TASCO 40-114675 for Begginners!!!!!!

[sandyinspace]

Hey Guys,
I am a novice and am getting a tasco 40-114675 from one of my frineds. Looking for some information...if somebody can help
1) Is it good for beginners?
2) What all should I look when I get this one (I mean parts/accessories/manual/cd ) as this is a used one
3) My friend is saying last year he paid around $800 usd for this , now the market price is $129 usd is it true?

Any help is appriciated..
Thanks in advance

[dannat]

is it the model with GOTO? I think i have seen it new for between $500-600, have not used one but tasco scopes don't have a great reputation, neither do 114mm reflectors

[chunkylad]

Hi Sandyinspace and:welcome:to Ice In Space

Here is a link to several revues of your telescope:
http://excelsis.com/1.0/entry.php?sectionid=12&entryid=252

The concensus of several reviewers is that the optics of the OTA are quite good, the mount, however, leaves a little to be desired.

Let us know what accessories it comes with - what eyepieces etc, and we may be able to steer you in the right direction.

You may be able to obtain some sort of manual from the internet. I found information which may he helpful here: http://www.tasco.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=75

Hope this helps.:)

[CoombellKid]

1) No I wouldn't recommend this telescope, you would be better off saving
some more dollars and going for 6" or 8" dob. You will find certain things like
the wobbly mount/tripod a frastrating to use. Actually you do better buying
a pair bino's for that price.

2) Read answer to Q 1

3) How well do you kinow this friend??? I think he is conning you.

regards,CS

[Rob_K]

Sandyinspace, I’ve had a 114mm Tasco for a few years now and reckon it’s a great little scope. The portability is key – leave it set up in your house and you can carry it in and out with one hand, whenever you want. Cool-down is quick with the small mirror. There’s a review on this forum for a very similar Tasco model:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=41,358,0,0,1,0 (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=41,358,0,0,1,0)

The eyepieces that came with it were not that good, so I lashed out on reasonably decent eyepieces (21mm & 8mm Celestron X-Cel), but cheap Plossls would be perfectly adequate.

I use almost exclusively about 50x magnification (actually just under with 21mm EP in my scope, at 900mm focal length), only going up on bright stuff like planets and the moon, and the odd DSO that will handle higher mags at this aperture (eg Dumbbell Nebula). The views at low power are awesome if you’ve got reasonably dark skies - bright pinpoint stars against a black background.

People say you won't see much in these scopes, but it's not true. With lots of practice, you can see all sorts of faint fuzzies, but high magnification is not really an option because you run out of light. In time, you will be able to see detail on Jupiter including clear shadow transits, Cassini Division on Saturn, etc. Of course, faint fuzzies and planetary detail simply weren't there the first time I used the scope, LOL. ;)

The other thing with these beginner's scopes with EQ mounts is that they are excellent training for later on, if you decide to get into imaging. They teach you the apparent movements of the stars, and the mechanics of locating or following celestial objects. All good grounding! So enjoy!

Cheers -

[chunkylad]

Just a quick note regarding the dollar value of this 'scope. I have seen it on the 'net for around $129.oo

It wouldn't be worth much more than that. Having said that, at $129 it seems to represent good value, bearing in mind its limited capabilities. I think Rob summed it up well in the previous post.

Cheers

[sandyinspace]

Thank you all for your help, am fortunate to join this forum.

[CoombellKid]

Np's :thumbsup:

regards,CS

[Valmir]

$129.00 i got one for my birthday and it cost around $300 it was not really worth it i cant see anything through that scope the only thing i can see decently thought it is Saturn its crap at seeing deep space objects like nebula.:mad2:

[toetoe]

i agree with what Rob_K said in the above post, i have the 114375 model and have had some great viewing sessions with it, including nebula's. With a decent eyepiece and a decent barlo, you will have a ball with these little Telescopes.

[Valmir]

plz tell me what the nebula's you can see I've been looking for ages and all i get are dots and i know what they are there just to fare away.

[Jarrod]

i'm assuming you have some star charts of some description.

if not, you really need to get some. perhaps buy a nice star atlas from a book store, or borrow one from a library, or maybe download a free night sky simulating program like this: http://www.stellarium.org/

theres plenty up there to see, even with the very smallest telescopes. i started out with my dads tasco 76mm newtonian, and it showed me plenty of amazing things.

to start with, the orion nebula (M42) and eta carina nebula (NGC 3372) will be great to view through your scope.

its kind of hard to just scan the sky expecting to see something, because a) you don't now what you're looking for, and b) you dont know where to look.

J

[Valmir]

I'll look at the orion nebula tonight ,Thanks for the info

[Rob_K]

Hi Valmir - you should be able to see the bright nebulae like Orion & Eta Carinae quite well. I've attached some approximate eyepiece views of these that I get through a 114mm Tasco. These are at low magnification (say around x50) and I've guessed the scale a bit. But of course in the actual views the stars are more numerous, brighter and pinpoint. In the first one (Orion) the photo is 'burnt out' (white) in the centre - the eyepiece view will be four tiny, close, bright 'diamonds' in the centre. Dark skies are very helpful.

Also one of a brighter galaxy, and one of Saturn at high magnification (guessed, about x200?). With planets, to go this high in these scopes you need really good seeing, otherwise it's just a dim blob that won't focus. Better sticking to low mags most of the time - very tiny but bright.

If you don't get similar views, it might be a focus or collimation problem.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

Cheers -

[Valmir]

Amazing thanks mate i didnt know that you could get such good images thanks again.:thumbsup:

[CoombellKid]

Valmir,

You might find this free bit of software of help. It is the PC version of Phil
Harrington's book TOURING THE UNIVERSE THROUGH BINOCULARS STAR ATLAS

http://www.philharrington.net/tuba.htm

It list some 1100 objects suitable for bino's or small aperture scopes such
as yours.

regards,CS

[Valmir]

thanks coombellkid im downloading the software now:)

[Valmir]

it's great thanks again

[chunkylad]

If your 114mm reflector is well collimated, you will be able to see some great sights, even with mediocre eyepieces. The first time I saw Omega Centauri through my 114mm Newt, I was dumbfounded. It was amazing! It was when I tried to obtain a larger image-scale through the eyepiece that the limitations of this aperture became obvious.

Aperture limitations notwithstanding, the 114mm was a great introductory tool for globular and open star clusters, and some of the brighter nebulae, as well as views of both Saturn, Jupiter and of course, Luna.

Cheers

[Valmir]

the only eyepieces i have is the 20mm wide angle 10mm and the high mag SR4 are they good enough.

[CoombellKid]

chunkylad, and others

I disagree, the poor performing optics and overall quality of these scopes
(mount included) can be very frustating to a beginer and can turn them
away from the hobby all together. There are better options out there than
these things. You'd get better optics for the same money buying a pair of
bino's. If you think these things have good optics then you probably
wouldn't know what was good if it hit you in the nose. It is NOT a scope I
would recommend to anyone, The reviews you posted in a link earlier dont
carry any weight and are mostly from people who are first time buyers of
any scope period and wouldn't know better.

Take my advice as I gave the original poster and pose the same question
on this group.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/telescopes/

Where you will find a more informed evaluation of these scopes and who's
members contain some of the top reviewers in the amateur community.
They are in reality nothing more than just department store trash.

Now that might hurt your feelings a little bit, but it is the plain truth.
And I do not wish to get into an argument over it either, it simply isn't
worth it.

regards,CS

[Valmir]

would you be able to see the Horsehead and Crab nebula's through this scope with no extensions?

[chunkylad]

To CS:

This is a quote from Sandyinspace's original question. The advice given was that by you was that an 8" dob would be a much better option. No argument from me whatsoever. However, as per the above quote, it seemed that SIS was set to purchase this 'scope for $129, and advice was sought as to it's suitability.

As I stated, I started with a similar kit, for similar money, and soon upgraded to a 12" GS dob. But, it did its job and got me started in this hobby.
A 114mm reflector for $129 USD unsuitable as a beginner's 'scope? - Maybe. An 8" dob for $299AUD? - much better. No argument. BUT, this was not the question! Nor was there a request for other options mentioned in the original post. Granted, the best advice would have been to steer clear of such an instrument in the first place and buy a dob (as per your own post), but again, this was not what was asked of our forum.

BTW, I do think I have a clue when I view through "good" optics, despite your opinion.
I don't wish to enter into any further debate either.

Cheers

[Jarrod]

crab nebula perhaps. if the skies are nice and dark, and the moon is out of the way.

horsehead? no way. very large telescope required. apparently with the right filters and pitch black sky my 250mm would just barely make it visable.

unfortunatly i dont have the dark skies or filters needed to test that idea.

J

[jjjnettie]

Welcome to IIS Sandy,
I spent the first year and a half of this hobby observing through 7x35mm bino's and a 60mm wobbletronic refractor with plastic lenses, plastic focuser and plastic eyepieces.
Far from putting me off, it fed my desire to progress further and go for more aperture.
There's heaps of good stuff up there to see through a small scope.
The star charts that come with Astronomy 2008 are perfect for the beginner/novice. Carefully remove them and then laminate them to save them from the dew.
I hope you enjoy your new hobby.

[CoombellKid]

I beg to differ



kinda says it all ;)

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

I had the same thing 60mm tasco on a wobbly mount, it was a right pain
in the @$$. Still I was out with it every night I could for a good 6 months
before buying the 8". But looking back and knowing the options I could
have gone. I wouldn't take that path again.

regards,CS

[Valmir]

Would a scope with a focal length of 1900mm make the horsehead nebula visible?.

[Jarrod]

what you can see depends mostly on the aperture (size of the main mirror/lens, which for your telescope is 114mm) of a telescope.

a bigger main mirror/lens is the most important feature of a scope when you want to see dim objects.

a bigger mirror means more surface area, more surface area means more light can be collected, and with more light dimmer objects can be seen.

thats why the size of a scope is ALWAYS measured by the size of the main mirror: it tells you more about what a scope can see then any other number.

i noticed you're asking about the meade ETX scope's, so i assume that thats the scope you're referring too. in that case then no, the ETX's are way too small to see the horsehead.

sure, they have long focal lengths, but what matters is aperture. the largest ETX only has a 125mm wide main mirror, which is far too small to see the horsehead. to get even a glimpse of the horsehead you need a far bigger scope.

Jarrod

[Valmir]

like an RCX400

[Jarrod]

lol :lol:, you're not doing what i was doing when i first started out? (drooling over pictures of it, and thinking "one day...")

yeah, certianly the 20" RCX400. 500mm main mirror!!!! (25mm per inch)

although i dont know whats going on with them now... there has been some issues regarding the RCX scopes. but i think we should stick to scopes us average people can afford.

you don't need to spend $70,000+ to get a nice sized scope. for the amount you would pay for the ETX you could get a 300mm dobsonian telescope with an onboard computer to guide you. if you were really into looking for dim objects i think you'd be best to go for a dobsonian. the ETX125 isnt much bigger then your current tasco scope, the main differance is higher quality, a computerised mount, and portability.

Jarrod

[Stephen65]

The Horsehead is a dark nebula, to see it against the surrounding very faint nebulosity you need a large scope (generally at least 250mm) with excellent optics and baffling, the right filter, an excellent eyepiece and a night of very good transparency at a dark site. I've detected it with my 250mm but only seen it clearly in a friend's larger dob.

Back on topic, if your friend paid US$800 for this then either he was well and truly ripped off or he is not as good a friend as you think!

If it were the case that you only had US$129 to spend with no prospect of ever saving more and so that it was either this telescope or nothing then go for it, the scope has very serious limitations but its better than nothing. But a much better option would be to save a little more as a few people have suggested and get a 6 or 8" dob.