Telescope

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I have always wanted one. Wife and I were trying to come up with a good "family" gift for Christmas and I said telescope. Well a couple weeks later my three year old tells momma today that he wishes we had a telescope so we could all look at the stars together. Love that guy!

Sooooo, I'm not made of money but don't want to buy junk either. Anyone have recommendations of a decent quality one that won't force me to sell any firearms to purchase it? I plan on keeping it in in my care and taking it out at home and maybe bring it along on car camping trips. I'll probably get a book or two about the stars to compliment it, so any input there would be much appreciated also.


Thanks in advance CFF'ers!
 
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I can't make a brand specific recommendation but 2 years ago I was at a party in Ft. Lauderdale and this guy had his laptop hooked to his telescope. The laptop actually controlled the mechanism that located various constellations and individual stars. The screen was large enough for several people to see at the sane time which I thought was cool as ice...... I'm sure it wasn't cheap, but very impressive......
 
Since you are in WNC ---I would suggest taking part in this organization. http://www.astroasheville.org/ They know a lot about telescopes. You could save a lot of money buying what is designed for YOUR use rather than getting something that is overkill or just junk, I have participated and you do not have to join unless you like the group. Their outings are really cool and you can use telescopes from amature type to rocket scientist lenses.
 
I can't make a brand specific recommendation but 2 years ago I was at a party in Ft. Lauderdale and this guy had his laptop hooked to his telescope. The laptop actually controlled the mechanism that located various constellations and individual stars. The screen was large enough for several people to see at the sane time which I thought was cool as ice...... I'm sure it wasn't cheap, but very impressive......
I have seen Celestron telescopes with similar features.
 
IMO, in terms of bang-for-the-buck beginner light buckets, a 6" or 8" non-computerized (aim it yourself, no tracking) Dobsonian like @dmarbell posted is the sweet spot. I would go for the 8" if you can stretch the budget that far; 6" if you really have no idea if this will go somewhere. 8" is 78% more light-gathering aperture and comes with a second eyepiece, but 6" is (only slightly) more portable.

For a book, I like "Turn Left at Orion." https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Left-Or...1510771612&sr=8-1&keywords=turn+left+at+orion Shows you views of what objects look like through binoculars, small refractor, medium sized Dobsonian. Lots of basic observing tips.

Being in WNC, you probably have ready access to some relatively dark skies (relative to other parts of the state, anyway). Good luck!
 
DMARBELL nailed it. A good deal of the enjoyment in astronomy is actually finding what you are looking for. Much better for learning than the GO TO scopes. You see a lot with the GO TO scopes, but since it does all of the work, you are viewing but not learning as much. IMHO
 
You've gotten a lot of good advice here but before you plunk down your cash please let me run this past you. You mentioned you'd like a "family" telescope. May I recommend somethig like this $150-ish Orion Observer 80ST.

@Miss Lily and I have the celestron version of this and have gotten a lot of good use out of it over the years. As an astronomical tool it's quite functional but not outstanding. We often look at the moon, we took pictures of the recent eclipse with it. We've seen Mercury transit the face of the sun, seen sunspots, constellations, and we have seen the rings of Saturn (not well mind you but you CAN see them). But this is not where it stops, it really only begins there. You'll have to buy it an eyepiece that flips the image so things are right side up but once you do, you can also watch birds which we do often at home and camping. It's good at the beach for watching boats (or people). We took it to Va Beach once and plopped it on an 8th floor balcony and watched Tall Ships (and yes, submarines) come into Hampton Roads. It also makes a hell of a spotting scope if you don't mind toting the stuff around.

As with our firearms hobby, much of your enjoyment come not just with the scope but with the accessories. You should get an equitorial mount (so you can add the GoTo functionality later) no matter what you do. Solar filters are a must IMHO, moon filters are nice. Extra, more powerful lenses are great, just remember that there's a limit to how much your "light bucket" can actually magnify based on focal length. The USB eyepiece to view it on a computer screen is easily available. Camera mounts are fun. Most if not all of these parts will be usuable later with other telescopes if you find you like the hobby and want to upgrade. And the very good thing is all of this, save for the tripod/mount fits into a standard plano toolbox from Walmart making it much more likely to have it with you when you and the family want it.

I (we) have been very happy with our short tube and have actually used it once in a while instead of plunking it in a corner as a reminder of my short attention span. Hope that's a helpful second approach.



 
Agree the 80ST is a good choice for starters, easy to store in closet when not needed.
Look for deals for black Friday. Check the clubs, often you can get a used scope after
a member has upgraded.
 
You fellas are awesome. I'd much rather read a few honest posts from here than wade through piles of internet BS. I've learned a lot in just a few posts. Thank you all!

I'm going to keep an ear down to the ground and see if a deal comes up. Anyone parting with something that fits my needs please send a PM.
 
I had a 10" coulter optical Dobsonian when I moved here....always seemed too cloudy so I sold it. I really enjoyed it when I used it in NM though.
 
Theres lot of dark sky in NM...and very thin atmosphere....perfect for astronomy.

My coulter was one of the big blue cannon looking things. It was a light bucket but for a n00b it was fantastic.
 
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