Terry's Astronomy Thread.

[Bluearrowll]

Originally Posted by Myattboy

Stoke-on-Trent. That would be great, thank you.
Something suited for Astrophotography but not ridiculously priced as i know I'll be needing a good camera as well.

Light pollution help:
This is the United Kingdom.

Use this to make out the difference between the different colours of the light pollution map.



Seeing as you are here, your best bet is to head southwest in order to find some good starry area. Find the road A487 until you get to Aberaeron which looks to be a small town you've never heard of before. If you go there and maybe slightly south of the town, and plant your telescope on a good, clear night, you should be very happy. This is a 3 hour trek according to google directions though. If you don't want to drive that far, you can try heading into the blue zone and head just west of Montgomery, which you can get to in just under 1 hr 45 minutes. Hope this helps! (But remember, you're from the UK and I'm not, so you may know a better way.)

As for telescopes, do you have a budget limit on what you're willing to spend on a telescope? The spoiler will list telescopes under $250.00 that are good.

Be prepared to spend a couple hundred, it is very rare to find something decent under $180.

Depending on budget, I will list a few options taken straight from this article:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/equip.../69745547.html

Orion XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian
Orion Starblast 4.5 Astro Reflector
Orion SpaceProbe 3 Altazimuth Reflector
Orion Observer 70-mm Altazimuth Refractor
Edmund Scientifics Astroscan

My list is in order of most expensive to least expensive.

The Astroscan Plus is the most expensive of the 5 that I am listing at $249.00 but is ultra portable in the sense that it is small. It has a field of view the equivalent of 6 full moons and the two eye pieces it comes with are 16x and 30x magnification. the 30x magnification will allow you to see Saturn's rings. This one is best for the moon, and nearby planets.

If you want a stellar (astronomy pun!) telescope for a beginner, the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian Telescope retails for about $239.99 (I have found it here for $209 temporarily). Magnification with included eye pieces are 36x and 91x. The finder magnification is 6x. Fully assembled it weighs 17.6 lbs. Of the 30 reviews it has been given, 27 have rated it 5 stars, and it has also been recommended by SkyandTelescope.
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/...yCategoryId=13

The Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope is cheaper at $199 (on sale for $179.99) and has eye piece magnifications of 26x and 75x. Fully assembled it weighs 13.0 lbs. Link to it here:
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/.../28/p/9814.uts

The Orion SpaceProbe 3 Equitorial Reflector Telescope costs $149.99 and is best used for lunar and planetary viewing. the eye piece magnification is 28x and 70x and weighs 16.6 lbs when assembled.
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/.../11/p/9843.uts

The Orion Observer 70mm Altazimuth Refractor Telescope is more traditional looking in terms of how one would think a telescope looks like, and is much more budget friendly at $139.99 (on sale for $119.99). Also featuring eye pieces with 28x and 70x magnification, it only weighs 6.5 lbs when fully assembled. Because of this, it might be more difficult taking pictures through this one.


Of the 5, I like the Orion StarBlast the best in this scenario. One of the biggest reasons for this is because it comes to you pre-assembled. It is $179 well spent! Keep in mind these are online orders. I will see if I can find these in a store somewhere, but I have a feeling they're likely to be priced higher at retail level.

For additional telescope reading, refer to here (this page also includes a few great links to finding the first telescope for a specific need) :
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/letsg.../12511616.html