Amateur Astronomy for Beginners: Buying a Telescope Video

A little advice on purchasing that first telescope.

@TheHemiphil81? ...
@TheHemiphil81? Thanks for sharing your experience!

@bodna03 ive been ...
@bodna03 ive been an amateur astronomer for 20 years.now i have a 10 inch tmb apo refractor on an ap 1200 mount.if it was me? id start with a refractor.at least a 6 inch archo refractor.their alittle more expensive but well worth it.for ep,s i have all televue eps.i use pans, radians.some eps are expensive but well worth the money.

Hello, Truemartian. ...
Hello, Truemartian. Do you have any recommendation in studying? Astronomy? I am just trying to memorize everything, but I feel like my brain is going to explode.

@bodna03 Thanks for ...
@bodna03 Thanks for watching and writing in. In general all telescopes will show you what you want to see. Also in general a larger scope is better at resolving details than a smaller. For general backyard purposes I recommend a minimum 4" diameter reflector, dobsonian if you can find one. Dobsonians are just easier to handle, setup, and use. These are? the only recommendations I currently make when it comes to choosing a telescope. I hope it helps.

@truemartian hey! ...
@truemartian hey! i was looking to buy my first telescope and wanted something to use for planets as? well as deep sky objects. i also want something that's portable. I was thinking the Orion Starmax 90mm table top? although here in the UK it costs much more (£200) than in the US ($180). Or maybe the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ-MD (Motor Drive) which is £150. which one, if any of them, is best overall in terms of seeing planets and nebulae/star clusters as well as being portable? could u rec 1?

@tommarsh1984 ...
@tommarsh1984 You're welcome! Thanks for? watching!

Thanks for your ...
Thanks for your help?

@tommarsh1984 Polar ...
@tommarsh1984 Polar alignment is actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it. It becomes more difficult depending on the model when you go to align the goto computer. Some scopes today though are so good at doing this automatically that all you have to do is set it? on level ground and press a button. Prepare to pay big bucks for that though. To be honest I've managed to orient the computer on my own goto just once since I've had it. Keep in mind though I have an older model scope and mount

Ok, thanks for your ...
Ok, thanks for your advice I will have a think and go from there. What makes setting up a goto scope hard? I no you have to align it but is there anything else? to take into consideration

@tommarsh1984 My ...
@tommarsh1984 My first recommendation is that you begin learning your constellations. That will give you some indicator as to how hard it may be to find objects in the sky manually with a scope. While you will become much more intimate with the sky using a dob and finding things manually, a? goto scope offers a huge number of preprogrammed objects in its data base to choose from. Some of them you might never think to look for. However, a goto scope can be far more expensive and complex to set up.

Hello mate, just ...
Hello mate, just wanted to ask a quick question. I'm hoping to? buy my first scope soon and can't decided between a dobsonian or a goto scope. I'm a complete beginner and don't no my way around the sky and worry I will find it hard to fine deep sky objects and also find it hard to track things in the sky. Would I be better getting a goto scope or is a dobsonian better to learn my way around. Would prob be an 8 inch dobsonian ? Thanks

@goofiegoofball? ...
@goofiegoofball? You are welcome! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the ...
Thanks for the helpful? advice friend :)

@Gliscor360 The ...
@Gliscor360 The barlow and moon filter are ok accessories. The moon filter especially will help reduce the brilliance of the moon through a large scope like the XT8. The nice thing about owning a dob for a telescope is that you can easily transport it to dark locations. One very important piece of advice though, if you have not learned your constellations begin doing so now. The star patterns in the constellations will? guide you to deep space objects you can only see with a telescope.

@truemartian thanks ...
@truemartian thanks, this is my first telescope so I know very little. After watching several videos on the best beginner telescopes I settled for the Xt8. I live in a suburban city? just off Toronto so i am not sure if the slightly polluted atmosphere will prevent me from seeing faint space objects such as M42 and M51. With this purchase I got a 2x barlow and a 13% moon filter. Are these items recommended for my viewing location?

@Gliscor360 You're ...
@Gliscor360 You're just going to have to try it out. ;-) I haven't used a barlow for a long time in favor of shorter focal length eyepieces but they can be? useful. ALWAYS try EVERYthing. Some objects do better with combinations of equipment than others. When it comes to what equipment works best its a process of discovery and everyone has an opinion. You're gonna love your new scope!

Im getting a Dob 8" ...
Im getting a Dob 8" Xt8 for christmas, how? much can I expect to see with my 2x barlow?

@truemartian Thanks ...
@truemartian Thanks very much for the help. I`ll let you know which I go for in the? end.

@Jonesyc894 Avoid ...
@Jonesyc894 Avoid advertisements for power/magnification. Its the aperture(size of the primary optic) that really counts. You want a minimum of 4 inches. Anything less and you might as well be using binoculars. Useful magnification can vary from object to object and night to night depending on object brightness and seeing conditions. The average useful magnification is around 250X-300X. Comfort and complexity are also? factors to be more concerned with.

Is useful ...
Is useful magnification something to? look at when purchasing a telescope and is 165 x a good one? Thank you.

@legomaster864 Its ...
@legomaster864 Its a good size for? binoculars but for a telescope I recommend nothing less than 4 inches.

is 70mm too little ...
is 70mm too little for a begginer? ?

@zbshogun I've ...
@zbshogun I've never? used the Celestron NexStar 8 SE but most telescopes will do the job. Some designs are better for beginners than others and my personal recommendation is a minimum 4.5 inch dobsonian type. How big depends on how much weight you want to carry outside every night. Avoid tabletop dobs.

What do you think ...
What do you think of the Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope? Will it be too much to handle for a beginner? I really want to get something powerful for deep space observation. I'm pretty new to astronomy. I've only made observations with? binocs so far.

@jordancoles Most ...
@jordancoles Most telescopes will do the job within a set of limitations and a given learning curve. Some designs are just better at making that learning curve easier? on the beginner. Dobsonians are my choice for beginners.

Is the Celestron ...
Is the Celestron 31145 NexStar 130 SLT Series Newtonian Reflector Telescope good for a? beginner?

@iloveaimie It will ...
@iloveaimie It will do the job but my? preference for beginners are the Orion Skyquest dobsonian series.

this telescope any ...
this telescope any good? Celestron Powerseeker? 127EQ Reflector

@ ...
@WatchmenDrManhattan If you can find a dobsonian it will serve you better. However, if these are your only choices I would definitely go with the PowerSeeker 114EQ. Its the largest of them all and that is important. It will also be the more complex to operate because it has an equatorial mount. But as long as you are persistent at learning how to use it properly it will show you what you want to see. They are all budget scopes and as such some sacrifices in? design/quality have been made.

As a beginner wich ...
As a beginner wich telescope should I choice Celestron FirstScope, reflector newtonian Celestron Travel Scope 70, refractor Celestron CLST-C70, Mini? Mak Spotting Scope Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ, reflector newtonian