Beginner telescope for a kid

Spontaneous spinach said:
Does it perform well in terms of seeing deep space objects? I want to see nebulas
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I'm no expert but I don't think you are going to get better bang for buck than a reflector if deep space observation is your goal.

The catadioptric is generally a much smaller telescope which already makes it a better option for the average guy since it is more portable and therefore usable. Also, less maintenance than a reflector.
 
One of my scopes is 5 inch Maksutov Cassegrain catadioptric. They are compact , very rugged and can give you a long focal length. Unfortunately you need aperture to fully see DSO'S. ( 8 inch and up) and this is were catadioptric scopes become very expensive.

To fully see Nebulas you need aperture and thus your bigger aperture dobsonians and Newtonians come into play.
They are A LOT cheaper! Yes they are bigger and require regular collimation but 90 % of backyard viewers and amateur astronomers use them because they are great.
 
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Marius Reitz said:
One of my scopes is 5 inch Maksutov Cassegrain catadioptric. They are compact , very rugged and can give you a long focal length. Unfortunately you need aperture to fully see DSO'S. ( 8 inch and up) and this is were catadioptric scopes become very expensive.

To see fully see Nebulas you need aperture and thus you bigger aperture dobsonians and Newtonians come into play.
They are A LOT cheaper! Yes they are bigger and require regular collimation but 90 % of backyard viewers and amateur astronomers use them because they are great.
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Can you state some prices bud on those scopes which are great for viewing nebulas?
 
Spontaneous spinach said:
Wow that telescope looks absolutely amazing , maybe in the far future.
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Only problem with those are that they're a bitch to move around.

Save yourself some money, buy a reasonable Newtonian, go to an astronomy club and use somebody else's ;)
 
An 8 inch Dobsonian or Newtonian is more than adequate for DSO and nebula viewing. 8 inch starts to be classified as "light buckets" because of the bigger aperture. You can buy an new 8 inch for about 9K ( a motorised GO TO scope will cost more). Google Technopro, an online South African telescope shop.

Second hand you will find great deals. I bought my 8 inch Skywatcher for R2000.00. ( without a mount) . With a mount you can pick it up for 3 to 4 K.
 
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69a75498f876b5b13d3a73a9963b942d.jpg


Both my 8 inch and 5 inch scopes where bought second hand.
 
Marius Reitz said:
An 8 inch Dobsonian or Newtonian is more than adequate for DSO and nebula viewing. 8 inch starts to be classified as "light buckets" because of the bigger aperture. You can buy an new 8 inch for about 9K ( a motorised GO TO scope will cosy more). Google Technopro, an online South African telescope shop.

Second hand you fill find great deals. I bought my 8 inch Skywatcher for R2000.00. ( without a mount) . With a mount you can pick it up for 3 to 4 K.
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Links? I can't find them that cheap (new) on the sites I know.
 
Hamster said:
I'm no expert but I don't think you are going to get better bang for buck than a reflector if deep space observation is your goal.

The catadioptric is generally a much smaller telescope which already makes it a better option for the average guy since it is more portable and therefore usable. Also, less maintenance than a reflector.
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Absolutely correct.
 
All dobsonians though...

EDIT: screw it...one of those might just be awesome for the porch
 
You can also go the other route and get a DSLR and get a tracking mount for it (or make your own)

http://geartacular.com/how-to-guide-astrophotography-with-dslr/3/
This was taken with a Nikon D300.
whirlpool-galaxy.jpg

If you have a good mount, you can take multiple pictures and stack them:

orion-nebula-1024x727.jpg

http://geartacular.com/how-to-guide-astrophotography-with-dslr/3/

Just looking at stuff through a telescope gets old pretty quickly IMO. The real fun starts when you start taking pictures. Then you can start doing really interesting things.
 
konfab said:
You can also go the other route and get a DSLR and get a tracking mount for it (or make your own)

http://geartacular.com/how-to-guide-astrophotography-with-dslr/3/
This was taken with a Nikon D300.
View attachment 409508

If you have a good mount, you can take multiple pictures and stack them:

View attachment 409510

http://geartacular.com/how-to-guide-astrophotography-with-dslr/3/

Just looking at stuff through a telescope gets old pretty quickly IMO. The real fun starts when you start taking pictures. Then you can start doing really interesting things.
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Lol I'm so jealous.
 
Anyone familiar with the following telescope, is this a good start?
Meade Infinity 70mm f/10 Altazimuth Refractor Telescope
 
Those are cool to start with. I would go with Celestron as well, but either of those two are good enough starters. Personally, I used to have a 12" Dobsonian but I had to sell it many years ago :(
 
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