Expert: Tom Whiting - 8/30/2004

Question
Hi,
What telescope do you recommend?
I have $400.
Thanks.
Mike.

Answer
Hi Mike,

The 200 inch Hale Telescope on Mt. Palomar...Just Kidding!

First, are you ready for a scope?...remember, in our great
hobby, knowledge (of the naked-eye night sky) comes first,
equipment (scopes) come LAST! (except for binoculars
and a star chart, for learning purposes).

For instance, can you honestly point your finger to the
deep sky objects....(all *naked-eye* in a dark sky)....
Andromeda Galaxy (M-31), the Lagoon Nebula (M-8), the
Beehive Star Cluster (M-44), Double open cluster in
Perseus, and point out the constellation they are all in?  How about planets Venus, Jupiter, Saturn?
How about beautiful double stars Albireo, Gamma Andromedae,
Omicron-1 Cygni, and Theta Serpens?  And point out and
identify which constellation they are in, in the night
sky....your finger...all naked-eye objects?
If you can't point your finger toward them, how are you
going to point an instrument that only "sees" 1/2 degree
field of view (a dime at arm's length)?  And that's at
low power...at higher powers, the field of view shrinks
dramatically....one of the three losses you suffer by
going up in magnification.  (Light and resolution are
the other two).

Have you learned (self-taught yourself) about 30 of the
40 or so constellations (area's of sky for identification
purposes) in the Northern Hemisphere, AND be able to point
them out?  All these things should be accomplished first
to put a scope to good use, and only you know where you
stand on knowledge.
Meanwhile, while you are doing all these things, which
particular type of object is your favorite?...the one you
want to specialize in...and you *will* eventually specialize
because there is just too much out there not to....
Deep sky objects, splitting double/multiple stars, Lunar/
planetary detail, Comet Hunting, variable stars, asteroids,
etc Etc.

There is a scope out there that maximizes each of these
activities listed above...scopes are just like airplanes; all airplanes fly, but you don't send a bomber to do a
fighter's job.  Since you didn't tell me your favorite
type of objects you want to specialize in, how can I recommend a telescope?  Kind of like being asked, what
kind of land vehicle do you want?  It can range from
a Corvette, an SUV, to an 18 wheeler tractor-trailer, depending on what you'll be hauling.....right?
Scopes are exactly the same way.
Otherwise, wouldn't everyone in astronomy have exactly
the same scope?  But they don't because they all
specialize in different types of objects.
For instance, a guy into variable stars doesn't need
my 30 inch mirror to gather lots of light...he needs
a different type of scope to maximize other qualities
such as focal length, contrast, field of view, etc.

Once you are ready for a scope...you will know...you will
have poured over articles in Sky & Telescope magazine,
the internet, and other sources.  Shun the typical department store scope that may have caught your eye..they are almost always junk.  You have to mail order a good scope.
This is no time to scrimp on quality...you want exquisite
optics, strong mount, steady tripod, and a large enough
finder scope to be useful....6 x 30 or smaller,  is not useful....8 x 50 is useful, so is 9 x 60 finderscopes.
But they cost extra money.

Right now we recommend to our new club members the Orion,
Discovery, and Hardin, six to 10 inch Newtonian Reflector
DOB mounted scopes.  Scopes any less than 6 inch mirrors
(not refractors) are virtually useless, and anything
greater than a 10 inch, is an advanced scope.

{We used to recommend Celestron and Meade 5 or 10 years
ago, but these companies have gone way down hill in
optical quality in my opinion....Celestron went bankrupt
and was bought by Tasco (our nickname- Trash-co) and
Meade went public so they are out to please their stockholders and CEO.)

Also you may wish to consult
Tom Whiting's Sound Advice to the Novice
on our club website at
http://www.velocity.net/~bwhiting

Hope all this helps,
Clear skies,
Tom Whiting
Erie, PA