would this telescope be good for a 13 yr old beginner (me)?

Kindy

Newbie

Posts: 4

would this telescope be good for a 13 yr old beginner (me)?

« on: June 20, 2011, 04:35:08 AM »

i have had heaps of experience with telescopes like i always go to the astronomy capital of australia (coonabarabran) and i have used the anglo australian telescope and we always use telescopes out there anyway do you think this would be good oh btw its already on layby i will use it for deep sky objects, and planets.. stuff like that....

Aperture: 130mm (5")
Focal Length: 900mm
Focal Ratio: f/7
5.2" aluminised & overcoated mirror
Motor drive with clutch
Hand control and battery case
Finderscope: Optical 5x24
Mount: EQ2 equatorial mount
Focuser: smooth rack and pinion 1.25" focuser
Eyepieces: 3 Super 1.25" eyepieces (May Vary)
1.5x erecting prism for terrestrial use

its a saxon telescope

heres the website if you want to have a look at it :p

http://www.staroptics.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=326&osCsid=8862eaa14b18ddb96a15bad0717d5a40

thnx best answer gets 10 points :p

future astronoma kindy :p

oh iit comes with expensive software aswell


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GeoffG

Newbie

Posts: 20

Re: would this telescope be good for a 13 yr old beginner (me)?

« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2011, 08:11:08 AM »

I'm familiar with this particular telescope, and I wouldn't recommend it for two major reasons.

1. It has a spherical mirror rather than a parabolic mirror. At f/7 this leads to serious spherical aberration. It won't tolerate moderately high magnifications.

2. Its EQ2 mount is too flimsy to support the weight of this optical tube. In general you will do better with a Dobsonian mount which is both more stable and easier to use. The EQ2 is hard to use and on a shaky tripod.

I once owned the 130mm f/5 version of this scope, which has a parabolic mirror and is a pretty good telescope, but is on the same lousy mount. SkyWatcher now sells a one-armed Dob version of this scope which has received good reviews:
http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?id=146&class1=1&class2=106

However, I just browsed through the web page you linked to, and they have a 150mm f/8 with parabolic mirror AND Dobsonian mount for less than you'd be paying for the 130mm EQ2:
http://www.staroptics.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=34
This is a far better telescope in every way, and what I would recommend.

For a little bit more you can get the 200mm version:
http://www.staroptics.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=35

I've tested all these scopes personally, and those are the scopes that I'd recommend.


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Nyx

Newbie

Posts: 19

Re: would this telescope be good for a 13 yr old beginner (me)?

« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2011, 09:22:10 AM »

For $50 more, you can get this -
http://www.staroptics.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=529

You don't have to worry about polar alignment, you get 1.5x the aperture, less hassle to setup and easier to maintain and operate.

Also, check with your local astronomy club (if there is one) for your area or get in touch with these folks for more information -
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?home


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