur telescope the planets are tiny specs of light

Even the best telescopes produce blurry images of the planets compared to the space probes.

Taffybiker

I know nothing about telescopes, but it is refreshing to see a topic other than computers and software in this forum.

charley83

Hmm I have a lot to consider there. Thanks to everyone for your replies - I will have a good think on whether it's worth waiting a couple years when I'll be in a better financial situation or buying one this year. All advice much appreciated :T

System

If you are unsure if your son is very enthusiastic, you might like to look at Maplins (on-line) at their prices.

kwikbreaks

Taffybiker wrote: »

I know nothing about telescopes, but it is refreshing to see a topic other than computers and software in this forum.

Sorry to disappoint but computers and software figure prominently even in amateur astronomy these days

charley83

I have been thinking - I might see how much money I can conjure out of other people towards a telescope, even combining some Xmas and birthday money - also saves having a bedroom cluttered with stuff he'll never use

I will prob do a post soon asking for opinions on specific telescopes - sorry computer nerds

Thanks again, Charlotte

Taffybiker

kwikbreaks wrote: »

Sorry to disappoint but computers and software figure prominently even in amateur astronomy these days

Just as well I started by saying ..."I know nothing"...:rotfl: