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Which one of this telescopes is better? Does the price match the quality?

I want to buy a telescope to view the sky, moon, planets, galaxies, etc... I want it for terrestrial observation too. I found 6 telescopes that I like. Now i don't know which of these it's better. If you have better suggestions don't hesitate to tell.

Hello D...

The telescopes you showed links to are all Refractors which use a glass lense at the end to collect light which is magnified by an eyepiece to deliver views to the observer (you). The largest lense you mentioned in your selections was 120 mm which for observation of the planets and stars would be the best "in most normal discussions." This was link number 6, the last one (120/1000mm).

Also, if we throw lightness of the assembly out of our discussion, what is most important besides the view itself, is the ability to "use" the view provided by the telescope. You cannot use the view from a telescope which has a shakey mount when you are observing at 100X, 150X, 200X levels of magnification. You will be most unhappy with the jiggling view.
So, of the six links shown, the last one has the BEST Mount.

I am not familiar with the Euro currency and cannot translate that into US Dollars. However, observation of the stars and planets requires the collection of a huge amount of light. So, you need the largest objective lens, and longest focal length that you can possibly afford.

In refractor telescopes, quality optics become extremely expensive once the objective lens reaches five inches in diameter and larger. Around six inches they become quite high in cost. Reflector telescopes, on the other hand, allow you to continue going larger and larger up to around 14 or 16 inches before the cost just gets astronomical. In short, what I am saying is that if you do some serious research, you can get a reflector telescope with a six or eight inch mirror for about the same cost, and it will capture much more light than a 70, 80, 102, or 120mm refractor telescope. Dobsinian reflector telescopes have a fairly good mount made of wood or laminates which is not to heavy to transport here and there. They are not to practical for terrestrial viewing however. To blend the two missions into one telescope that does a great job in both cases will be very difficult in the lower cost ranges.

I urge you to join a local Astronomy Club in your area prior to purchasing a NEW telescope so that you may gain information and experience from the club members, and even look through some of their telescopes prior to your purchase to make sure you get the right thing when you buy.

The last thing that I offer in the way of information is that telescopes have two basic parts beside the tube that holds everything together...They are the Light Collecting Lens or Mirror and the Eyepiece. Most low cost beginner telescopes are furnished with simple low cost eyepieces that have a value of maybe $25 to $40. A really good eyepiece may cost up to $600 each. So, good optics cost lots of money. There are no ways to circumvent this basic truth.

My own set up is a used Meade 6 Inch Refractor with Televue Nagler Eyepieces and an LDX-75 GO-TO Mount. The Mount is quite heavy to lug around. The telescope is large and cumbersome, but the combination produces some breath taking views of the Moon and pretty good views of Mars and Jupiter (yet still not what I want). I have invested about $1700 US in the outfit. I am ready to move on up to a larger Schmidt Cassegrain folded light path design of telescope some time in the near future. These telescopes have 10 to 12 Inch mirrors in them and are not to heavy or cumbersome to lug around in the back of a car.

See:
www.meade.com
www.astromart.com
www.telescope.com
www.telescopes.com

Look for Dobsinian Reflector Telescopes to learn about what I have suggested. Please look into the idea of a used telescope first which you might find at your local Astronomy club.

If you want to look at some really neat telescopes that are very expensive, see

www.takahashiamerica.com

Spend a few minutes looking at their Galleries to see what a really fine optical instrument can provide in deep space views, and you will see why I referred you to this site. I am afraid that your star and planet views with the little telescopes you listed will turn out to be pin points of light and nothing more, unless the view jiggles all over the place...

regards, Zah
zahbudar at yahoo.com

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