Anyone know anything about telescopes?
 

I want to buy one for my guy for fathers day.
He loves space and it'll be a great excuse to get him off his computer and outside this summer with his son.

I'm considering a GALILEO G-102MD reflector telescope
The Focal Length IS 1100MM

Is that better than say 1400 mm or worse?

I'm pretty clueless about them so any help would be awesome. :)

everything I know about telescopes I learned in college.

The girls dorm was across the campus :winkwink:

LOL
Smart ass. :winkwink:

No womens dorms around here. Just a nice light polution free sky.

Is it strong enough to find the GFY search feature?

lol
Unfortunately that was last seen entering the bermuda triangle.

Might also consider getting one that can use an adapter to put a digital camera on it. hehe

Suggestions? ;)

http://www.celestron.com/prod_pgs/tel/nx8ise.htm

This is what I have, has focal length of 2032mm. Its brand new and I've only used it a couple of times, comes with GPS. If you are in Cali give me a call, I'll give you a deal on it :-)


With this I'm able to see the rings of saturn, I've seen a couple of neat nebulas. The moon looks awesome, so much detail there.

Mike B

Ouch!
I love him, but not that much. lol

That thing looks awesome, but well beyond my price range.

That is not a bad price, nor a bad system, to begin with. I am not sure about the trilogy software though. The meade scope I use has Autostar.

You may want to check with the local amateur astronomy clubs in your area before buying a system. They often have viewing nights scheduled throughout each month where you can actually use the different scopes. You can get info about those clubs from any photo/scope shop in town.

Simi Valley has a Scope City - lots of selection there. They have other locations too - check around.

Mike B

I have that telescope (actually its a year older than that one) and let me tell ya, anything less than that and basically it will be junk and never used. Even after getting that one I wish I would have gone with a bigger one. If you don't mind getting him a used one in perfect condition I'll let it go for $800 and I'll even throw in $500 in additional lenses and filters.

I totally missed this post.
Hey suck on this.. can you icq me? :thumbsup

2-93-44-09

Bump! :)

Focal length doesnt really mean shit. The size of the primary lens is more inportant. And if you see ads for telescopes with little bitty 2-3 inch lenses that say they are 600 power they are full of crap.

Anyways I see it has a 102mm primary mirror which is about 4 inches which is kinda small for a reflector. Most likey best optimal power would be 200X. which is good for looking at planets and the moon and shit. For looking at stars and nebulae and shit power isnt an issue as much is light gathering ability which is where the size of the lens comes in. Reflectors are good for looking at stars and nebuale and stuff. Galileo does make good telescopes.

HSN.com sells your telescore for $300 and they have some others

http://catalog.hsn.com/shop-134/as/49/hp!sf.htm

Yeah I've got one, I have a 12 inch Celestron reflector type that retails about $4k, but it really depends on what you want it for, if he just wants to look at basic things then a 4.5inch+ reflectors are the way to go, very affordable and easy to use.

If you want some more info hit me up on ICQ :)
# below

the man really want an escort not a fucking telescope, he is gonna put some fake ass smile on and think "not another shitty present" and "how long have i been fucking this pussy?".

just kidding, about the telescope part. :warning

Call up oceanside photo and telescope. They have the best prices and the most knowledgeable staff I've ever done business with. Top notch folks.

http://www.optcorp.com

1800-48-focus

lol
I think he's gonna really like this present. I usually get him lame ass shit like autographed helmets and jerseys.. He's super into space and we live in a raised area with very little light polution. Now I just need to find the right one to buy for him that doesn't break me. lol

Thanks for all the meaningful posts! I'm reading them all and taking notes! :)

I suggest a Celestron reflector type..