Oops I've just bought a Telescope!
- Thread starter simon the viking
- Start date
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wheresthetorch
Dreaming of Celeste
- Location
- West Sussex
Out of those two, the best for Moon and planets would be the LT 80AZ as it has a longer focal length so will give a higher magnification.
High magnification isn't essential for objects like galaxies and nebulae - a lower magnification can be better - but it is good on the Moon and planets.
You will be blown away by the views of the Moon, but bear in mind that the planets are small and far away, so will look pretty small in most telescopes - think pea held at arms length rather that golf ball. Still amazing though, and you will be able to see Saturn's rings and that belts and moons of Jupiter with that scope.
Enjoy, and let us know how you get on.
OP
OP
simon the viking
Guru
as O.P The telescope is 2 feet away from me... it still gets used but not as much I'd like... Cant be ar**d sitting around in the cold and in summer the by the time its dark enough... I'm about ready for bed! I will make more effort. Since I bought in the sales last January, the Jessops branch in Derby I bought it from has closed unfortunately.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
You need the telescope outside on a motorised mount, whilemyou sit ondoors controlling it and watching the images on your laptop.
wheresthetorch
Dreaming of Celeste
- Location
- West Sussex
accountantpete
OAP
Bought one and soon got bored of it - firstly you need to learn to use it, get a dark spot and aim it properly and then you find that they are great for looking at the moon(s) but everything else is not very exciting. The cold soon has you heading indoors.
wheresthetorch
Dreaming of Celeste
- Location
- West Sussex
Another option is to get a really good pair of binoculars. It's amazing how much you can see in the skies with binoculars - there are some good books available to help and it's a great way to learn the skies and see whether you enjoy being outside in the dark and (usually) cold. Only downside is they don't give enough magnification for planetary observing.
A few things that I've read mention that as well, but I'd really like to try and see Uranus (snigger). 😂
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
There's faint rings around Uranus...
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Fast forward to 1 minute in for a useful binocular instructional video.
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6oVG4_k7Hbc
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6oVG4_k7Hbc
Bloody hell, you must have a good pair of binoculars.
Seems John Lewis are out of stock on all telescopes, so I'll have to be patient.
As an alternative to the two that I mentioned previously, how does this one compare for £20 more?
https://www.johnlewis.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-lt-114az-reflector-telescope/p5061217
As an alternative to the two that I mentioned previously, how does this one compare for £20 more?
https://www.johnlewis.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-lt-114az-reflector-telescope/p5061217
wheresthetorch
Dreaming of Celeste
- Location
- West Sussex
Yes, still a decent starter telescope. A word of warning though that as it is a Newtonian reflector the mirrors will need occasional collimation. This isn't overly difficult and there are lots of guides on YouTube etc, but is something to be aware of.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
How about this one ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224293086127
Just did an ebay search, and this looked pretty good. No knowledge of the seller
