Expert: Tom Whiting - 1/13/2009

Question
What telescope would you recommend for an entry level/hobbyist that is both economical and easy to use?  I would like to view the moon and some of the planets, possibly stars that are little further away.  I have a basic Bushnell that is very difficult to get sighted in and is missing most of its accessories so does not work very well.  Suggestions..?

Answer
Hi Ben,
As you see with your experience with the cheap Bushnell, you
have learned a valuable lesson about observational astronomy....

There is no such thing as a cheap and easy, goodworking telescope. Ours is a hobby or activity that you either go first class right off the bat, or you don't go at all...until you have the money saved up.  Sorry, but it's in the laws of optics; as all optical surfaces of a telescope have to be ground and figured to a minimum of 5 millionths of an inch (called 1/4 Wave meaning 1/4 wavelength of light) for an "average" image. For high quality images you need 1/10 wave, or 2 millionths of an inch figure. (You'll pay an extra premium for 1/20 wave, or 1 millionth of an inch from perfection)...and all this time and work and figuring takes money, and that's why the initial relatively high costs involved.
It's called resolution, bringing all the light (not just part of it)
all to a common point focus.  The better the figure, the more light
rays arrive at that common point. Grinds worse than 1/4 wave, then
less than 50% of the light arrives at the common focal point, so you
have a horribly resolved image. (So, why even bother....?)

We currently recommend to our newest club members a Discovery,
Orion, or Antares 6 or 8 inch basic Newtonian DOB reflector for a
"starter" scope.  I see currently that Orion has a 20% off sale....
their basic 6 inch scope is $250 and their basic 8 inch is $330.
http://www.oriontelescopes.com

If you don't need all that computerized finding stuff (if you know
your night sky) you can save big bucks and put that extra money
into a still bigger mirror (their 10 inch is now $500) for seeing still better and more objects.
Sorry, but that's the way it works in observational astronomy,
and the eyepieces are exactly the same way....you want to go first
class, or not at all. You can scrimp on your observational clothing,
star charts, finder scopes, other things, but NOT the telescope.
With the telescope, you have to plunge in deep, with no scrimping
on the costs.
Suggest, if you're fairly new to our hobby, that you take the time
to read about it at our club website
http://www.velocity.net/~bwhiting
and punch on Tom Whiting's Sound Advice for the Novice Observer.
Hope this helps,
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting
Erie, PA