Coated Binocular Night

Coated Binocular Night

What telescope should I buy?

My wife and I just recently started star gazing. I have a nice pair of binoculars (10x50) with coated optics and autofocus mechanism, and this added to our experience. We are now wanting to buy a telescope, for the two or so nights a week we look up. The amount of money we want to spend is commensurate with the amount of time we will spend with this hobby. I have heard a lot about dobsonians. Any suggestions are helpful. Thanks.

I highly suggest that BEFORE you purchase a telescope, that you first join a local astronomy club or Astronomical Society. By joining the club, you will be able to attend many of their star parties and try out a wide variety of different types and sizes of scopes with your own two eyes first, prior to you spending your hard earned money on a scope that might not be a good fit for you. You will also meet a lot of really great people and make a lot of new friends. Most clubs have loaner scopes that you can borrow and also most have libraries of books and videos you can check out too.

No two eyeballs are the same and what is the perfect scope for one person might be a horrible choice for another person. Do research and choose carefully. When you do get to the point of purchase, I highly recomend http://www.oriontelescopes.com/ Orion is the very best when it comes to customer service and they offer the best value for the buck plus a huge variety of choices available. They are the only company that I will purchase from now. When you do get your new scope, the fellow club members will help you assemble your new scope and they can help you to get the most out of the scope you purchased.
A few things to keep in mind that people dont think about is how heavy is the scope? Can you easily lift and transport it to the place you like to go stargazing? Will it fit in your car? Can you reach all the adjustment knobs? If you get a scope that is too big and heavy it will be a royal pain to get it out in the field so it will probably spend more time in a closet than outside under the stars. Also get a carrying case for it to protect your investment and make it last for many years to come. Another thing to remember is PATIENCE. I try to learn one new thing every time that I go out. If I try to learn everything all at once, I get overwhelmed by all the beauty and I tend to forget what I tried to learn.

A great interactive star chart is http://www.stellarium.org/ This is freeware and really good. Just tell it where you are and it will tell you what you see. I wish you the best! Enjoy!

Vanguard Spotting Scope

Vanguard Spotting Scope

Mounting Bracket

Mounting Bracket

What causes the garage door mounting bracket screws to come off so often ?

Heat and cold expanding and shrinking the metal.

Vibration

Lack of lock washers.

bad lock washers

Endeavor Mossy

Endeavor Mossy

Range Super

Range Super

What is the range of age for Super Mario Galaxy on Wii?

I'm thinking about buying it for my 11 year old. Do you think he would have fun playing on, or is he to old?

I think it is rated "E" for everyone no he would not be to old for it.

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