Hello and Advice

Hello To you all,

John here and this is my first post. For the last 3 years I have been very interested in Astronomy. I have not made the first step and bought a telescope until now (I have more free time now with a break from college (evenings)). I was wondering if I could get advice on what I should buy.

From my investigations I have discovered that I should buy a refracting telescope to start off with. Any ideas on what I should buy ?

I see on the site Astronomy Ireland they have a 21062 Astromaster 70 EQ for €129 do you think that's a good start\price ?

I want to start off by understanding how to setup and use a telescope and then find planets, moons etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

John

Hi John, you are very welcome along to the boards Personally, I would start with investing in a decent pair of binoculars, say 10x50mm, i.e x10 magnification, and 50mm aperture ( how wide the lens is) as they are not too expensive at all. With these having a wide field of view, you could learn the sky quite quickly. I would also get a good starmap to follow to train your binos or scope on any planet, moon, starcluster etc.

The 70 EQ is a good price at €129, if you're not sure what type of scope to get, certainly get yourself along to any of the starparties during the year, they will definitly point you towards your interests....

Keith..

Hi John.
Just to back up Keith.
Buy a good set of binos and probably more importantly
a good MOUNT or tripod to set them on.
(preferably one that is easy to pan and tilt)

You'll always use Binos and the mount and it's better
than buying a scope starting out.
You'll learn and see more with the Binos when starting off.

Thanks a lot to you both. I hear what your saying but I am going to buy both a good pair of binoculars and a scope. I have a little bit of money now and I will use it before I don't

I will let you know how I get on.

Thanks again

John

Hi John, and welcome to IFAS.

The Astromaster 70 EQ you mentioned is a very small telescope, the lens is less than 3", and you will soon become frustrated with it.
It would be better to invest in a dobsonian telescope like this

www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=dobsky150

You will be able to see a lot more, fainter, objects much more clearly with it, and it is very easy to use, store, and transport.

Hi John

Welcome to IFAS. As has been mentioned, a pair of binoculars 10x 50 and a good camera tripod is a lifelong investment you will use again and again. A small scope will soon start to become frustrating. If you can stretch the budget,a 6-8 inch dobsonian would be a great starter scope. Check out Telescope service also as they have good value.

www.telescope-service.com