Telescopes anyone?

[csentil]

Well, I was browsing amazon and not one Celestron telescope had a 5 star rating. Common complaints seem to be it being too complicated to setup, being bulky and poor customer support ! The Powerseeker 127 in India is quoted at 16K+ by tejraj whereas in amazon its available for 150$ !!! I guess you can get it shipped to India and it would still cost less !!

:-)

[Blue_V]

Originally Posted by Edsel Rulez!

What's the purpose? Terrestrial or night-sky observation? For the former you'll need a refractor, but for the latter a reflector is ideal. Reflectors are also cheaper and lighter, for the same magnification. If you're a beginner, a really nice reflector shouldn't set you back by more than 15-18K. Celestron Starhopper is a good brand, but I don't know any dealers in Bangalore.

Night-sky. I want to buy a good one once and forget abt it.

[Chandrainsky]

RK Photo Guide is also a dealer for Celestron if I remember right.

If you are really serious about skywatching go for a big aperture. There are lots of 3 - 4 inch scopes out there in the market and you will quickly run out of objects to watch. If you want to do only visual observations, look for a decent Newtonian (6 to 8 inch). A scope with a Dobsonian mount is ideal for a beginner and it costs a lot less also. You can make your own telescope also if you dont mind doing some hard physical labour of grinding and polishing the mirror. It costs a lot less.

If you are also interested in photography, a scope with an equatorail mount (or an alt-azimuth mount with dual axis drive), very good drive and a solid mount is required. But that will cost you in six digits.

Keep in mind that the skies in cities are horrific for astronomy. If you are in a badly light polluted area be prepared for some disappointing views.

clear skies!
Chandrainsky

[zenx]

My son got a little keen about the stars (he's 6 years old) so got him the first "toy" telescope I could find - some Benjamin 45x40 - but have clue no how to set it up or if its useful at all. Tried observing the moon last night but was better off with the naked eye

This thing was about 840/- and don't want to spend too much more right now cause stuff usually doesn't last too long in my son's hands - but this seems to be failing for anything at all.

[aZa]

My dad had got me a startracker system from tejraj when i was in 11th! Its great fun, but there is too much of ambient light and vibration from the main road for continious spotting.

[adityamunshi]

You're right. the light pollution spoils all the fun. Even i rarely take out my telescope nowadays.

Originally Posted by aZa

My dad had got me a startracker system from tejraj when i was in 11th! Its great fun, but there is too much of ambient light and vibration from the main road for continious spotting.

[Chandrainsky]

Originally Posted by aZa

My dad had got me a startracker system from tejraj when i was in 11th! Its great fun, but there is too much of ambient light and vibration from the main road for continious spotting.

Light pollution of course is the curse of all cities. But vibration from the road? I didn't get you??

By the way I saw a 5 inch Newtonian reflector (Celestron make, most likely Chinese make, like all things you buy today!) at "Spar" mall on Bannerghatta Road. The price tag was 16K. Of course, its far too small for any serious observing.