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JennGM
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| Posted: Aug 28 2006 at 1:48pm | IP Logged
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I haven't seen any discussions on telescopes. One of the things dh and I want to do for ourselves and our son is learn more about star gazing, and we would like to get a telescope. The timing isn't urgent yet, but Costco had one that I wondered if it was a good one. I'm looking for ease of use, but good quality, and not something we'd easily outgrow, if you know what I mean.
Both of us know very little about this area. I remember receiving a kid telescope at the age of 11. Never could get it to work (I do think it was broken), nor did my parents know what to do with it. But I really wanted to look up into the heavens and know what I was seeing. Can you believe I didn't know what the Big Dipper was until adulthood? Now that's sad...and something I don't want to replay in our family.
Maybe Frank Gilbreath's method of painting the constellations on the ceiling would be a start? 
Here are some questions for a good telescope, but I know these don't cover it all. Brand names?
1) Refractor vs. Reflector?
2) If live in suburban area with trees, will this be a big problem?
3) Someone told me that you need a good eyepiece on the telescope for ease of use. Best would be the kind that allows you to look down into it, instead of peering up through the telescope. Thoughts?
4) Minimal power?
5) Average cost of good telescope?
There was on at Costco, Meade DS 2102 AT-TC Refractor Telescope. I can't find an example online, but it seems the DS is the economy version. Anyone familiar with this one? Is it a good one?
Thanks for any help!
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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stefoodie
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yes please, let's! We'd like to get one for Christmas this year, and I need to do my research early so we can save up.
Great start, Jenn! I'll wait for answers....
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stef
mom to five
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Aug 28 2006 at 3:01pm | IP Logged
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1) Refractor vs. Reflector?
Depends. Reflector is smaller to carry, but better on "seeing" power. If I were choosing, I'd buy a reflector.
2) If live in suburban area with trees, will this be a big problem?
Not as long as there are clearings. Light pollution is a bigger problem.
3) Someone told me that you need a good eyepiece on the telescope for ease of use. Best would be the kind that allows you to look down into it, instead of peering up through the telescope. Thoughts?
Yup. Way easier.
4) Minimal power?
If I were thinking of price, I might get a 60 mm reflector. If I had a bit more money, I'd get the 5 inch reflector, or the 8 inch. If I had an observatory, I'd get the Meade 16 " reflector.
5) Average cost of good telescope?
Decide what you want, and then Froogle. Prices can vary wildly.
There was on at Costco, Meade DS 2102 AT-TC Refractor Telescope. I can't find an example online, but it seems the DS is the economy version. Anyone familiar with this one? Is it a good one?
Both Meade and Celestron are great. Avoid Tasco.
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog 
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lapazfarm
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We have this scope:
Orion StarMax 127mm EQ
and we like it alot. It has good reviews and the price is decent.
We can see saturn's rings clearly.
We have not set it up since we moved and I really need to get it back out.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Servant2theKing
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An incredible book for those who enjoy star-gazing...."Gospel in the Stars" by Joseph A. Seiss, reprinted and published by Kregel Publications . Absolutely fascinating information explaining the origins of names of stars and constellations. Seiss gives a wonderful, scholarly explanation of how all of the constellations portray salvation history...A few examples:
Cassiopeia, the Enthroned Woman; "is nothing less than a picture of the true Church lifted up out of all evils, bonds and disabilities, and seated with her glorious Redeemer in heaven."
Cepheus, The Crowned King; "so vividly portrays our enthroned Saiour, and fits so sublimely to Him, and to Him only..."
Andromeda, the Princess; "a picture of a beautiful woman, with fetters upon her wrists and ankles, and fastened down so as unable to rise...the Church is often a woman."
These are just a limited example of the constellations visible in Autumn, with a very brief introduction to Seiss' wondrous explanations of how the stars reveal the whole of Salvation History!
We studied GiS in connection with doing a New Testament timeline...our goal is to contiune with an Old Testament timeline, studying how the Life of Christ is foretold and foreshadowed in OT, and revisit "Gospel in the Stars" while doing so!
A really fun way to do such projects is to make a GIANT book, using a larger Art Presentation book (such as those made by ITOYA...we used a 14 x 17 in. size)...kind of like notebooks, scrapbooks or lapbooks on steroids! The finished project is quite nice, the black pages set off any art images quite nicely, and you will most likely find your children spread out on the floor "reading" their special book long after you've completed it! This makes for a great family project, including children of all ages! (We did a wonderful GIANT US geography book, using CHC's Catholic Geography Bee as a spine, as well as Dover sticker and coloring books for imagery, along with online images and the titles of Our Lady for each of the 50 states.)
Back to constellation study...we also used "Constellation Dot-to-Dot", by Evan and Lael Kimble, illustrated by Richard Salvucci, bu Sterling Publishing Company. We connected the dots with silver metallic ink, used gold and silver star stickers (of varying sizes) to denote the principle stars in each constellation, then wrote the names of the stars & constellations, and the meanings given in "Gospel in the Stars", in golden ink. The images in this book beautifully echo the realistic imagery in Seiss' book, and the finished project is a lovely and memorable way to review the key points in GiS.
Have fun studying the stars!!! With GiS, you can also better understand our Faith as well!
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All for Christ, our Saviour and King, servant
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marihalojen
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Marianna is on an astronomy kick currently, and was hinting around about telescopes. NOT a good idea on a boat - way too much movement!  I think even I'd get seasick trying to look through one at swooping stars! So we use a nice set of binoculars, much better in my mind than a telescope any day.
As a kid we had a huge Meade telescope. It was such a royal pain to set up and by the time Dad had it set on something interesting and all of us kids were lined up to look through the thing the last girls never got a great turn as whatever we were trying to view had moved on out of the picture (either due to jostling or planetary movements, who's to say?) Big disappointment all around. Though some telescopes now come with tracking built in and a new GPS feature where you type in a code from a book and the telescope dials in for your viewing pleasure. I hear they're great.
I'd still vote to buy several sets of GOOD binoculars with the money you'd have spent on the telescope and use them instead, (for birds and starry stuff) You could consider buying a membership to the local planetarium too! They'll have a much bigger telescope for you to use.
Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars
Touring the Universe through Binoculars: A Complete Astronomer's Guidebook
Binocular Stargazing
Just an alternate idea...
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: Let's Talk Telescopes
