Astronomical Telescope suggestions

[corsairpilot62]

Alright, so I'd like to get into star watching, looking at planets and moon...etc. there are other forums on this topic and they all have really good info. however, I can't find a telescope from a brand I actually know. So, I thought I'd ask you folks does any highly reguarded names we know of like S&B, Nightforce, Zeiss,...etc. make a personal telescope?

outside of riflescope manufacurers I was thinking about getting the Celestron XLT 120. based on comments on Cloudy Night Sky.

But then good idea fairy came around and said "hey you like your S&B why not buy a telescope from them" now googling this turned into a bit of a letdown but then the good idea fairy said " comment on snipers hide cause the collected community will provide you better information than a globalist AI search that after page 2 starts showing you chinese and trying to make you buy from the congo......anyways

If you have experience with Astro Telescopes, noteable and respected brands outside of our shooting sphere, please advise! comment back on model and performance.

I hope we can get some good info on Astro Telescopes, their companies, and maybe some awesome pics of space.

Have Fun folks.

 

[leftyk82]

Glad to hear you are exploring this hobby! In 2020, I dove into astronomy and quickly decided that I wanted to take pictures through a telescope. I feel like I was really fortunate in a somewhat uneducated decision, I went with a telescope made in the US; a brand called TeleVue. Specifically, the TV-85.

I initially used this for visual observing but, as I mentioned, pivoted to astrophotography and have been doing that ever since.

I bought used and would recommend that to anyone. Check out the Cloudy Nights forum classifieds and Astromart; the latter requiring a small annual fee in order to actually buy/sell.

Here is a photo I captured with the TV-85 from my backyard:

 

[Nik H]

You have to figure out what you want to view. That will guide you to the type of scope you want. Once you know the type, you can begin exploring brands and features. Use Astromart to get an idea of what is out there for used equipment. New telescopes can have very long lead times and can run into a LOT of $$$. Lots of people get into astronomy, spend a lot and then sell it after a couple of years because they got tired of looking at an expensive hat rack.

I am all about planets, solar and lunar so I use refractor types. I have 2 refractors. One is a Takahashi 130mm Fluorite and the other is an Astro-Physics 155mm.

 

[acudaowner]

also saw a video of the view of hikers 2 miles away on a hilltop

 

[White Mamba]

Get a big 20" dob

 

[cas6969]

Man I read that thread title and I just had to open it to see what your suggestions were!

 

[leftyk82]

You have to figure out what you want to view. That will guide you to the type of scope you want. Once you know the type, you can begin exploring brands and features. Use Astromart to get an idea of what is out there for used equipment. New telescopes can have very long lead times and can run into a LOT of $$$. Lots of people get into astronomy, spend a lot and then sell it after a couple of years because they got tired of looking at an expensive hat rack.

I am all about planets, solar and lunar so I use refractor types. I have 2 refractors. One is a Takahashi 130mm Fluorite and the other is an Astro-Physics 155mm.

Wow. Would love to look through that AP!

 

[Im2bent]

You will not see planets like you see them in pictures. Jupiter and Saturn are as good as it gets and thats on a night with good visibility and decent optics, and even they are small. The other planets will be dots. All the pictures you see are stacks of multiple exposures something you eye cannot do. Before buying anything go to a local star party and view through everything to get an idea of reality.

 

[Denys]

I have been using my spotting scope for astronomical viewing. For my Kowa 883, I bought this astronomical adapter:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1343086-REG/kowa_tsn_as1_25g_1_25_astro_adapter_for.html

And then bought an astro eyepiece, from Baader, the Morpheus 4.5mm.
Amazon product ASIN B07BBFY3Z7
I was able to see Saturn and its rings and 3 moons, but they were very small, as @Im2bent explained. In astronomy, it's all about the size of the objective. Mine is 88mm, the 8inch discussed earlier is 200mm.

However, viewing our Moon with the setup I described above is breathtaking.

 

[corsairpilot62]

Glad to hear you are exploring this hobby! In 2020, I dove into astronomy and quickly decided that I wanted to take pictures through a telescope. I feel like I was really fortunate in a somewhat uneducated decision, I went with a telescope made in the US; a brand called TeleVue. Specifically, the TV-85.

I initially used this for visual observing but, as I mentioned, pivoted to astrophotography and have been doing that ever since.

I bought used and would recommend that to anyone. Check out the Cloudy Nights forum classifieds and Astromart; the latter requiring a small annual fee in order to actually buy/sell.

Here is a photo I captured with the TV-85 from my backyard:

View attachment 8168022

Thats an awesome picture!

Definitely looking into the TV-85! Which looks more like what i was expecting with telescopes. Watching some beginner guide youtube videos. I was like can a $200-$400 telescope be that good? Going back to riflescopes, looking through my old leupy vx-2 vs the SB pmii is a night and day difference.

I just don’t wanna end up with what some of the astro folks are calling “hobby killers”

 

[corsairpilot62]

You have to figure out what you want to view. That will guide you to the type of scope you want. Once you know the type, you can begin exploring brands and features. Use Astromart to get an idea of what is out there for used equipment. New telescopes can have very long lead times and can run into a LOT of $$$. Lots of people get into astronomy, spend a lot and then sell it after a couple of years because they got tired of looking at an expensive hat rack.

I am all about planets, solar and lunar so I use refractor types. I have 2 refractors. One is a Takahashi 130mm Fluorite and the other is an Astro-Physics 155mm.

Thanks for the advice! I am more interested in refractors than reflector. I will probably look at everything but thinking about it, I’m more interested in the moon and some planets.

l’ll have to checkout those scopes!

 

[Im2bent]

A lot of people run out and buy a telescope thinking they will see what they see in pictures. Set it up, spend a night trying to see/find stuff and then in to the closet it goes never to come out again. There are a million combinations of equipment depending on what you want to do and what your budget is. Best bet is contact your local astronomy club and see when they are having a star party and as I said up above look through all the scopes and ask questions. The industry has exploded tech wise. You can have a fully automated system that you set up in the evening, go to bed and wake up and get your data it collected over night and then start "making pictures" you will have to become an expert in photoshop or some other imaging software and spend hours processing data for one image. Or you can go outside point some binos at the moon and call it a day. For visual observing aperture is king for imaging you can use a surprisingly small rig but quality is king here. You have to have perfect tracking, excellent optics and when you get into the "cameras" well thats a giant rabbit hole.

 

[corsairpilot62]

You will not see planets like you see them in pictures. Jupiter and Saturn are as good as it gets and thats on a night with good visibility and decent optics, and even they are small. The other planets will be dots. All the pictures you see are stacks of multiple exposures something you eye cannot do. Before buying anything go to a local star party and view through everything to get an idea of reality.

Awesome! Thanks for the info and advice! Next time im home ill find a star party and have some fun!

 

[leftyk82]

You have to figure out what you want to view. That will guide you to the type of scope you want. Once you know the type, you can begin exploring brands and features. Use Astromart to get an idea of what is out there for used equipment. New telescopes can have very long lead times and can run into a LOT of $$$. Lots of people get into astronomy, spend a lot and then sell it after a couple of years because they got tired of looking at an expensive hat rack.

I am all about planets, solar and lunar so I use refractor types. I have 2 refractors. One is a Takahashi 130mm Fluorite and the other is an Astro-Physics 155mm.

Nik has some great advice here: It all depends on what you want to view/see.

His refractors are true top-end and also very versatile. But if you think S&B scopes are expensive......don't look for prices on Astro-Physics refractors

That aside, be aware of expectations of what you can view. Planets are very tiny and often seen as a spec of light; with Jupiter's and Saturn's moons/rings as an exception. Even harder or impossible to see are nebulae like the picture above; looking at that target through an eyepiece will NOT look the same as a photo.

One other pairing that I have yet to explore is the combination of visual astronomy and night vision. TNVC has adapters where you can put a PVS-14 into an eyepiece into a telescope and you can see many more faint objects. You wouldn't need that for stars, planets or the moon though.

 

[corsairpilot62]

Nik has some great advice here: It all depends on what you want to view/see.

His refractors are true top-end and also very versatile. But if you think S&B scopes are expensive......don't look for prices on Astro-Physics refractors

That aside, be aware of expectations of what you can view. Planets are very tiny and often seen as a spec of light; with Jupiter's and Saturn's moons/rings as an exception. Even harder or impossible to see are nebulae like the picture above; looking at that target through an eyepiece will NOT look the same as a photo.

One other pairing that I have yet to explore is the combination of visual astronomy and night vision. TNVC has adapters where you can put a PVS-14 into an eyepiece into a telescope and you can see many more faint objects. You wouldn't need that for stars, planets or the moon though.

I understand. So far the thread has a lot of good advice! As well as the realization of expectations vs reality.

Night vision on a telescope would be awesome just on a level on its own. (Nerding out) I wonder if there is a mounting bracket for a simrad unit. Lol.

 

[Nik H]

But if you think S&B scopes are expensive......don't look for prices on Astro-Physics refractors

Don't look at the price of the mounts....sheesh

 

[leftyk82]

True!

 

[corsairpilot62]

Oh man, i was looking at some mounts. I thought the really right stuff tripod was expensive!

 

[Nik H]

It all seems expensive until you really look at this hobby.

This hobby can get pretty pricey depending on your choice of rifle, scope, bipod, kestrel, etc. Price in a spotter and tripod set up and you're equivalent to an AP refractor and mount.

This hobby also has a recurring cost if you actually shoot because bullets and barrels aren't free.

All hobbies can be as expensive as you make them...LOL

Money means shit as long as you use what you buy and enjoy it

 

[corsairpilot62]

It all seems expensive until you really look at this hobby.

This hobby can get pretty pricey depending on your choice of rifle, scope, bipod, kestrel, etc. Price in a spotter and tripod set up and you're equivalent to an AP refractor and mount.

This hobby also has a recurring cost if you actually shoot because bullets and barrels aren't free.

All hobbies can be as expensive as you make them...LOL

Money means shit as long as you use what you buy and enjoy it

you speak the truth!

 

[RoninISC]

Unsure if you've made a purchase yet, but I recommend a 8"-10" dobsonian. They arent compact, but have great bang for buck and are easy to use.
I recently got the SkyWatcher 10" from Agena Astro (dont buy from amazon!). Im a novice astronomer, but it collects alot of light and is quite clear. It goes together like a piece of Ikea furniture. https://agenaastro.com/sky-watcher-10-traditional-dobsonian-telescope-s11620.html Take it to the range for those ELR shots!!

 

[corsairpilot62]

Unsure if you've made a purchase yet, but I recommend a 8"-10" dobsonian. They arent compact, but have great bang for buck and are easy to use.
I recently got the SkyWatcher 10" from Agena Astro (dont buy from amazon!). Im a novice astronomer, but it collects alot of light and is quite clear. It goes together like a piece of Ikea furniture. https://agenaastro.com/sky-watcher-10-traditional-dobsonian-telescope-s11620.html Take it to the range for those ELR shots!!

Awesome! I’ll look into it. Haven’t made a purchase. Life got crazy.

 

[rnlzkbrs]

If price is not a concern I can recommend this one: https://www.astrosysteme.com/en-us/products/az2500-f6-f2/ .

 

[RoninISC]

If price is not a concern I can recommend this one: https://www.astrosysteme.com/en-us/products/az2500-f6-f2/ .

with the coin ppl drop on rifles, glass, and gear on this forum, it shouldnt be an issue.

Also, if the OP is looking for good resoltuion in a compact design, Mak-Casses are good due to long 'folded' focal length. Tradeoffs are thermal equilibrium time, weight, and apeture. Im considering one for terrestrial viewing. I promise I dont work for skywatcher, they're just good value.

Skymax 127

If you’re seeking crisp, contrasty views with high levels of detail, look no further than the Skymax series, Sky-Watcher’s premiere line of Maksutov-Cassegrains. Generally regarded as producing a sharper image than Schmidt-Cassegrains, Maksutovs offer astronomers a large visual aperture, high...

www.skywatcherusa.com

 

[rnlzkbrs]

Also, if the OP is looking for good resoltuion in a compact design, Mak-Casses are good due to long 'folded' focal length. Tradeoffs are thermal equilibrium time, weight, and apeture. Im considering one for terrestrial viewing. I promise I dont work for skywatcher, they're just good value.

I have an old Vixen VMC200L. It has an advantage that it does not require a lot of thermal equilibrium time. This specific model was discontinued by the manufacturer, but they offer similar models: https://global.vixen.co.jp/en/product/tls103/ . Also, Vixen is a Japanese manufacturer which may have an appeal to those people who do not want to send their money to a certain communist country.

Anyway, those type of scopes require mounts and you are supposed to assemble the whole thing before you start observation and disassemble it after you are done. In a spirit of a well-known saying "the best gun is the one that you always have with you" I'd argue that the best scope for a beginner is a 8" or 10" dobsonian reflector. As people already mentioned in this thread, they also provide the best value for their price.

Finally, let me mention what I think is the most essential accessory: a Telrad finder ( http://telradfinder.com/ ). SkyChart allows you to show the Telrad reticle on the map (note the numbers 0.5, 2, and 4 under red circles). This will help you A LOT in finding objects located far away from any noticeable bright stars.

 

[Nik H]

I have an old Vixen MVC200L. It has an advantage that it does not require a lot of thermal equilibrium time. This specific model was discontinued by the manufacturer, but they offer similar models: https://global.vixen.co.jp/en/product/tls103/ . Also, Vixen is a Japanese manufacturer which may have an appeal to those people who do not want to send their money to a certain communist country.

Anyway, those type of scopes require mounts and you are supposed to assemble the whole thing before you start observation and disassemble it after you are done. In a spirit of a well-known saying "the best gun is the one that you always have with you" I'd argue that the best scope for a beginner is a 8" or 10" dobsonian reflector. As people already mentioned in this thread, they also provide the best value for their price.

Finally, let me mention what I think is the most essential accessory: a Telrad finder ( http://telradfinder.com/ ). SkyChart allows you to show the Telrad reticle on the map (note the numbers 0.5, 2, and 4 under red circles). This will help you A LOT in finding objects located far away from any noticeable bright stars.
View attachment 8268160

+1 on the Telrad

 

[Im2bent]

As far as the telrad and star maps that is fine if you really want to learn the nuts and bolts and go down a giant rabbit hole of fuck, it a massive pain in the ass. Get a goto mount and enjoy the night skys. You tell it what you want to see and it finds it.

 

[rnlzkbrs]

As far as the telrad and star maps that is fine if you really want to learn the nuts and bolts and go down a giant rabbit hole of fuck, it a massive pain in the ass. Get a goto mount and enjoy the night skys. You tell it what you want to see and it finds it.

You are right. When I was young no Telrads or tablets with SkyChart installed on them existed. So, for the most part of my life I've used star maps printed on paper. But for someone who starts now a GoTo mount is probably a much better option than doing it the old fashioned way.