Quote:
Originally Posted by michaelh82
am I overlooking something?
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Yes. What do you want to use this for ? The optimum scope for you depends on what you do most of the time, and there are distinct categories:
a) if you are mainly into casual visual observations of whatever is 'up there', aperture is king and you don't need an equatorial mount. For this the ideal scope is a cheap 10" f/4 dobsonian. This will give you good views of the bright nebulae and galaxies for a start, but somewhat disappointing when it comes to high magnification on the moon and planets.
b) if you are more interested in high-magnification views of the moon and planets but don't care so much about nebulae and galaxies, then you want a long focal length and a cheap mount that will track well enough for visual use. A good all-round starter scope is the 20cm f/10 SCT such as the Meade Lightswitch, and easily in your budget. You could also consider an f/15 18cm Mak, but adding a decent mount within your budget will be a problem.
c) if you really are itching to try astrophotography you'll need an f/7 refractor and an EQ6 mount, and an auto guider. A 10-15cm APO is within budget, but for visual use this scope will be quite disappointing.
d) Think carefully about eyepieces. Many waste a lot of money by buying cheap junk eyepieces, then realising they're junk, spending more to buy a midrange set, then finally winding up spending even more to buy 2-3 really good ones (which they should have done in the first place). The other thing is that price isn't always a good indicator of quality; some low-cost eyepieces perform very well.
Lastly, think about buying secondhand - your dollars will buy a lot more. Not just here -
www.astromart.com and
www.cloudynights.com are also worth watching.