FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Re: amateur telescope

[Jeff Hopkins <phxjeff@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Barb,

I checked EBay, but that item is no longer there.

How much money do you want to spend as a maximum?

Meade has a very nice ETX 80 mm refractor with Autostar for under $300.

Check

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-600-603-571-591-7295

The Autostar is nice as once you set it up you just punch in the 
object you want to view and it will automatically go to the object. 
This is great if you are just learning the sky. While it takes a bit 
to understand the setting up part and the use of the hand controller, 
it is not really difficult. It just takes some practice. One 
advantage of the refractor is there is essentially no maintenance and 
it is easy to set up.

Also check Orion telecopes at
http://www.telescope.com

Orion has some nice scope for beginners. A Dobsonian (DOB) would give 
you the best value for a larger telescope. You can get a nice 6" for 
$259 or 8" for $358. I recommend at least an 8" if going that route. 
These are heavier and are not computerized like the EXT 80.

If you have more questions, just drop me a note.

Jeff

At 12:28 -0700 11/10/05, Barbara Liebler wrote:
>I'm new to the world of "star gazing," and I'm considering buying a 
>telescope.  I see an Ebay item, number 756031424, that is a Meade 
>telescope with an "autostar" attachment.  Will that be easy enough 
>for a rank novice to use to find a particular star?
>Barb


-- 
Jeff Hopkins
HPO SOFT
http://www.hposoft.com/Astro/astro.html
Hopkins Phoenix Observatory
7812 West Clayton Drive
  Phoenix, Arizona 85033-2439 U.S.A.
www.hposoft.com
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