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Hey there! I'm Dave Hearn and I'm the Director of Kissimmee Park Observatory, and I've been
using all kinds of telescopes for over 30 years. In this "Extra" episode of Star Hopping,
we're going to finish up our exploration of how to buy Telescopes for Beginners; kids
or adults that are just getting started in astronomy and learning the night sky. Last
week, in Part 1, we discussed the 3 variables you need to consider in selecting a telescope,
and in this episode; Part 2, we'll tell you where you can buy them, and how much you can
expect to pay. More about all this great stuff right after this - stay tuned.
Hey Hello Hi and welcome to Episode 8 of Star Hopping with Kissimmee Park Observatory! I'm
Dave Hearn, and I think it’s totally freaky to be your host. So this is the second part
of our Star Hopping "Extra". Occasionally we'll need to discuss some other interesting
areas of amateur astronomy while we wait for the stars to rise a bit. This is one of those
times, since in the recent episodes we've covered everything in the eastern sky until
about the end of November. We'll get back to our deep sky targeting techniques next
week.
So I just want to reiterate that this episode finishes our discussion of how to buy a Telescope
for a Beginner. If you haven’t seen Part 1, I would highly suggest that you go back
and check it out before watching this one. Just click on the movie thumbnail below to
check it out.
So, with all that said, let's proceed and talk about telescope mounts.
The type of mount determines what you can do with the scope. If you are interested only
in visual observing, and want an easy, intuitive way of pointing the scope and locating objects,
then the Dobsonian scope design is best for you. This type of telescope was pioneered
by John Dobson of the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers, in the early 90s. This is an
altitude - azimuth mount, meaning the motion of the mount is along and at a right angle
to the horizon. This is very intuitive way to locate and find objects, you move right
left and up down. Perfect for Star Hopping like we normally do on our show. But if you
want to take some astrophotos with your scope, this is not the way to go.
Enter the equatorial mount. This type of telescope mount moves in the same way that the stars
move, rising in the east, setting in the west, and rotating around the pole star, Polaris.
This type of mount needs some additional setup time because you have to align the main rotation
shaft to point at Polaris. Once that's done, the mount can use special gear motors to track
the stars. This means that the object you are looking at will remain centered in the
eyepiece, which is really nice. You can take time and really examine a celestial target
without having to bump the scope along to keep the object centered in the eyepiece.
This also allows you to attach a camera to the telescope to take time exposures of the
sky, like this one from KPO. An equatorial mount will allow you to grow into the hobby
and expand what you can do with it. The downside is that it's not as intuitive in locating
objects as sometimes you have to rotate both shafts to make the scope move to a specific
target. This gets complicated when you are looking at objects around the pole or low
in the south. Additionally, now you need power to drive the motors, and you'll be dealing
with wires. But you definitely get used to it after using the mount for a while.
There are other combinations of these mounts, such as polar fork mounts and altaz fork mounts,
usually paired with the folded light path scopes, from companies like Meade and Celestron.
But the concepts are the same - they either move around the pole like an equatorial mount
or they move along and at right angles to the horizon, like an altaz mount. Very often
these scopes are computerized and are definitely more technical.
Speaking of technology, one of the main new advances in telescopes that have appeared
in the last 10 years or so, are GoTo mounts. These are computerized telescopes that automatically
move and locate deep sky objects. The concept is fabulous, because you don't have to know
how to find all these objects, and these telescopes have integrated databases of thousands of
objects. But in my opinion, this is NOT the way to go for a beginner telescope, for two
main reasons.
The initial setup is complicated, the methods used for setup varies between manufacturers,
and if you don't get it right, the scope will not be able to find anything, which is very
frustrating for a new user. I have seen people buy these fancy scopes and end up never using
them because they spend more time trying to figure out how to make the scope work than
in actually looking at celestial targets. Using a GoTo system will prevent you from
learning the sky, because the scope finds everything for you. One ends up having no
idea where the object actually is located. This is similar to the "calculators in school"
issue years ago. I know I'm dating myself there! But it's my opinion that it's important
to learn how to find these objects in the sky manually. It allows you to be familiar
with the sky, and you can generally help people in their object location, which is one of
the best parts of organized astronomy. Once you are proficient at finding celestial targets,
then it might be okay to move up to a GoTo system.
Okay, so this was all a huge amount of information, so let's sum it all up before we start looking
at actual telescopes and places to buy. Again the three variables are. Cost, Size, and Type.
Let's tie them all together here.
An entry level scope will cost less that $200. The advantages are simplicity of setup, use,
and storage. The disadvantage is that it is good for viewing the Moon and bright planets
only, and it won't give you the ability to see much detail.
A midrange scope will cost $200 to $500. The advantages is increased aperture to allow
you to see fainter objects, like star clusters, nebulae and galaxies, and to give you options
like additional eyepieces to change magnification. The disadvantage is increased size, and longer
setup and breakdown time. At the top end of this range you will be able to get into equatorial
mounts which will allow you to do basic astrophotography, at the cost of requiring power and dealing
with wires.
A high end consumer range scope will cost $1000 and above, and this will allow you to
view the full range of deep sky objects on the Messier and NGC lists. It will allow you
to get into astrophotography, and will include GoTo systems. The disadvantage is increased
complexity, increased size, and even longer setup and breakdown.
So, what scopes can we buy, and where do we get them? There are tons of telescope suppliers
out there, and you can find them on the Internet, and in magazines like Sky & Telescope and
Astronomy magazine.
But my favorite source, and where I normally send people is Orion Telescope Center, which
can be found on the web at www.telescope.com (not telescopes with an S, as there is another
site named that way that I am not familiar with). Just to be up front, I am in no way
affiliated with Orion Telescope Center - I just like them and have bought many scopes
and accessories from them over the years. So I guess that's a good testimonial.
Here are some example telescopes they have in the three ranges and options. You can find
the links to these products down in the episode notes.
First of all let's look at their Refractor telescopes at three cost levels.
At the lowest price, I would suggest the StarBlast 70 Altazimuth Travel Refractor Telescope Kit
at $129. This is a basic altaz mounted scope with a 70mm objective lens, which is 2.75
inches in diameter. This kit includes three eyepieces, astronomy software, and a few entry
level books. Seems like this one would be a great scope for children getting started
out in astronomy.
At a mid level price I would recommend the AstroView 90mm EQ Refractor Telescope Kit
at $399. This is a much larger scope on an equatorial mount, with a 90mm objective lens,
which is a little over 3.5 inches in diameter. This kit includes two higher quality eyepieces,
several filters for enhancing views of the moon and planets, astronomy software, and
a few reference books.
I don't have a recommendation for a high end refractor, as the next level jumps to almost
$1600 and its a GoTo mount, which I don't recommend for beginners.
Moving along to Reflectors!
At the low end I would recommend the StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope, at $210. I
have this scope, and I would highly recommend it for your child. It has a 4.5" mirror, and
that means it can see nearly all the planets and many deep sky objects. It does not have
a lot of magnification, but it presents bright, sharp images. It's also very small, as it
is a tabletop telescope.
At the midrange, I would highly suggest the SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope & Beginner
Barlow Kit at $360. I also personally have one of these scopes, and it is really excellent
and for a great price. This is a 6" telescope, and at that aperture you can see nearly the
entire Messier list of deep sky objects. This scope will easily show you the Rings of Saturn
and the Moons of Jupiter, and really kicks butt on the Moon.
And at the high end, a great choice is the SkyQuest XT12i IntelliScope Dobsonian Telescope
at $1250. This scope includes a system that guides you to deep sky objects as you push
the scope. I am okay with this kind of system because it does still make you notice the
star patterns as you move toward your target. Usually these systems are much simpler in
setting them up so they are oriented to the stars. Be aware though that this is a large,
12" scope which will not fit in compact cars.
And regarding compound scopes, the price tag is generally higher, but they are definitely
more compact. Meade is the brand to buy here for starting out. Orion has a couple but this
seems to be the best choice in my opinion: the Meade LX70 M6 6" German Equatorial Mak-Cass
Telescope, at $1000. Other compound scopes in their offering are much higher priced,
and are not really in the ballpark for this tutorial's subject of beginner telescopes.
So, lots of choices here, but if you want me to narrow down the best choice, I would
have to go with the SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope & Beginner Barlow Kit at $360. This
is the best all around telescope that can fit in small vehicles, but still will please
the eye with the moon, the planets, and many deep sky objects. It's a great all around
scope to start someone out in astronomy.
Trailer
I hope you enjoyed this Beginner’s Telescope Buying Guide. We'll continue to bring you
these astronomy tutorials every every week on Thursdays. They will be designed to help
you find deep sky objects that are up in the sky at the time we post them to YouTube.
If you found this video useful, please consider Subscribing to our Channel down there, click
the Thumbs Up, and please share it out to your friends who like looking at stars. The
more the merrier! Also, as I just mentioned, please feel free to leave any question or
comment below, and we will be sure to respond quickly.
Also, please follow KPO on Facebook, where we post all of our astrophotos and keep everyone
informed about upcoming astronomical events. We'd love to hear from you to discuss all
this great stuff up in the sky.
All the links to these places including our website kpobservatory.org, can be found below
in the Episode Notes as well.
And finally, if you feel this video provides you value, and if you'd like to see more,
please consider supporting us on Patreon, where for a couple dollars per video, you
can support our efforts and let us make even more great astronomy tutorials like this one.
Well thanks again for watching, and we'll see you next time on Star Hopping with Kissimmee
Park Observatory.