Question on optics for astronomy?
May 23, 2010 by
Filed under Nikon Binoculars
Alright im having a tough decision here. Before, I had my heart set on this pair of binoculars http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-10×50-action-binoculars-7218.html
But now im not sure if these will be sufficient for what I want. I want to be able to view planets with clarity. People have been raving about this telescope http://www.opticsplanet.net/bush-ts-785003.html
They all say its great for beginners, and one reviewer said that the rings of saturn he saw blew him away!
Binoculars would be a lot easier to use because with telescopes it will be troublesome to be dragging whole thing around the house. Please, tell me, which one of these would be best for my needs. I need to stay within the $0-100 price range by the way incase you have any suggestions. Thanks!!!
bushnell telescopes are junk. avoid. the cheapest telescope worth buying is the orion starblast.
if by “clarity” you mean surface detail you need to rethink your goals. binoculars will not show surface detail on any planet, though they will show that jupiter and saturn are non-stellar, and will show the thin crescent phase of venus.
you need to look through some other binoculars and telescopes to decide. planets are small dots in any amateur-size telescope. with experience, you will learn to see the detail in those small dots.
Tina is right on with her answer. Bushnell telescopes are indeed junk. Don’t trust “reviews” written by people who have never used a good telescope!
Seeing detail on the planets requires a good medium-sized telescope, 6 inches aperture or more. Sorry, but that’s what I’ve learned in 50 years as an amateur astronomer. Rather than wasting your money on a junky telescope like the Bushnell, take your time, join a club, try other peoples’ telescopes, and save a bit longer to buy a _good_ telescope. The planets will still be there!
Here are a few web pages with good information on beginner’s telescopes:
http://www.gaherty.ca/tme/TME0702_Buying_a_Telescope.pdf
http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html
http://observers.org/beginner/j.r.f.beginner.html
For more advanced information, read Phil Harrington’s Star Ware, 4th edition (Wiley).
You’ll get the greatest value for your money with a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount, such as these:
http://www.telescope.com/control/category/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~VIEW_INDEX=0/~VIEW_SIZE=1000000
http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?class1=1&class2=106
Buy from a store which specializes in telescopes and astronomy, either locally or online; don’t buy from department stores, discount stores or eBay as mostly what they sell is junk. Find your local astronomy club and try out different telescopes at one of their star parties:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/organizations