I can see the rings with my 20x80 binos, but they are better in my 4.25inch
f9 dob and totaly awesome in my 10inch f5 dob. But before even thinking
about a scope, why not infor yourself by reading :

Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord

"saramic" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I am looking at upgrading my binoculars to a telescope and have a few
questions. My initial aim would be to see the rings of Saturn. I live
in Melbourne Australia so there is a fair bit of light pollution.

what is the minimum scope that will distinguish the rings? 4 inch
reflector? 50 mm refractor?

how good are some of the cheap scopes going around at the moment? I am
talking of $30 specials and $50 reduced from $90 or so. There is also a
fair few on ebay. Will I be able to see saturn and the rings with one
of these (eg.
http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.st...uct/View/L8249
). I am thinking of this option as a cheap way to try the hobby out and
then maybe upgrade later on.

Regarding upgrading, how good are the computerised scopes? I am sure
they are great but does it take away from the experience of "amateur"
astronomy and makes it a guided tour? is not finding objects in the sky
half the fun?

making my own, is this still a possibility? does anyone know where to
get blanks for grinding a reflector? has anyone done this and can you
see the rings of Saturn? is there a lot involved in maintaining the
reflective material on the reflector of a home made reflector? I once
read something about coating with silver and having to polish it on a
regular basis. I presume this is not a problem with commercial models.

Just another thought on making my own. what are the limitations of
using a concave mirror (as available for bathrooms shaving mirrors etc)
. I understand that they may have imprfections and there would be a
double image produced by the glass and the reflective material under
the glass, but how bad/good could they be? it is easy to get these up
to about 12 inches, even as an experiment for my son, is it worth
giving it a go?

clear skies

saramic