Best amateur telescopes for armchair stargazers
Star gazing is my hobby and space my passion. I often go through the Internet to surf for great telescopes which allow me to have a closer look at the stars and other endless things in the Universe.
Here I have compiled a list of the best telescopes for personal use. There are many scopes available but I find these most appropriate to whet a stargazer's appetite.
Price: $399
Manufacturer/Retailer: Celestron
Celestron truly claims that the sky will not look the same with this most user-friendly telescope. All you have to do is to point the SkyScout at any star in the sky and click the target button. This GPS star finder telescope will tell you what object you are looking at. Its one click ready to use function comes packed with massive informative celestial database allowing users to locates over 6,000 stars, planets and constellations.
Major technical specs:
Graphic LCD display with red LED backlight
3"W x 1"H (78mm x 26mm)
Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 Hz
SD and USB slots
3.5mm stereo jack for headphones
Weight: 15.2 ounces
Bottom Line:
Its portability, one click function and massive informative celestial database makes it a must have.
Celestron CPC Series Telescope
Price: $1,999
Manufacturer/Retailer: Celestron
This telescope from Celestron is a GPS enabled computerized telescope integrated with the Celestron Professional Computerized Series. Equipped with excellent CCD cameras, it's an astrophotographer's delight delivering extreme close-ups of surfaces of planets and even rings of Saturn. It comes with a whopping database containing over 40,000 celestial objects.
Major technical specs:
Magnification: max - 480 x, min - 29 x
Light gathering power: 843 x
Resolution: Photographic - 200 line/mm, Motor - 0.14 arc seconds
Display: 16 character LCD
Aperture: 203.2 mm (8 in)
Focal Length: 2032 mm (80 in)
Focal Ratio: 10
Bottom Line:
It's Celestron's one of the most portable and affordable astronomical telescopes. You can easily set this in your backyard, as it weighs just 42 lb. The best thing it offers is easy installation and alignment allowing you to focus on distant objects with ease.
Price: $2,734
Manufacturer/Retailer: Meade
The Meade LX90GPS comes equipped with the built-in Sony GPS sensor and AutoAlign, allowing you to align the scope and capture best shots of over 30,000 objects in the universe. Users can update software installation by simply downloading upgrades, guided tours and timely objects like comets, satellites and new discoveries free. The scope's extraordinary 'Slew Speed' of 7 degrees per second allows users to see more objects in less time with precision.
Major technical specs: The technical specs differs as per the specified scope including - 8', 10' and 12' available verities.
Focal Length Focal Ratio: 2000mm f/10(8"), 2500mm f/10 (10"), 3048mm f/10 (12")
Clear Aperture: 203mm (8"), 254mm (10"), 305mm (12")
Go To Pointing Precision: 5-arc mins
Autostar computer hand control
Oversized primary mirrors
Bottom Line:
The Meade LX90GPS is the best piece for long exposure astrophotography. It's ability to communicate to satellites via the global positioning system along with the LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain makes it worth the money.
Telescope Strength binoculars:
Price: 1,699.95
Manufacturer/Retailer: Hammacher Schlemmer
This device has broken all records with a whopping 40X of magnification power taking you closer to the stars beyond your imagination. The telescope strength binoculars are equipped with BAK-4 prisms and hence ensure reduced light scattering and sharp, bright images.
Major technical specs:
40X magnification
Eye relief: 23.6 mm
Crafted from heavy-duty aluminum and steel
Completely waterproof for regular outdoor use
Bottom Line:
This device can be used both as binocular and telescope making it best for amateur stargazers.
Price: $60,000 with MAX Mount
Manufacturer/Retailer: Meade
This one from Meade is meant for those who have some serious interest in astronomy and stargazing. To own this one must have a very fat pocket. The best feature about the product is the robotic Max Mount that allows you to control it from a remote location.
Major technical specs:
Robotic Max Mount
Controllable via PC, PDA, Cell Phone, Mac
20-inch aperture
Delivers crystal clear pictures of far off galaxies
Bottom Line:
The telescope is surely one of the best that has been featured in this list. For anyone who can easily give away $60k this one is a must have.
Jim's Mobile (JMI) NGT 12.5 Inch Newtonian
Price: $4,100
Manufacturer/Retailer: JMI
This next generation telescope is a uniquely designed equatorial Newtonian. The NGT is a revolutionary instrument that has won awards and acclaims throughout the world.
Major technical specs:
Removable ring assembly allows greater disassembly with the largest component weighing 40 lb.
Sidereal, Lunar, Solar and King tracking rates with both Northern and Southern hemisphere operation
Dual control drive corrector with 0.3x / 0.5x / 2x / 4x / 8x / 16x correction
CCD autoguider compatible
Battery and AC power
Adjustable focal point
Snap-fit Serrurier truss rods
Bottom Line:
The awards and acclaims that this device has earned are enough to tell you about the quality of this telescope. Moreover its compact size and rotating nose assembly make it easy to use.
Price: $1,399.95
Manufacturer/Retailer: Orion
If your interest in amateur astronomy runs the gamut from observing to astro-imaging, you need an instrument that's up to the task like the Atlas 8 EQ-G. This telescope is a host of some outstanding features and moreover its price tag will also not hurt your pocket much.
Major technical specs:
8-inch optics
203mm Parabolic Mirror
2-inch focuser
1.25-inch adapter
GoTo Controller
Bottom Line:
The device comes with a GoTo controller that means you can visit more than 13,000 celestial objects with touch button ease.
Price: $400
Manufacturer/Retailer: Meade
This one from Meade is truly a masterpiece. It comes with GPS capabilities and can tell you which object in the universe are you scanning. It also comes with a LCD screen so you don't have to strain your eyes by continuously looking through the eyepiece.
Major technical specs:
GPS capabilities
Can identify more than 30,000 astronomical objects
480 x 234 LCD screen
Easy to use and portable
Bottom Line:
Meade has surely made stargazing much simpler with this device.
