SingAstro

Hi,

jia siang wrote:yo there. thanks for all the advice so far. i have settled my mind on the Galileoscope on astrobargains website. so do i need a mount on that? without a mount, means using my hands, will i have difficult tracking objects in sky?

Err... IMHO, that's not a scope that you want to use for proper observation. I think it'll be better if you get a proper scope as your first scope.

Have a nice day.

jia siang wrote:yo there. thanks for all the advice so far. i have settled my mind on the Galileoscope on astrobargains website. so do i need a mount on that? without a mount, means using my hands, will i have difficult tracking objects in sky?

Hi Jia Siang, that scope you mention is not a serious beginner scope. It is designed primarily as a teaching aid that can be acquired by developing nations at a low cost; so as to sow the seeds of astronomy into their future generation. No doubt its price is attractive, but the quality of the image and the overall experience will be dissapointing. Besides, you still need extra money to come up with a decent mount of this scope.

For $50, which is the price one will pay for this scope. You can buy a decent pair of entry level bino to start with. There is this 7X50 bino sold in carrefour for around $22, it is of relatively good construction, and the views through it is modest yet respectable. Do consider it if you are extremely cash strap, as I am sure it will give you a better observational experience that the Galileo scope.

If your budget is up to $800, what about something like the Meade ETX-80AT-BB? It's an 80mm refractor on a GoTo mount ; i.e. it has a built-in computer to help you find objects quickly. It comes with a 26mm Plossl, a 9.7mm Plossl and a Barlow, and includes a custom backpack so you can easily take it to a dark sky location, or store it when not in use.

Joo Beng (Astrobargains) lists it for $669 - I'm thinking about getting one myself to take when I travel!

I have a galileo scope, and i would not recommend that for looking at mars. It is only good for the moon with a tripod. And it is made of plastic, meaning it is not so sturdy. And the first thing to throw away when you get the galileo scope will be the eyepieces.

Check out www.telescope.com plenty of stuff there. See anything you like, just e-mail joo beng from astrobargains and he will ship it over for you.

Hmmm, you wanna see Mar eh? Try the Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope. If you are not much of a backyard astronomer and mobility is of concern, get the Meade ETX-80AT-BB as pete suggested.

Basically, the main rule of choosing a telescope for visual use is the aperture. The larger aperture (opening), the more light a scope can gather, the better it is. Also, you would like a stable mounting platform. For beginners, an attitude azimuth mount will do. Should you go into astrophotography, you will need to buy a totally new set-up.

Hmmm,i read all the post...As for the binoculars mentioned by Fizzy123 at carrefour,that S$22 binoculars can see pretty good images?And also how do i set it up for a binoculars to see things in the sky?When i'm young i used to play with binoculars often but it don't seems really good.

Disagree. If the $22 bino will definitely come with a variety of problems such as narrow field of view, chromatic aberration, vignetting, coma and who knows what. I also doubt the durability of such bino.

1. You can set a bino up on a tripod, which stabilizes your viewing. Objects near zenith not recommended, cause you may sprain your neck...

2. Just hold and point ( f you have the stamina). Doing so on a foldable beach chair of while lying down is recommended. After all, the zenith is the least light polluted in sg

.fAfA-. wrote:Hmmm,i read all the post...As for the binoculars mentioned by Fizzy123 at carrefour,that S$22 binoculars can see pretty good images?And also how do i set it up for a binoculars to see things in the sky?When i'm young i used to play with binoculars often but it don't seems really good.

I had been to Carrefour some 10 days ago and did not find any S$ 22 binoculars. Perhaps they have been all sold out. I got a 7x50 made in China for S$ 49. Its sort of just ok. I knew that for this price, I can't really expect superior quality optics. My purpose of getting a binoculars was for general purpose (not just star gazing) and use it mainly as a spotter/finder for stargazing. You can watch it from a more comfortable position compared to the finder scope on the telescope, plus you can use 2 eyes. I was able to view the prominent clusters in the southern sky pretty well.

Hi Bharat,

I believe the $49 binoculars that you have purchased, was the exact one that I have bought a while back. I bought it went carrefour had it on special offer for $22. I know that the optics are just fully coated and not fully multi-coated, there will bound to be some lost of light transmission, but considering the ease of use and portability, such a setup is definitely a boon for those that are cash strapped, such as the thread starter. It sure beats the galileoscope in the aspect of ergonomics.

As for Fafa, you are 16 right? So what type of bino did u play with when you are young and how young were you? My guess is that the bino were too heavy for your little hands (then), so it might cause your hands to jerk, thus diminishing the quality of the image.

You can buy a lot of good stuff from Astromart if you have a Paypal account and VPOST.

For example:
Vixen Polaris mount - $165 USD = $235 SGD + maybe $120 SGD shipping
Orion 100mm f/6 achromatic refractor - $220 USD = $315 SGD + maybe $130 SGD shipping

So for around $800 SGD you can get some pretty decent kit. You just have to visit Astromart and Cloudy Nights Classifieds religiously.. and don't buy the first cheap thing you see. :-)

Heh... all assume he has hundreds+ USD on budget...
Jia Siang: You'll definitely need to mount any telescope on a tripod or something for a stable view. If not, you'll tire out your hands and have a very shaky view which usually leads to eye strain and giddiness.
If cost is a very big concern, why not try the Celestron Firstscope? I have no personal experience with it but other users have said its decent and it has its own table-top mount (so you can save on a tripod).
You may also really wish to consider binos. I've just started too, and my budget is also limited. After a viewing session at the Science Centre, I realised that a bino can show you a lot more stars than you can see with the naked eye while still preserving a wide enough view to know which constellation you're in. Then join a obs session with the other guys to borrow their insanely large and expensive telescopes :p
If you have your heart set on the Galileoscope, you'll either want to purchase a tripod, or if budget does not permit, resting the telescope on a beanbag placed on a windowsill (don't drop!) is a better alternative than handheld. If you must handhold, then you will need to brace yourself against some rigid object (such as a wall). Be forewarned: Due to its long length its not easy at all to hand hold or use without securing (as in with a tripod)
Hope it helps and hope to run into you during one of the obs sessions!