Re: A telescope

> If you can afford the extra cost, you might consider one of the GOTO
> telescopes, where you can type in an object's ID on a handset, and
> the telescope will automatically move and point toward the object
> (if it happens to be up in the sky). This isn't a kind of telescope
> so much as a kind of mount, onto which any number of telescope types
> can be placed. GOTO does cost money, which takes away from what can
> be put into the optics.

I wouldn't recommend investing in GOTO unless you don't have easy access to
a fairly dark sky, e.g. you can't see the Milky Way. If your skies are
dark, you will be able to locate hundreds of targets without GOTO, and
dozens of these are very easy to find. At least in our astro club, the
non-GOTO folks definitely have more fun and stay out longer.

My second recommendation is for binoculars on a parallelogram mount. Many
folks with high-end and/or big scopes also have binos, as the views through
them are not available in (most) scopes, and are quite spectacular in their
own right. You will probably get a pair at some point anyway, so why not
get them first and use them to help to learn the sky? Don't forget the
mount - it is a must. Look at the Tiny Titan from www.BurgessOptical.com
for an example of an inexpensive mount. We use one with Orion 9x63
Mini-Giants and it works very well.

Dennis


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Relevant Pages

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    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: A telescope
    ... >>> If you can afford the extra cost, you might consider one of the GOTO ... This isn't a kind of telescope ... Goto scopes also provide a powerful ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
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