Posted by:
anybody
(
)
Date: October 02, 2020 06:15PM
Do you want to do (a) casual stargazing like looking at the Moon, Mars and the other planets, or (b) would you like to get into something more serious like digital astrophotography of nebulae, galaxies, etc?
You don't need a (relatively) expensive telescope to do A, but you need a very expensive telescope and a digital camera (i.e. $$$, like thousands) to do B.
Also, where you live is important.
If you live in the city, you'll have to drive far away to get away from all of the light pollution. Some states actually have parks in areas with dark skies that are set aside for astronomy. Out west it's a bit easier, but back east a lot more difficult. Cherry Springs in north central PA is one of the few places in the east with really dark skies. You need a place preferably on a hill or mountain or in a clear area with no trees, and good clear weather with no clouds.
If you have to drive out to get to a spot, you'll probably want a portable telescope like a Meade or Celestron. A Newtonian has a long tube with a parabolic mirror in the back and doesn't cost too much. Schmidt-Cassegrains, Muskatov, etc are more compact but much more expensive. Nowadays they all have drive computers, but if you really want to learn, don't use that. All you need is a clock drive to keep it on track. Just get the telescope and a star chart or a star chart app on a tablet (printed star charts and a red flashlight are really all you need at first).
Learn the constellations and then learn how to find double stars, the Orion Nebula (M42), the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), etc visually *before* using the telescope. Then learn how to set it up and align it to the north (or south) celestial pole so you'll get the most out of it.
North America Night Sky Light Pollution Map
https://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html#4/39.00/-98.00https://www.skiesunlimited.com/meade-8-inch-lx200-acf-f-10-telescope.htmlhttps://www.adorama.com/mdlx858r.htmlEdited 6 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2020 06:59PM by anybody.