Anybody know anything about telescopes?

[EduCated]

Struggling to think of something for DH’s birthday/Christmas (within a couple of days of each other, the git) and thought possiblya telescope, but I have no idea where to start!

Anyone know if I would get something reasonable for an enthusiastic beginner for around the £100 mark? And if so, where should I be looking?

Google is throwing up various options but I’ve no idea if they’re any good or not for the price. I guess he would want to look at the moon and spot planets.

This would be my first choice, on sale for 129:

www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-31042-AstroMaster-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B000MLL6R8/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=celestron+telescopes&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1544716499&sr=8-4

second choice on sale for 99

www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-21061-AstroMaster-Refractor-Telescope/dp/B000MLHMAS/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=celestron+telescopes&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1544716499&sr=8-3

They're well made and a good value.

My DH's birthday is also within a week of Christmas. Huge PITA, since he already has everything he wants!

HTH.

Celestron .. amazon do good prices. We have the astromaster 130

Ooh thank you. Celestron was coming up quite a bit, so good to know they’re decent!

We have a telescope which is really good, but rarely use it because it’s a fiddle to set up. What we do use a great deal though are Celestron Astral Binoculars. They are very large binoculars, designed for star gazing, but without the faff of setting up a telescope. Also great for bird watching etc, but amazing for looking at the stars/moon. They are 15/70, cost about £80/90. You can also use them on a tripod.

www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-71008-SkyMaster-25-Binocular/dp/B003AM87Q4?tag=mumsnetforum-21

I have the same binoculars (or very similar) and they are much easier for quick use than the telescope but you really need a tripod for them. They are so heavy that holding them steady for more than a few seconds is really hard. A tripod also lets you find something then step away so that someone else can have a look without locating it again. So yes, the binocs are a very sensible suggestion.

The GoSkyWatch app is an indispensable companion. It makes finding anything a snap.

itunes.apple.com/us/app/goskywatch-planetarium-for-ipad-astronomy-guide/id364209241?mt=8

I don't know why that says for iPad. I have it on my iPhone.

I think those might actually be the binoculars he has (not at home so couldn’t check make!), which he does use occasionally for stargazing (got them cheap when Maplin closed down). That was what made me think of a telescope. Do you think a telescope would offer much benefit if he already has those? Have been thinking that I don’t know where we’d store one!

If not, could go for a tripod and accessories for those. You’re right about them being heavy

We have adults beginner one and ds8 can't use it independently. So we have to set up the telescope and find the moon and stars. It is great though.

It’s the quality of the telescope given your £100 price range, our telescope cost over twice that a few years ago. It is good, you can see Saturn’s rings etc. but it takes a while to set up, you need to let it cool down first on a cold night, uses a motor drive and is generally a faff, especially in the UK, by the time it’s all set, the bloody clouds have obscured the stars

I would get a good tripod. There's a mechanical piece that screws into the bottom of the binocs and then attaches to the tripod:

www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_15?sprefix=celestron+binoc%2Celectronics%2C233&crid=TBKF8X6MF8E3&tag=mumsnetforum-21&url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=celestron+binocular+tripod+adapters

I would buy a celestron tripod with an adapter that looks like it will work with your binocs. The binocs should have a hole in the bottom that a screw goes in.

If interest goes, get a better scope down the road sometime.

if interest grows

Do you have a observatory nearby? We found an young astronomers club for ds to go. Telescope and club nicely complement each other.

Just to clarify this is for DH, though a club is a good suggestion! Just a Middle Aged one, rather than a young one

I have celestron, it’s ok but I rarely use it now as I bought a large lens for my camera which gets closer. There are telescopes you can attach a camera or your phone too so you can get close ups of the moon.