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Old 10-11-2008, 09:48 PM
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Screwdriverone (Chris)
I have detailed files....

Screwdriverone is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kellyville Ridge, NSW Australia
Posts: 3,306
Hi Boundless,

Nope, avoid it like the plague.

The BARE minimum would be something like this, which will cost you $199 from one of the cheapest suppliers around (in Sydney) or $249 from Star Optics for the same thing.
Skywatcher 70 x 500 AZ3 (it has slow motion controls too)
This can be used for land viewing also, in case you get bored with the night sky.

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-co...skywatcher.htm

If your budget can stretch to $399, you should entertain the idea of an 8 inch GSO Dobsonian, which you can buy from Andrews and will give you MASSIVELY better views than the scope above and is a doddle to use.
Guan Sheng GS-680 8"
200mm x 1200mm
Limited version
$399.00 AUD

As mentioned before, buy a pair of 11x70 or 15x70 binoculars from aforementioned suppliers in the range of $129-$160 and your money will be MUCH better spent on something you can use for the rest of your life.

If you have a lazy $400-$500 and are genuinely interested in telescopes, start around 8 inches (200mm) or you will be disappointed with the views, seriously... the difference between 4-5 inch scope and an 8 inch is not that much in price, but the views are substantially better. I know, I bought a 5 inch scope and have wanted a bigger one since I bought it.

Mine is quite good, but for the same price, I could have bought an 8 inch dobsonian which would have been a better buy.

Here endeth the lesson.

Chris

P.S. Best value for money is FREE, head to your local Astronomy society's viewing night and have a look at the different scopes the club has or the members have as they will ALL show you their scopes, generally, its a great way to meet people, see amazing things and costs you very little to browse and decide which way you want to go. Check out the "Our Community" and Link pages on the IIS menu on the left for some Astronomy societies and clubs as well as suppliers websites. or just google for your area.

Cheers again

Chris
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