Consumption and Real Estate
Which telescope is right for an amateur user?
Question : Which telescope is right for an amateur user?
I’m buying my parents a telescope for Christmas, but could use some advice on what would be right for them. They live down in Arizona in a small retirement community, so I don’t think light pollution is much of a problem. Their backyard has a concrete slab that the previous owner used for a bolted-down telescope, so there’s a level surface to place the scope. They won’t be moving it much other than in and outside the house. I’m debating between a Zhumell Dobsonian Reflector (8 or 10 inch) or a Meade DS-2130LNT Reflector. My parents are not tech savvy, so I want something that is easy for them to set up and not too difficult to use and view planets/stars/galaxies, etc. I’m looking to spend $ 300-500, but don’t have a clue as to the difference between these types of scopes. Any recommendations or explanation on the difference between them would be appreciated (8 vs 10 inch, motorized vs not, etc). Other scope recommendations are also welcome. Thanks.
arizona retirement communities
Best answer:
Answer by B
whoa telescopes..well why dont you ask experts in astronomy this question at http://www.schoolpiggyback.com they have experts that answer tough questions on astronomy and since you have time before christmas youll have your questioned answered in time… and also asking is free…good luck.
-
-
#2 written by Bob 1 year ago
I would think your retired parents would appreciate the convenience of the goto Meade more than the optical superiority of the Dobsonian. They want to see things, but seeing them a little better is probably not a priority. And they’re unlikely to want to look a whole lot at dim deep space objects which is where the Dobsonians advantage is greatest. They’re more likely to look at the moon and planets, and maybe star clusters and double stars.
-
#3 written by injanier 1 year ago
The Zhumell dob would be a better choice if your parents are fairly knowledgeable and/or enthusiastic about astronomy. These are totally manual telescopes that require the user to know his way around the sky in order to locate things. A book such as The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide, or something else appropriate to their level of knowledge would make a nice companion gift.
The Meade DS-2130LNT is a smaller, computerized scope that will find objects on command. This type of scope is better for someone whose knowledge of the sky is minimal and who isn’t apt to want to put any effort into learning more. The computerization may be off-putting, though the level of complexity, assuming it works correctly, is low.
Of the two scopes, the Zhumell dob will show more things and is also better built and more durable. Low-end go-to scopes such as the Meade sacrifice some quality to bring you computer control at that price point.
The Yahoo telescope group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/telescopes/ ) or the discussion forums at Cloudy Nights (http://www.cloudynights.com/ ) are good places to ask more questions if you feel the need.
- Comment Feed for this Post
The Meade DS-2130LNT has one advantage over the Dobsonian and that’s that is has GoTo, which locates objects for you, provided you can get the scope properly aligned to a reference star. Being in such a dark area, your parents may actually enjoy finding things themselves though. The Meade is only 5″ in aperture (the diameter of the primary mirror) and this will greatly limit their viewing to planets and just a few deep space objects.
A telescope with 10″ of aperture would be excellent. I recommend the Orion SkyQuest XT10 IntelliScope & Bonus Accessory Pack. This is a 10″ Dobsonian with a navigation system. It doesn’t point the telescope to the object but it tells you which way to move the telescope to point it yourself. This telescope is $ 779.95 which I realize may be out of your price range. They do have another one called the SkyQuest XT 10 Classic, which is a 10″ Dobsonian without the navigation system for $ 529.95
Dobsonians are the simplest type of telescope which was designed to be the cheapest per inch of aperture, easy to set up, and is primarily intended for live viewing. They cannot do any long exposure astrophotography unless special modifications are made so if your parents would be interested in embarking on that hobby (which is very technically oriented!) then a Dobsonian would be a poor choice. If they want to just look through the eyepiece, a 10″ Dobsonian is an excellent choice.
You can see the Orions on http://www.oriontelescopes.com
There is a website here which explains different types of telescopes:
http://hometown.aol.com/siriusbc/telescopes.htm