If you don't mind an annoying question. I'm a noob astronomer who's looking for a good entry level telescope. Any recommendations? I know most scopes at the lower level don't do much beyond looking at the moon, but I was hoping for something that it's at least possible to see other things.
The most common recommendation is an 8-inch dobsonian, since they are the best “bang for your buck”.
They’re not the right scope for everybody. For example: might be too large/bulky, not meant for terrestrial observation, require periodic adjustments of the mirror(s), etc. (that last part isn’t as tricky as it sounds).
Realistically, even a simple pair of binoculars will show you much more than the Moon. They won’t show planetary detail, but you can see Jupiter’s four brightest moons, craters on our Moon, tons of star clusters (like the Pleiades and Double Cluster), galaxies (like Andromeda and M81/M82), nebulas (like Orion and the Dumbbell), globular clusters (like M13), hundreds of satellites, and thousands of stars invisible to the naked eye.
Many star clusters look better in binoculars, because of their size. You do need a telescope to see those other objects in greater detail. For example, globular clusters (which are made up of hundreds of thousands to millions of stars) look like tiny, spherical clouds through binoculars.
I recommend getting a set of binoculars, even if you also get a scope. If you get a scope, I recommend one with at least a 6-inch aperture (if you want a good amount of detail on things other than the Moon). Edit: Smaller scopes can still produce extremely satisfying views.. as long as you have the proper expectations.
I never would have thought of that, thanks, I will try it with binoculars too.
My son is becoming as interested in the planets in our solar system, so I'm hoping it is something I can share with him. So it's just been difficult trying to find the right balance, cost (I don't want to sink too much on the first one), wider range of possible things to view, we live outside the city so light pollution isn't too bad, and possibly a phone adapter so he can take pictures of what we find. I've started to see digital scopes, but I really have no preference on digital or analog. Do you recommend a phone adapter for taking pictures, or some other method for filming?
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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '19
Is this a composite photo or a tracked exposure?