Only about a quarter of the original $249 has actually gone on the telescope bit. Lets assume the eyepieces and 3 x Barlow cost $65, that only leaves $60 of the price for the actual scope tube itself. That leaves only $125 for the eyepieces and telescope. Today, a Medium duty Equatorial Mount will cost at least $150, a Red Dot finder scope will cost $30, but lets say that these both cost $125. The smaller the scope, the bigger the proportional cost of the Equatorial Mount. As is the case with ALL Equatorial mount scopes, a significant portion of the cost goes into the mount. Now lets break things down and show you where the $249 has gone. It's not a bad little scope, and can give you some good views as long as you don't push it beyond its limits. I know its optical (and mechanical) limitations and compromises. Now whilst this may seem like one of those 'bargain basement' shaving mirrors inside a large baked beans tin masquerading as a Newtonian reflector, I happen to have fun with this little scope. I did a little research and went for the Tasco Galaxsee 114375, complete with "375 x Power" and photos of planets on the box all, for an amazing AUD $249! Midland Camera House (in Midland of all places!) were flogging a few Tasco scopes. They are also a major player along with Simmonds and Bushnell making telescopic sights for air rifles. I already knew Tasco from my shouting days, as they made some great Red Dot sights that could be mounted on your "Dirty Harry" Magnum revolver or "Terminator" Desert Eagle semi automatic pistol. These were taken by space probes during a flyby mission and have been enhanced from many composite images. Forget the photos of planets on the box! You will not see this through a scope at this price. Binos are great, but if you want to see a planet as a disc of light rather than a bright dot, then you are going to need a telescope! You have to be aware that scopes at this price are not going to show you as much Deep Space stuff or high magnifications of planets, compared with more expensive scopes with larger apertures and longer focal lengths. If you have about $200 to spend, most astronomers will advise you to get a good pair of binoculars, a planisphere and a tripod with a bino mount. I have also tried to make this review more generic so that it will apply to most budget reflectors in the $200-$350 price range, by showing you some of the pitfalls to watch out for.
You will notice that I have deliberately included calculations and a bit of optical theory, since I believe that you should know the maths before you consider buying.
(If you are in Perth, or visiting, I highly recommend a trip to Perth Observatory on one of their viewing nights.)
We will not get the same view through a 4.5" telescope that Perth Observatory get through their 24" telescope! I mention this to help you form realistic expectations. Whilst I can sky hop to my heart's content around the sky, the observatory may have to watch the same single star or galaxy continuously over a period of days, months, even years. The difference is that whilst we back yardies are oohing and ahhing at the eye candy that the Southern Skies have to offer, the team at Perth Observatory are surrounded by calculations, formulae, theories trying to discover the what? why? where? and when? of our universe. Somewhere between the two are the Astronomical Societies and Clubs. Remember that there is a world of difference between the astronomers at Perth Observatory and the back yard telescope brigade.
TIMETOOL 1.0.0.1 FOR TASCO UPGRADE
You also want to spend enough so that you don't need to instantly upgrade to something bigger if you (or the kids) like it. You won't want to spend too much money in case little Johno or Kylie prefers playing with the box the scope came in rather than the scope itself. I consider this sound advice for serious viewing, but this omits the fun factor! What if your budget IS only $250? Can you still have fun with a $250 scope? I believe that you can, so this review is aimed at those folk, especially parents, who want to get a telescope but have between $200 - $300 budget. The general advice is not to buy the cheap reflectors under $300, but save for a 6" or 8" dobson instead. Optically it is an f500mm scope with a 4.5" (114mm) mirror, 3 "eyepieces" (MA 20mm, MA 10mm and SR 4mm and filters), 3 x Barlow, small Red Dot finder scope, Equatorial Mount, and comes with Tasco's SkyWatch software.Īstronomy is about having fun, yet reading some forums, beginners may get the impression that you need a zillion dollar Meade StiltScope telescope and a handful of TeleVue UltraCost eyepieces at $500 a shot to achieve this.
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