Ducati Monster Forum

Ive been wanting to get a telescope since the beginning of this year. And I'm getting more and more interested in it, to the point where im looking to make a purchase for something around $400. Any recommendations on brand/type of telescope?

From what i gather, i should pick up a refracting telescope over the other types.

A telescope in NYC? ???

Is this for spying on penthouses or finding Messier objects?

Depending on what you want it for, don't overlook a nice pair of electronically stabilized binoculars. It's a lot easier for an amateur to find things with them, and you can still see a lot of 9th magnitude objects if the light pollution isn't too bad.

I already have a set of 7x50s, i dont feel like theres a need to get another pair even if it has image stabilization.

but is the light polution bad enough that a telescope is useless?

I suspect it is unless you are willing to drive outside the city, we had the same problem when I was growing up in Chicago and light pollution has increased since then.

I ground my own telescope mirrors when I was a kid, guess I need a geek smiley. [cheeky]

 :(

I found this http://www.aaa.org/, (http://www.aaa.org/,) theres a viewing date, on the 23rd at a local park, i think ill go check it out and meet some people. I'm sure someone is willing to let me take a peek, and ill see if its worth picking one up or not.

I think you could have much more fun with 3rd generation night vision.....amazing.

edit: didnt see the $400 part.

Call this place

http://www.skiesunlimited.net/ (http://www.skiesunlimited.net/)

They have a good reputation and carry a nice selection of used (bought new but rarely used and in great shape) 'scopes at good prices.

I have the Meade 8" scope like this one http://www.skiesunlimited.net/index.php?ProductID=844 (http://www.skiesunlimited.net/index.php?ProductID=844)
The box they pack it in is worth keeping with the foam rubber cushion all around it.
Images are upside down with most scopes so if you want to do any ground spoting get the inverter it goes on between the scope and the eyepiece.
The motor drive and remote is a great way to stay on a planet, showed the wife Saturn one night from our backyard.

 :o That is an awesome telescope.

And unfortunately several times He Man's budget.

I would like to remind everyone to get some solar filters for the upcoming Venus transit on June 5th 2012. [thumbsup]
(next time is in the year 2117. you will be dead.)

Oh yeah... and point that thing at the moon for the LCROSS impact the second week of October :o
http://ltvt.wikispaces.com/LCROSS+Impact (http://ltvt.wikispaces.com/LCROSS+Impact)

Telescopes are like bikes, you get one, and you immediately want a bigger one ;)

Dont get me started.

Take my advise and STAY AWAY from astrophotograhy.

Probably not completely useless, but maybe kinda sort of like a bike that's stuck in say third gear.  Better than no bike, but...you're missing a lot of performance.  And I'd venture a guess that NYC air pollution is a major issue with a 'scope too.

I'm not too familiar with places around NYC that might be good for looking at the sky.  Here in the high desert the Milky Way is sometimes literally like a sheet of tinfoil spread across the sky.  If you've never seen a non light-polluted sky you owe it to yourself to get out to the Adirondacks or somewhere where there's no pollution.   But if you have to travel hundreds of miles to use your telescope it hardly seems worth it.  I think I'd stick with studying the sky with  your binoculars and if you still stay really interested, then a 'scope might be a good investment.

Wow.  That is seriously impressive.  When I was maybe 8 Dad brought home a blank glass to make a mirror from and neither one of us ever touched it.  Dunno what happened to it, probably went in the yard sale along with all my other childhood stuff after I moved out.

i dont think ive ever seen the milky way band. Can you see it anywhere where theres no polution?

You can see it here....

if it's night time...

and not raining. ;D

oh yeah?

well these guys not only did that, they built their own observatory!

http://stony-ridge.org/ (http://stony-ridge.org/)

[cheeky]

documentary:  http://stony-ridge.org/Stony_Ridge_Movie_Original.html (http://stony-ridge.org/Stony_Ridge_Movie_Original.html)

check out the video of them grinding the mirror.

If you don't have a telescope, there are two very cool programs you can download. (I know it's not the same) One is, Orion's The Sky, the other is Starry Night Orion Special Edition. One of the cool things is that you can make it night when it is actually daylight in your area.

Yep. Though not all of it at these latitudes.

I live somewhere with pretty mild light pollution (10th magnitude with binoculars, 7th with naked eye), but am AWESTRUCK by what I can see when far away from civilization. You can actually see your way around with the starlight... Venus casts a discernible shadow at greatest elongation...

(http://www.lavonardo.net/blog/archives/pix/flickr--milkyway.jpg)

yea... i ve NEVER seen that. ever. period. I should take a trip up north, maybe new hampshire or something shouldnt I?

I hear they have cheap weekend get aways. i do not mind doing nothing at all but relaxing. lol

I got a Celestron C8 when I was 12 years old.  I did a LOT of babysitting to earn enough money to buy it...and I still have it and love it 24 years later.  It's on a german equatorial mount, no computer.  I enjoy viewing the old-fashioned way. 

As for light pollution, if you live in a populated area of any kind you'll not enjoy your viewing experience.  I've tried light pollution filters and they really don't do the night sky justice.  If you're serious about amatuer astronomy, plan to pack up on a moonless night and head out to a secluded area.  And whoever said forget about astrophotography was correct.  Get a scope, learn to use it and navigate the night sky, THEN if you're really serious, talk to someone who's done it and ask about the cost.

Good luck  [thumbsup]

It's not much, but we've definitely had $20 worth of fun with one of these: https://www.galileoscope.org/gs/ (https://www.galileoscope.org/gs/) -- it's an easy-to-assemble refractor scope that was developed by the International Astronomical Union to get into the hands of kids & folks with limited means all over the world for the International Year of Astronomy (this year!). It needs a tripod, which you supply (and which will likely cost more than the scope unless you've already got one around). Might be a cheap way to find out whether it's worth it to invest more with NYC's light pollution all around -- and light enough that you could consider taking it out of the city on the bike, where both will be a whole lot more fun!

There, fixed it  :)

Thanks for the link.  I worked in a rural area in Ethiopia a few years ago and we supported the local school there.  Seems like these 'scopes might make good gifts to the school.   

thats pretty sweet, i think i will pick one up for fun.

I looked up at the sky last nigth and saw a bunch of stars, mainly the little and big dipper. those seem to be only apparent ones that show up every now and then.

Some quick suggestions for anyone who does pick up one of the Galileoscope ones -- first, be sure to download the assembly instructions you get to from clicking the big red bar on the site that says something like "Assembly Instructions" -- the ones that come in the box are painfully cryptic, and made assembling the thing with a 14 year old no fun at all. Make sure you get the lenses put in the proper order & orientation -- and the more detailed instructions make that a lot easier. Second, a taller tripod & a shortish chair makes things a lot more comfortable, since this is straight-through viewing scope and you need to be below it to look up. And finally, it doesn't have an inverter as Monstermasher mentioned, so it'll take a while to get used to seeing things upside down!

ordered mine, but damn is shipping expensive. its as much as teh telescope itself. $14.55!

Milky Way is pretty impressive from any of the smaller Caribbean islands, try St John or St Croix....nice excuse to head south during the winter.

I've been told there's a really dark place (;D) in northeastern/northcentral Pennsylvania; probably no more than 3-4 hours from NYC.  If I remember the name of the place I'll post it up.

I've always thought it would be fun to get into amateur astronomy, but I can't afford another toy intensive obsessive hobby.

When I was looking, I started getting the updates from  Orion Telescopes  (http://www.telescope.com/control/main/)

They seemed to have a good range of beginner to advanced scopes, though I know nothing about their quality.

Some of the greatest astronomers didn't even have telescopes (or eyeglasses for that matter). ;)

That be me. And I meant it. I gave it all up in 2005 and sold everything. Where I live it's a frustrating hobby. 50 good days out of 365 and lots of sleepless nights working a camera convinced me this was something that I need to put off until I'm older, wealthier and owning property on a secluded WV mountain where I can build a proper observatory. And the light pollution here is off the hook.

If I were to start jonesing for the hobby again, Im going to buy another C9.25 and stick to lunar and planetary imaging.