Anyone know anything about telescopes?

[Riprorin]

I'm thinking about getting this for the kids:

Model 78-7860

It's $89 - $40 GC.

Thoughts?

 

[bernse]

Telescopes are generally speaking as good as you pay.

Anything under $200-ish is basically going to get you a toy. But, if thats what you want for the little ones, thats OK.

 

[irwincur]

Do not get anything out of a department store - or of that class.

A real good starting point is www.telescope.com. Orion telescopes are for the most part 100x better than the cheap crap that you will find elsewhere and they are not that much more expensive. That site also has some nice guides. I used to operate a telescope review site, and this is by far the best place for the starter to look.

Nothing will ruin a budding hobby like cheap, crappy equipment. Plus, don't get your kids that computerized crap. Half of the fun is actually getting some star maps, and learning how to find things on your own. The computers make the entire discovery part of the hobby worthless.

 

[shekondar]

If you're going to look at stars/planets with it, get a reflector, not a refractor - you'll be able to get a bigger aperture for a lower price (a bigger aperture has more light-gathering ability - this will allow you to see dimmer stars). The downside is that a reflecting telescope inverts the image, so if you want to look in your neighbor's window with it, everything will be upside-down.

 

[squirrel dog]

Yes my thoughts are any one at any price for a child is better than nothing.I got one as a kid and used it thru college,and loved it . Get the best one you can for now , if they use it great,upgrade latter.

 

[bernse]

Originally posted by: shekondarThe downside is that a reflecting telescope inverts the image, so if you want to look in your neighbor's window with it, everything will be upside-down.

So do refractors.

 

[sharkeeper]

Refractors can show a correctly oriented image with a duplex eyepiece. These are best suited for terrestrial viewing in urban areas and such. 😉

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: bernse

Originally posted by: shekondarThe downside is that a reflecting telescope inverts the image, so if you want to look in your neighbor's window with it, everything will be upside-down.

So do refractors.

Actually, only refractors invert the images; reflectors merely flip them. You can get a diagonal for a refractor to easily remedy the problem though.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: irwincur
Do not get anything out of a department store - or of that class.

A real good starting point is www.telescope.com. Orion telescopes are for the most part 100x better than the cheap crap that you will find elsewhere and they are not that much more expensive. That site also has some nice guides. I used to operate a telescope review site, and this is by far the best place for the starter to look.

Nothing will ruin a budding hobby like cheap, crappy equipment. Plus, don't get your kids that computerized crap. Half of the fun is actually getting some star maps, and learning how to find things on your own. The computers make the entire discovery part of the hobby worthless.

This man speaks the truth. Orion sells quality scopes for good prices. Department store scopes are trash, and that's not just some snobby ideal. The optics are pathetic both in the scope and in the provided eyepieces; do not waste your time.

Remember, eye pieces are very important.

 

[bernse]

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