Telescope under $500

Morrow

Morrow

Don't make this weird
Joined
Apr 11, 2007
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We have a son (13 years old) that is interested in astronomy. He wants a telescope. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd love to hear them. I have almost no experience with telescopes so any info on the capabilities of the equipment you recommend would be very helpful. The $500 limit is a guideline it can be more.

Thanks!
 
I took the below photo through a 'scope a buddy has. I will ask him to provide the specs. I have no idea what they cost but it was tremendous what we looked at that night on Lake Bruin in NE LA. It was incredible. I can see a 13 year old being really excited since my family tells me I am about that age. :rolleyes::D

I'll let you know what I find out.

cb153189.jpg
 
Its been a while since I got rid of mine but, for what its worth, Meade makes some nice stuff. Plenty of accessories if you want to add on later.

I still use their binoculars and they are very good both in build quality and optics.

You can get the ETX-90 AT for right around your price range. It also has a rear port that allows you to connect an SLR camera (with an adapter).

616916.jpg


My Meade was so old that it had a cardboard tube. It was Reflector about 4' in length with an 6" lens. To the best of my knowledge a fellow BF member is still using it.
 
Look at a Dobsonian scope.
Orion makes very reasonably priced ones and has great optics.
Benefits: simple and intuitive to use, mechanically simple and easier to align, cheaper than other types of scopes for the size of mirror you get (all things being equal, the larger the mirror, the more stars and Messier objects you'll be able to pull in).
I owned an 8" one several years ago that cost around $300 or so.
Hope this helps.
Lenny
 
For 500 bucks you should be able to get a nice 8 to 10" reflector with dobsonian mount. I'd stay away from the "go to" computer systems and concentrate on optics and the mount. Here's a site with sketches that will accurately show what you'll actually see along side long exposure pics of the same deep sky objects. The moon, Jupiter and Saturn will pop with a good 8 to 10 inch scope.

http://www.ovas.org/seeinscope.htm
 
morrorj 98, I'm sure as a parent you've already learned not to leap headfirst into all the things our kids/grandkids get enthused about. Too often, the kid's enthusiasm quickly wanes when they find out there's some effort/study/etc. involved. Nevertheless, encouraging astronomy is an A Nr One Okay endeavor! You may even get the bug yourself. My life-long interest just recently came back to life and here I am pushing 80 and back into astronomy in a big way.

I go along with the other posters, check sites like Orion and see what you can get for four or five Ben Franklins. Really, a pretty nice scope which will open up a fantastic world for the entire family. I also recommend a Dobsonian (Newtonian Reflector) as a first scope and a strictly manual model; leave the fancy stuff for later which, in many cases, can be added as accessory kits. Dobs are easy to set up and use. Just be prepared to stay up late at night and also occasionally freeze your behind off if it's winter and you'll need lots of 'Off' at other times of the year. However, it IS worth it and opens up a whole new world. My best to you and your 13 YO....
 
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Thank again to everyone for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

We bought him an Orion XT10.

* 254mm aperture and 1200mm focal length for glorious views of the moon, planets, galaxies and nebulas
* The ultra-stable Dobsonian base keeps the tube perfectly balanced for point-and-view ease of use
* Now includes an upgraded 2" Crayford-style focuser that accepts 1.25" and 2" eyepieces
* Includes 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece, EZ Finder II reflex sight, collimation cap, and FREE Starry Night astronomy software
* Big-aperture optics + point-and-view ease of use = out-of-this-world value
 
Very nice. That's a super first scope. Dobsonians lend themselves to some really comfortable viewing with a good chair. Here's plans for one.

http://denverastro.tripod.com/seat.html

http://www.shoestringastronomy.com/diy/diy.htm

Google Sky for smartphones is sort of a go-to astronomy program. It has a search function and has on screen arrows that will guide you to your search item. It's pretty slick and will get you close to your object.
 
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