I don't know what the measure of magnification is for telescopes, can someone please tell me which one of these would have the best image quality and distance/magnification?
1. http://www.amazon.com/Meade-20128-DS-211…
2. http://www.amazon.com/Orion-StarBlast-4-…
3. http://www.amazon.com/Orion-SkyQuest-Cla…
If they are all garbage, do you know of one in that price range that is better?
1. http://www.amazon.com/Meade-20128-DS-211…
2. http://www.amazon.com/Orion-StarBlast-4-…
3. http://www.amazon.com/Orion-SkyQuest-Cla…
If they are all garbage, do you know of one in that price range that is better?
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3 is the only one worth considering, because of good optics and a solid, easy to use mount, but I would urge you to consider a similar telescope with a larger aperture (diameter of main mirror) such as the Orion SkyQuest XT6 or XT8. I would also strongly suggest that you buy it direct from Orion, not through Amazon. That way you will get support directly from the importer, by far the best in the telescope business:
http://www.telescope.com/Orion-SkyQuest-…
Here are a few web pages with good information on beginner's telescopes:
http://www.gaherty.ca/tme/TME0702_Buying…
http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html
http://observers.org/beginner/j.r.f.begi…
For more advanced information, read Phil Harrington's Star Ware, 4th edition (Wiley).
You'll get the greatest value for your money with a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount, such as these:
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobs…
http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtin…
Buy from a store which specializes in telescopes and astronomy, either locally or online; don't buy from department stores, discount stores or eBay as mostly what they sell is junk. Find your local astronomy club and try out different telescopes at one of their star parties:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community…
I strongly recommend that beginners steer clear of astrophotography until they have learned their way around the sky. Astrophotography is by far the most expensive and difficult area of amateur astronomy.
Many people who buy telescopes have no idea how to find interesting things to observe. A good introduction to finding things is NightWatch by Terence Dickinson (Firefly). A more advanced book is Star Watch by Phil Harrington (Wiley).
http://www.telescope.com/Orion-SkyQuest-…
Here are a few web pages with good information on beginner's telescopes:
http://www.gaherty.ca/tme/TME0702_Buying…
http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html
http://observers.org/beginner/j.r.f.begi…
For more advanced information, read Phil Harrington's Star Ware, 4th edition (Wiley).
You'll get the greatest value for your money with a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount, such as these:
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobs…
http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtin…
Buy from a store which specializes in telescopes and astronomy, either locally or online; don't buy from department stores, discount stores or eBay as mostly what they sell is junk. Find your local astronomy club and try out different telescopes at one of their star parties:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community…
I strongly recommend that beginners steer clear of astrophotography until they have learned their way around the sky. Astrophotography is by far the most expensive and difficult area of amateur astronomy.
Many people who buy telescopes have no idea how to find interesting things to observe. A good introduction to finding things is NightWatch by Terence Dickinson (Firefly). A more advanced book is Star Watch by Phil Harrington (Wiley).
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Most nebulae are faint. Only a few can be seen with the naked eye; the rest require binoculars or a telescope.
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