Everything About Telescopes

If it's Celestron, and it's go-to, they aren't ripping you off. That's a promise

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Could someone please clue me in to what the difference between Refractor telescopes, Reflector telescopes, and Compound telescopes, in terms of how they work, what would be better to get and which ones are better at seeing different things (like deeps space as opposed to planets).

 

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TheDon

There is a lot of info one the web - just type, 'telescope types' into a search engine and you'll find plenty.

 

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my scope

i recently purchased a meade etx 90 (came with a set of lenses for $100 and i bought a case, 3x barlow lense, moon filter, camera adapter, solar filter, and made my own little flexi focuser knob) as my second telescope (first was a "toy" tasco) I have been reading sky and telescope religiously for the past year and found naked eye astronomy to be as fun if not more fun than the telscope (dont get me wrong the scope is great) but just looking up and seeing the whole astrological chart gradually cross the sky is amazing. All the sights of the sky at night are great. i have always been fascinated by science and astronomy. I think EVERYONE should own a decent telescope and a star chart. Orion has a kids telescope called the ASTROBLAST that has gotten great reviews from sky and telscope and for $150 its a greay buy.

 

My 1st attempt at Saturn....Crappy!

 

this is my first post, so first of all, HELLO EVERYBODY!! o.k. I just bought my first "real" telescope, and I'm going to have to say I went overboard. I got a 10' celestron reflector w/ go to and eq mount. It is heavy, massive and impossible to transport, but super easy to use (once set up) and the ladies love it. "ooh! its so big!" Astronomy.....I love it!

 

Ill confess now... Im in love with my 20mm Televue Nagler... No longer in production but the best of the best (or so everyone says). Cost me $320...used... but oh my god is it a wonderful 2.2lb piece of glass and metal! Muha!

Later
T

 

Btw, If anyone wants, I can add a section to my original post about how to properly clean mirrors. Might prove useful. Any thoughts?

 

Jupiter. C102 AZ, Creative Webcam Pro EX

 

Rather a piece on how to clean lenses

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Bachus

Cleaning eyepieces and mirrors is easy. Blow off any loose dust particles prior to cleaning with a blower brush. Use a dab of Isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab on the eyepiece or lens, rotating the swab as you clean. With a mirror, simply use a wad of sterilized cotton and Isopropyl, and douse with distilled water afterwards.

 

Id use Ivory hand soap instead of the alcohol. Works better, IMHO, and its a little bit less abrasive. Also, make sure that the cotton is the surgical grade stuff. You can get it at any drug store. It comes in a roll. And you must use distilled water as Q pointed out or you will get water spots on your mirror.

 

Ok thanks, last time i wanted to check anything with the scope it was kinda dirty. Well either that or all the stars became brown dwarfs

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Good morning all. I am a total newbie to the whole telescope world, but I've had a keen interest in space ever since I was a kid and often frequent space.com, relishing in the photos of nebula and star clusters etc. After reading about the amateur astronomer who discovered a new nebula from his backyard (McNeil's nebula as it's been named), I've decided it's high time for me to buy a telescope of my own and get a better view of what's out there. There are a lot of telescopes out there, and I'm not quite sure where to start. I've been looking at the Meade ETX-90EC or the ETX-125EC as possibilities. Can anyone tell me anything about either of these models? Would I be off to a good start or am I entirely off track? Basically what I want is something portable and fairly powerful (from a novice/amateur standpoint). I live in the city but fairly close to the ocean-front. It would be nice to take it to the beach sometimes....or take it on a road trip out to the middle of nowhere. Any help y'all can give me is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Timothy A. Fugit

 

Timothy, I would suggest getting a good book covering the various types and advantages of the different telescopes to begin with. Star Ware by Phillip Harrington
is one I have. It will help you decide what would be best for your particular situation.
If you live in a city with a lot of light pollution, remember it may be necessary to travel
several miles into the dark countryside to view some of the "faint fuzzies." Bright objects, such as star clusters, the planets, the moon and some of the brighter nebula
won't be affected too badly by light pollution. Problem is, large aperature scopes are
best for faint objects and they are hard to transport and set up. A large scope is not
necessary for brighter objects, but quality optics and the ability to utilize higher powers are necessary for a satisfying experience. A Mak-Cass like you mentioned or
a semi-APO or APO refractor would be my choice for use in a city and for easy transport. They will usually hold collomation better when being transported also, especially a good refractor. Also, keep in mind a refractor doesn't have a central
obstruction and will perform like a slightly larger scope that does have one. You can
search the web for forums and reviews, but keep in mind most people are biased toward whatever they have. You might want to check out Astromart as they have both
forums and used equipment for sale, if you haven't already. Personally, I have owned
an 8" SCT in the past and I have a ETX-90 now, but I still yearn for a good semi-APO
or APO refractor, as if you couldn't tell! I seldom use a telescope nowadays, so I can't justify
the expense of buying a good refractor now, I just wish I had bought one to start with. That is just my experience, so take it with a grain salt and decide what YOU want.

 

Id use Ivory hand soap instead of the alcohol. Works better, IMHO, and its a little bit less abrasive.

Tristan – alcohol is not abrasive. And it is perfectly acceptable to use a little dish soap but only ONE drop in a warm bucket of water – any more will leave a soap film on the mirror. Dish soap works well because it cuts through any grease or oil accumulated on the mirror.

As well, when using the wad of cotton on the mirror, make sure not to add too much pressure – let the cotton wad do all of the work. Work it in a circular direction around the surface of the mirror.

 

I don't think using soap is such a good idea. I once had multi-coatings on my glasses. After a few months, the multi-coating was washed off because i use soap on them.

Anyway....here's my latest Jupiter photo.....

 

Saturn through 4" Achromat.

 

Tell me : why shouldn’t this Flat Space Telescope work ?

FST : http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=34300

 

First, do not look for magnification (ex. 450x), but for apperture (diameter of the front glas element; this will give you the light amount needed.
Second, keep in main that the scope need maintenance (collimation, cleaning -if neded, etc.); different types (Newtonian, Schmidt-Cassegrain, refractors, etc.)
Good luck,
Cornelius.