I had a 4.5 inch reflector with a motor that made the telescope move with the rotation of our planet. It cost about 300 british pounds. I could just make out Jupiter and its moons, though you get good close ups of our moon. To be honest I was disappointed with it, but I'm glad I didn't spend more as astronomy was only a passing phase anyway. I'd recommend getting a second hand one for just this reason - I'm sure there are many people who spent a lot on a telelscope only to hardly ever use it and sell it on in very good condition....
Originally posted by JaquePair of Binoculars....cut em in half....one each for the kids...they'll never know.
I want to buy a telescope for my children to observe the planets, but I don't know a lot of things on this device. I want to have a clear and steady view. who can help me?
Keep the price down! 😉
Originally posted by JaqueIt depends on how much you have to spend. You can get cheapo's from Kmart or Walmart for under 100 bucks US that you would probably be unsasitsfied with or you can spend more, from 300 to 1000 for much better rigs, the higher quality ones have motors and software that guide you right to a star or planet. You also have to think about where you are. Like me, I would love a nice scope but its seldom cloud free here and it wouldn't matter what you have, if its cloudy, its back to RHP! If you are in a desert or mountainous region, you would have much better skies to work with.
I want to buy a telescope for my children to observe the planets, but I don't know a lot of things on this device. I want to have a clear and steady view. who can help me?
My best guess is to scout the used market, ads in papers, etc., maybe ebay. I looked on ebay though and saw a LOT of junk with scattered really expensive stuff so you would need to know your stuff to avoid getting screwed. Also see if there is a local planetarium or astronomy club, anyone there could set you up. Check astronomy classes at they local colleges, the prof's would certainly help you. I think it would be really worth while doing a bit of digging before you blow a hundred bucks on a worthless piece of junk from Kmart.
Look in the local borders for astronomy magazines like
Astronomy, or Sky And Telescope, they have all kinds of ads in the back for new and used scopes. Good luck.
Originally posted by ElleEffSeeeOn the other hand, maybe your interest would have lasted longer if you had had a decent telescope, and maybe someone who had helped you to use it in a meaningful way.
I had a 4.5 inch reflector with a motor that made the telescope move with the rotation of our planet. It cost about 300 british pounds. I could just make out Jupiter and its moons, though you get good close ups of our moon. To be honest I was disappointed with it, but I'm glad I didn't spend more as astronomy was only a passing phase anyway.
I have done some reading in astronomy forums etc. when I wanted to buy a telescope. As usual, there are a lot of different opinions as to which telescope one should buy, but everybody seems to agree that a good, sturdy mount (cheap telescopes often come with a crappy tripod) and good eyepieces (again, cheap telescopes often come with crappy optics) are at least as important as the telescope itself.