best telescope for planetary viewing??

I want to buy a telescope that one can view the planets with and see
some detail.
Not great detail, but some detail.

from http://www.space.com/spacewatch/where_is_mars.html
"To the naked eye, Mars is a point of light, like a bright star. To
see surface features, you'll need a telescope with a lens at least
70mm in diameter for the refractor type, or 4.25 inches for a
reflector. "

70 millimeters = 2.75590551 inches
4.25 inches = 107.95 millimeters

What size would I need for a Maksutov-Cassegrain?
What size for a Schmidt-Cassegrain?

I am hoping to spend about $300.

Is Orion a good make?

Which one will do what I want?

http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...S=1&ke yword=
Apex™ 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain $219.00
StarMax™ 90mm EQ Compact "Mak" - 09821 $279.00
Explorer™ 90mm Altazimuth Refractor - 09029 $299.00
AstroView™ 90mm EQ Refractor - 09024 $299.00

--
CB

"cgbusch" wrote in message
om...
I want to buy a telescope that one can view the planets with and see
some detail.
Not great detail, but some detail.

from http://www.space.com/spacewatch/where_is_mars.html
"To the naked eye, Mars is a point of light, like a bright star. To
see surface features, you'll need a telescope with a lens at least
70mm in diameter for the refractor type, or 4.25 inches for a
reflector. "

70 millimeters = 2.75590551 inches
4.25 inches = 107.95 millimeters

What size would I need for a Maksutov-Cassegrain?
What size for a Schmidt-Cassegrain?

I am hoping to spend about $300.

Is Orion a good make?

Which one will do what I want?


http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...S=1&ke yword=
Apex™ 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain $219.00
StarMax™ 90mm EQ Compact "Mak" - 09821 $279.00
Explorer™ 90mm Altazimuth Refractor - 09029 $299.00
AstroView™ 90mm EQ Refractor - 09024 $299.00

--
CB

My suggestion is that you select none of the above. Instead, consider an
Orion XT6. This is a 6" Dob and will allow you to see far more than any of
the above telescopes.

Al

I'll see your six and raise you two.
http://modernthought.com/dsh8.html

Perhaps someone can find a 10" dob for under $300??

Regards,
Etok


"MostlyH2O" wrote in message
...
Please read this article at Orion...

http://www.telescope.com/content/lea...avIDs=19,22,29

And also check out Starlords FAQ: http://home.inreach.com/starlord/

In short, aperture size will determin the amount of detail you can see. It
will be *roughly* the same for any type of scope. The
next consideration might be portability. A cassegrain is more portable
than a dob, but is more expensive - and so on. Tracking
ability for astrophotography might be another consideration. At $300, I'd
get the Orion XT6 Dob - simple to use and 6" is a good
entry level aperture. I wouldn't get anything smaller - no matter what
type the scope is. Orion is a good and reputable entry and
mid level telescope maker - WAY better than any department store scopes.
Never buy from a department store!

clear skies,
Jack


"cgbusch" wrote in message
om...
I want to buy a telescope that one can view the planets with and see
some detail.
Not great detail, but some detail.

from http://www.space.com/spacewatch/where_is_mars.html
"To the naked eye, Mars is a point of light, like a bright star. To
see surface features, you'll need a telescope with a lens at least
70mm in diameter for the refractor type, or 4.25 inches for a
reflector. "

70 millimeters = 2.75590551 inches
4.25 inches = 107.95 millimeters

What size would I need for a Maksutov-Cassegrain?
What size for a Schmidt-Cassegrain?

I am hoping to spend about $300.

Is Orion a good make?

Which one will do what I want?


http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...S=1&ke yword=
Apex™ 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain $219.00
StarMax™ 90mm EQ Compact "Mak" - 09821 $279.00
Explorer™ 90mm Altazimuth Refractor - 09029 $299.00
AstroView™ 90mm EQ Refractor - 09024 $299.00

--
CB






__________________________________________________ ____________________
Posted Via Uncensored-News.Com - FAST UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD - http://www.uncensored-news.com
The Worlds Uncensored News Source

"cgbusch" wrote in message
om...
I want to buy a telescope that one can view the planets with and see
some detail.
Not great detail, but some detail.

from http://www.space.com/spacewatch/where_is_mars.html
"To the naked eye, Mars is a point of light, like a bright star. To
see surface features, you'll need a telescope with a lens at least
70mm in diameter for the refractor type, or 4.25 inches for a
reflector. "

Note that that is the *minimum*. You won't see much.

The best buy on a 90-mm Maksutov-Cass right now is the Meade ETX-90 RA
(non-computerized). It's going for under $200 at some liquidators. I think
www.scopetronix.com has some. It's a long-discontinued item, since Meade
replaced it with the computerized ETX, and their last stock of it has
recently been sold off.

But I strongly recommend a 5-inch (125-mm) telescope. The Orion Maksutov
(www.telescope.com) is very good for the price.

For serious planet observing, an 8-inch telescope such as the Meade LX90 or
Celestron 8 (many varieties) is probably the most economical and convenient.

If you want to view the planets, you don't need a computerized mount --
planets are easy to find without computer aid. Thus, you can buy a
telescope secondhand from someone who feels the need for computerization.


--
Clear skies,

Michael Covington -- www.covingtoninnovations.com
Author, Astrophotography for the Amateur
and (new) How to Use a Computerized Telescope

"Al" wrote in message
et...

My suggestion is that you select none of the above. Instead, consider an
Orion XT6. This is a 6" Dob and will allow you to see far more than any
of
the above telescopes.

Good advice. That telescope is a very good deal for the price.

Michael A. Covington wrote:

The best buy on a 90-mm Maksutov-Cass right now is the Meade ETX-90 RA
(non-computerized). It's going for under $200 at some liquidators.

$169 at Woodland Hills ($300 with tripod having EQ table).

Phil

An eight inch scope for three hundred dollars! And look at the standard
equipment! I can't believe the prices we're getting on these Chinese scope.

When I built my first scope, an 8" f/7 it was in a class given seven years
ago by "John D" himself. That scope took 2-1/2 weeks to make at a cost of
$270.00. And the only reason it cost that much was because I installed a JMI
1-1/4" focuser. ( it ****ed John off that I would not use his drainpipe
focuser.)

After hooking up with the people of TAC I soon had aperture fever, and made
myself a 12.5" f/4.8 Truss Dob with top of the line hardware and it cost
$725 to build, not counting the six weeks it took to grind, polish and
figure the mirror. A while back someone post a link to a site that had 12.5"
mirrors for something like $295!

I used to say that it was always cheaper to build a scope yourself than to
go out and buy a commercial Dob that you would have to fix up anyway. Not
any more!!

Rashad

"etok" wrote in message
...
I'll see your six and raise you two.
http://modernthought.com/dsh8.html

Perhaps someone can find a 10" dob for under $300??

Regards,
Etok


"MostlyH2O" wrote in
message
...
Please read this article at Orion...


http://www.telescope.com/content/lea...sp?iCategoryID
=29&iContentID=619&CCNavIDs=19,22,29

And also check out Starlords FAQ: http://home.inreach.com/starlord/

In short, aperture size will determin the amount of detail you can see.
It
will be *roughly* the same for any type of scope. The
next consideration might be portability. A cassegrain is more portable
than a dob, but is more expensive - and so on. Tracking
ability for astrophotography might be another consideration. At $300,
I'd
get the Orion XT6 Dob - simple to use and 6" is a good
entry level aperture. I wouldn't get anything smaller - no matter what
type the scope is. Orion is a good and reputable entry and
mid level telescope maker - WAY better than any department store scopes.
Never buy from a department store!

clear skies,
Jack


"cgbusch" wrote in message
om...
I want to buy a telescope that one can view the planets with and see
some detail.
Not great detail, but some detail.

from http://www.space.com/spacewatch/where_is_mars.html
"To the naked eye, Mars is a point of light, like a bright star. To
see surface features, you'll need a telescope with a lens at least
70mm in diameter for the refractor type, or 4.25 inches for a
reflector. "

70 millimeters = 2.75590551 inches
4.25 inches = 107.95 millimeters

What size would I need for a Maksutov-Cassegrain?
What size for a Schmidt-Cassegrain?

I am hoping to spend about $300.

Is Orion a good make?

Which one will do what I want?



http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...D=367&itemType
=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=
Apex™ 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain $219.00
StarMax™ 90mm EQ Compact "Mak" - 09821 $279.00
Explorer™ 90mm Altazimuth Refractor - 09029 $299.00
AstroView™ 90mm EQ Refractor - 09024 $299.00

--
CB






__________________________________________________ ____________________
Posted Via Uncensored-News.Com - FAST UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD -
http://www.uncensored-news.com
The Worlds Uncensored News Source

In article ,
cgbusch wrote:

from http://www.space.com/spacewatch/where_is_mars.html
"To the naked eye, Mars is a point of light, like a bright star. To
see surface features, you'll need a telescope with a lens at least
70mm in diameter for the refractor type, or 4.25 inches for a
reflector. "

Personally I've falsified that claim, since I've seen some surface
features on Mars with a refractor as small as 60 mm .....

--
----------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Schlyter, Grev Turegatan 40, SE-114 38 Stockholm, SWEDEN
e-mail: pausch at stockholm dot bostream dot se
WWW: http://www.stjarnhimlen.se/
http://home.tiscali.se/pausch/

Stephen,

I can appreciate your misgivings about taking advantage of the optics coming
out of China. However, there is a way to look at the situation which is a
bit more positive and hopeful. Not all economies are at the same
developmental level, and those developing economies like China, Indonesia,
Brazil, etc. are easily characterized as exploitive. However, economies are
not born fully developed (like Athena was born from Zeus), but rather must
grow up in their own times, and own ways. I believe that the people living
in these economies want their jobs (as bad as we would view them), and will
achieve increasingly better lives if we give them a chance, and part of
giving them a chance means buying their stuff. This doesn't mean that we
also can't encourage them to improve working, environmental and human rights
conditions, but to boycott young economies is selfish and wrong. In fact, I
have to wonder if at least part of the anti-globalization movement isn't
based on racist beliefs that these folks are better off living in quaint
villages, where we can visit them and take their pictures.

I have to note that, in spite of what I have just written, China's situation
is pretty troubling. Capitalism is an incredibly powerful engine for
growth, and works because people are are least in large part capitalist
creatures. However, government plays an important role in tempering the
(necessarily) asocial side of capitalism, and the US and other developed and
democratic capitalist countries struggle to achieve a balance. China is
pretty different, in that it is totalitarian, and increasingly capitalist.
This combination is, I believe, very ugly. However, I hope that the Chinese
people will not tolerate this situation for too much longer before they
change their political situation.

Dennis

"Stephen Paul" wrote in message
...
"Rashad Al-Mansour" wrote in message
...
An eight inch scope for three hundred dollars! And look at the standard
equipment! I can't believe the prices we're getting on these Chinese
scope.

I used to say that it was always cheaper to build a scope yourself than
to
go out and buy a commercial Dob that you would have to fix up anyway.
Not
any more!!

I'm a little less inclined to celebrate. It's my belief that somebody is
getting screwed to bring us these prices. Until that can be put to rest, I
continue to struggle as a consciencious consumer. I'm all for less
expensive
alternatives at the low end, but not if it's padding the pocket of the
retailers at the expense of the laborers, their families, and the natural
environment in other countries.

What a world.

--
-Stephen Paul

Stephen Paul wrote:
"Rashad Al-Mansour" wrote in message
...

An eight inch scope for three hundred dollars! And look at the standard
equipment! I can't believe the prices we're getting on these Chinese

scope.


I used to say that it was always cheaper to build a scope yourself than to
go out and buy a commercial Dob that you would have to fix up anyway. Not
any more!!


I'm a little less inclined to celebrate. It's my belief that somebody is
getting screwed to bring us these prices. Until that can be put to rest, I
continue to struggle as a consciencious consumer. I'm all for less expensive
alternatives at the low end, but not if it's padding the pocket of the
retailers at the expense of the laborers, their families, and the natural
environment in other countries.

I think you are too concerned. It's all part of the evolutionary
process re the Chinese economy. 30 or so years ago the Japanese were in
the same position and were the source of bargain products. Now they are
too expensive for our market (in fact come to the US to buy their own
products at a better price!). Likely China will be so in a few years.

I believe the standard of living in China (etc.) is advancing rapidly
(vs. in decades before 1990) and having rest of the world as a market is
making that possible. Not buying their $300 Dobs is not in their best
interest.

Phil