[meteorite-list] Astronomy & Telescope

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2008 00:41:09 -0600
Message-ID: <0cc101c84d0a$761e2d40$b64fe146_at_ATARIENGINE>

Hi, Ron, List,

    If there is a local astronomy club within range,
go to one of their public viewing or open observing
dates. Look through different kinds of scopes, particularly
at the same thing in different scopes. Keep in mind that
for the Star Party, they drug out the "bragging" 'scopes,
the best. Ask members with experience of many different
scopes what they would recommend, then just sit back
and listen to the argument that will develop (for as long
as you can take it, that is).

Sky & Telescope's 12-page guide to buying your
first scope:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/howtoequipment/3304526.html

Amazon's FAQ on buying your first 'scope:
http://www.findascope.com/

Another complete FAQ:
http://www.opticsplanet.net/how-to-buy-a-telescope.html

Of course, Meade would like to sell you a 'scope,
but since they sell every kind, shape and size, you
still have to choose:
http://www.meade.com/support/choosing.html

The British perspective:
http://www.r-clarke.org.uk/starting_astro1.htm

Another good guide:
http://www.stargazing.net/naa/scope3.htm


And, I'll add my own idiot suggestions:

[I note David just wrote that he has an observatory
in his back yard. If your back yard (and skies) are
dark enough to observe difficult objects, you are
one of the lucky ones. I'm assuming (below) you're
under urban/suburban skies, surrounded by trees,
and need to go to a good viewing location at least
part of the time. If you have good views and dark
skies at home, buy big.]

1. Never buy a telescope bigger than the smallest
car you will own in the next 5-10 years. I mean,
that you can get into the smallest car...

2. Never buy a telescope that you yourself can't
carry a reasonable distance (in the dark, in cold
weather, in a strange place, uphill).

3. Never buy a telescope you can't set up (in the
dark, in the cold, by feel alone) in under fifteen
minutes.

4. There is no ONE right telescope for all purposes.
Do you know what interests you the most? Or is it
everything?

5. Even if you just paid big money for a wonderful
new telescope, the two (or three) eyepieces that came
with it are essentially paperweights, er, I mean, they're
minimum acceptable quality. Budget in advance for the
near-future purchase of a first $200+ eyepiece; don't
spend every penny on the scope. (Eyepieces run from
$50 to $500.) If the telescope can't benefit from the
$200+ eyepiece, its quality was not adequate. The good
thing is that you get to keep the eyepieces forever, even
if telescopes change. Find eyepiece data and specs at:
http://www.klhess.com/telespec.htm

6. Do lots of research before purchase, get on catalog
mailing lists, read reviews, internet forums -- costs you
nothing, makes you a more savvy buyer, and keeps your
interest up as the piggy bank fills. There are many pro's
and con's, but only you know what matters to you.

7. Be prepared for a learning curve.

8. If the astronomy bug "sticks," you'll likely also be
trying to figure out where to store a motor-cycle-sized
object in your house for the rest of your life. (Or two
such objects.)

9. In the long run, higher optical quality IS worth it.

    And this one is not exactly a first-telescope tip, unless
you're thinking about giant binoculars (on a mount) as a
possibility:

10. I've had telescopes for a long time (I took my first
astrophotograph in 1951) and after 55+ years of squinting
through eyepieces, several eye operations, and some eye
difficulties, I'd like to put in a good word for binocular
vision.
    Not just astronomical sized binoculars, but also a
quality binocular viewer for regular telescopes. Yes,
they're expensive, and yes, it doubles the eyepiece cost,
but they allow the brain to do what it does best: process
data.
    I now have multi-axis astigmatism that's different in each
eye, but my brain looks at the two different images coming
from each eye and simply rejects most of the signals that
are not the same in both images, resulting in a perceived
image that's sharp and clear.
    If I close an eye -- either eye -- vision falls off dramatically.
I don't suggest this only because of vision problems. Is your
eyesight perfect? Great! But the BEST eyesight in the world will
see more with both eyes (and brain processing) than with one
eye and single vision.
    There's a reason why we have two of'em...



Sterling K. Webb
-----------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron" <faceter01 at hotmail.com>
To: <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 6:44 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Astronomy & Telescope


>From reading some of the posts here, it seems (I may be wrong though) a
number of list members are into astronomy.
I'm interested in, and have been for some time, in buying a telescope but
don't know too much of what to look for. I don't want to buy one of the
"Kiddy" ones though. As I understand, the "short tube" telescopes are
supposed to be the best.

Any help here would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Ron

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Received on Wed 02 Jan 2008 01:41:09 AM PST