I was thinking about buying an affordable telescope, but wasn't sure what to buy. I can't afford to go over $500. Has anyone here purchased a telescope that they strongly recommend? Meade looks like they have some cool affordable ones. Thanks
The little Meade Maksutov-Cassegrain scope is nice for around 500... link It's really a pain in the ass to carry a big scope anywhere (awkward/ fragile) so I highly recommend a small one unless you live in the country. You should plan on spending at least $500 for a good scope ~ you really 'get what you pay for' with optics.
last year i purchased my first telescope which was a 8 inch dobsonian. it's a good scope but a little big. i just planted on the porch at the beachouse and its turned out to be a good investment. but if you think you will be hauling your scope around in your car the 6 inch dobsonian would be the way to go. they say they're the best scopes out there for the price and the best scopes out there for amatuer astronomers who are serious abouts star gazing and who are purching their first scope. they are about 250-300 bucks.
I've wanted to buy one for forever, but I live in the middle of the city and I can't imagine the light polution + smog + low altitude would make much visable. Can anybody see, for instance, all of the Messier Objects from Houston?
Here's what I have and, as mentioned above, it's kind of a pain to move around but you can see the rings of Saturn crearly from my backyard in Houston which is always a thrill. Skyquest XT8 Intelliscope Ths scope has a computer you can buy separately that helps you find things. It doesn't move the scope (you still have to do that) it just tells you when you're pointing in the right direction (and helps get you there via a display). Personally I would not recommend getting a computerized scope. Learn how to star hop. Also there is a free program called Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts) that displays star charts which is very good for the money (free). Finally here is a cool link: The Houston Clear Sky Clock. This page gives you a forcast on when you will have clear skies to see cool stuff. If you don't live in Houston, there are a ton of Clear Sky clocks for places all over.
I run at 4:30 or 5:00 AM two or three times a week, and it is a blast running at that time and watching the shower. It was awesome last year and is awesome again this year.
Any of you guys ever seen a shooting star with the naked eye. Its pretty unbelievable, I saw one driving back to Austin one Sunday with a friend, it was her first time seeing one also. When we got to campus, we talked to two friends who were driving back from Denton who saw the same one. I was thought that was so cool, I asked one of the guys who were coming what they did when they saw it, he said in country twang monotone, "I made a wish, that's what you're supposed to do". Anyway, I might check for the meteor shower tonight, but you have to go outside of town where there aren't many lights.
I live a half mile outside of Loop 610, and I can see them with the naked eye. They are quite easy to see.
I wouldn't think so. My 8 inch dobsonian fits snugly in the back of my cherokee but its just a bit bulky. you gotta take the scope off the stand of course which is real easy to do it just slides and snaps off. it's just a bit bulky and long to be constantly moving it upstairs and downstairs but the weight of it is not a issue at all. but i really wish i would have purchased the 6inch dobsonian because with that one you can pretty much see everything you can with an 8 inch dobsonian and it seems that'd it be a little easier to transport around. but your right theres not much difference.
I just want to thank those that have given their 2 cents on this. The most that I care to spend is ~600. I leaning towards the Meade ETX-90AT, but am still thinking about the 8" dobsonian. The autostar features look really cool, but the magnification of the 8" look to be superior. Since I am a novice, the add-on features will play a huge part, until I learn more. Thanks again. p.s. For those that do have telescopes, have you ever tried connecting a camera up to it? I have seen places where you can buy adapters or make your own. If so, have you posted any pictures?
I *wish* I had picked up a scope with autostar ~ it's very cool. _____ Texas Stroke how difficult is it to track the object you're looking at with a dobsonian (ascension/declination)?
i used to skygaze with a Meade 60mm, i was able to see some stuff like the planets and other things but not that much else. light pollution made astronomy boring and repitive for me....
The details elude me now, but sometime in the 1990's a Russian satellite reentered the atmosphere and crossed over Houston on it's way to crash in the Atlantic. The first thing I thought of when I saw the video of the Columbia fireball was this, except to the naked eye it was 3x as large as the zoomed camera shots of Columbia. My normally very down to earth father who normally doesn't believe is such things saw it with me and thought it was a UFO. Apparently many other Houstonians did as well, as there was a story about UFO calls to the police in the next day's paper. To this day it is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. A blazing multi-hued fireball streaking across the sky, bright and visible in daylight that was appeared perhaps as long as a full moon is wide, and perhaps 1/6 the height of the full moon. It was and I’m sure always will be the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen with my naked eye.
