Amateur Astronomy – Telescope question?
I had the strangest dream last night that blew me away and it’s made me want to get into astronomy as a hobby.
Basically I want to be able to know the constellations, see them clearly through a telescope, see the planets clearly, the moon etc.
Where do I start? Book suggestions please?
There are so many telescopes around I don’t know which to choose as they range from £60 – £1200 that I’ve seen! I want a good one that will be good enough to see the planets etc but not too expensive (£2-300) as it’s just for a hobby.
I live in the UK so would have to be a telescope stocked here.
Thanks in advance
Haylie
Real answers please!!!
My advice: Don’t waste money on nonsensical stuff like these. Instead, try saving your money for a rainy day
You don’t need a telescope to see the constellations.
I’d advise you to meet up with a local Astronomy Club. They’ll be happy to show you the things you want to see.
An 8″ dob is a great starter scope. It is big, but not too heavy, and will show you lots of stuff – inculding fairly clear views of the moon and planets (you don’t see Hubble-like images of the planets or other objects like galaxies and nebulae, but you do see some details, like the banding on Jupiter, the rings of saturn, and some surface features on mars – and any scope will show you good detail on the moon).
If you buy used, you can save a ton of money. This is a good site for used gear where you are:
http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php
Buying used can save you a lot of money, and if you want to upgrade later (or if you find out that it isn’t a long term interest), you can sell your scope for pretty much the same price you paid for it – you basically get to try it out for free. Plus you can talk to the seller (an astronomer) and get some good info. Like the other poster said, it is a good idea to go to a local astronomy club meeting – you get a lot of info, and get to look through some scopes before buying one so that you know the kind of views you can expect.
And don’t listen to the guy who said not to get a scope. If you think it is something that interests you, give it a whirl.
Cheers.