SingAstro

Dear all,
I am new to this forum. My main interest is to watch the surface of the moon + general stsr gazing. I am looking for a weather proof refractive telescope to do this after doing some reading. Weather proof because I like to do this at places like kelong in Mersing, where it can get humid to the scope.

It is probably helpful for me to ask the shop but if anyone can recommend me a model here, it would be most appreciative.

Also, have any one of you buy telescope from Beijing in China? What is think it a reasonable price to get a decent one to watch the moon? I know there will be some risk getting a chiong one so I am not going to spend too much if I m getting one in China.

Is a monocular a good idea as well?

Thanks!

LongIslandTea70 wrote:Dear all,
I am new to this forum. My main interest is to watch the surface of the moon + general stsr gazing. I am looking for a weather proof refractive telescope to do this after doing some reading. Weather proof because I like to do this at places like kelong in Mersing, where it can get humid to the scope.

It is probably helpful for me to ask the shop but if anyone can recommend me a model here, it would be most appreciative.

Also, have any one of you buy telescope from Beijing in China? What is think it a reasonable price to get a decent one to watch the moon? I know there will be some risk getting a chiong one so I am not going to spend too much if I m getting one in China.

Is a monocular a good idea as well?

Thanks!

Hi LongIslandTea70. Welcome to the forum!

I don't think there is telescope designed to be weather proof. It's up to the telescope owner responsibility to take good care of the telescope and seek/gain the proper knowledge to do so. There are some fog proof designs in binoculars though. Some stargazers are also concern about potential damaging of telescopic optics coating when observing for long time near the sea.

Perhaps you can state a general budget so members here can give you some advise base on that.

Good luck and have fun stargazing at the kelongs!

Hi LongIslandTea70,

Scopes aren't really weather proof, when you change eyepieces around, air enters the inside of a telescope which cant really be helped. Binoculars are sealed and hence are weather proof to some extent.

I guess the way to work around this is to store in dehumidifier after a observing session near the sea?

Maybe a good start for you will be a small refractor on a alt-az mount for easy transport out to sea.

Regards,
Junwei

Hi LongIslandTea70. Welcome to the forum!

I don't think there is telescope designed to be weather proof. It's up to the telescope owner responsibility to take good care of the telescope and seek/gain the proper knowledge to do so. There are some fog proof designs in binoculars though. Some stargazers are also concern about potential damaging of telescopic optics coating when observing for long time near the sea.

Perhaps you can state a general budget so members here can give you some advise base on that.

Good luck and have fun stargazing at the kelongs![/quote]

Thanks for the advice. My budget is about S$500. Most importantly the scope is easy for me to carry along.

Thanks!

Hello and welcome to the forum!
As the above authors have already said, most telescopes are not made to be waterproof but most scopes will be able to withstand a fair amount of humidity and condensation which are very common nocturnal conditions, even in relatively inland or temperate climates. The important thing is to store it thereafter in a dry area, such as a dry box or dry cabinet.
While going to a seaside area will not be a problem in itself, the kelong will present some unique challenges, mainly that the Kelong itself is floating- so moving (gently) thus your scope will likewise do so. This will become very evident at higher powers and may be disturbing. For Kelongs I suggest binoculars which are inherently lower power and their hand held use will compensate better for the movement of the Kelong under you. There is much to be seen in a decent pair of binos under dark skies although details on the moon will be small at the usual bino powers of 7-10×
If weatherproofing is an absolute requirement for you, then I'd suggest a spotting scope since these are usually made to be rain proof. Their optics may not be as good as astronomical telescopes but again that tends to show up at higher powers.
If you do decide that weatherproofing is no longer an us sue, then I suggest you drop by a sidewalk session to view the various types of scopes and their mounts

Welcome to this hobby and the forum,

LongIslandTea70 wrote:Dear all,

...Also, have any one of you buy telescope from Beijing in China? What is think it a reasonable price to get a decent one to watch the moon? I know there will be some risk getting a chiong one so I am not going to spend too much if I m getting one in China.

Thanks!

Oh dear... you having the misconception that China selling "cheong" things!
Beijing is the Capital of China.
Go to reputable stores you get good and genuine things. Go to back lane shops you get good imitation things if you pay for A 货.
If you paying $500 for a thing that supposed to be $2000 then surely you won't get that $2000 thing.

If you go China I recommend you buy China brand telescope. If you go other countries by all mean buy those well known brand but still the chances are that the telescope is made in China (smaller scope).

China Brand like "Sharpstar" and "Sky Rover" make good astronomical APO and Achromatic telescope and they come with ED & Japanese Ohara glass. There are also few other Chinese made brands too.

Regards,

Dear Gary, antares2063, cloud_cover and beginner, thank you all for your valuable advice, very much appreciated!

I attended last Friday's session at science center and is more certain I m going to get a reflector scope for my need, as I will make observation more from the beach as well. Will target one with aperture of 80m or more.

Thanks again.

Best regards,

Longislandtea70

while hunting for the scope, try different sources where u can get better prices, online is also a good place to start. science centre is not the only source of purchase. some of our local online stores are www.astrobargains.com and store.mcgill.com.sg. u can compare the prices among these places and make ur choice on what to get so you wont burn a big hole in ur wallet and also be spoilt for choices. at the different type of scopes you can acquire.