Is this a decent telescope deal for a newbie?

[kmc123]

Hello all,

I'm definitely a newbie here but have found great value in the posts you leave here. I've spent a decent amount of time doing research on what I would like to purchase for my "first telescope".

Then - I was offered a brand-new Meade ETX-70AT for $100. I hadn't even looked at this telescope previously.

The question(s) is...do I take this offer to make sure the "hobby" is something I'll enjoy enough to invest more in later or do I skip it and just go a little higher quality. Or to add - is this telescope a great deal at $100?

I used the same strategy with an acoustic guitar...it worked out fine.

I'd really appreciate any comments.

Thank you.

 

[BurgerB75]

I can't directly comment on that scope itself but I did the same thing you are doing. I was going to go straight for a 10" monster dob but decided to take it slow and start small to make sure I was really interested. The one thing I heard on a number of occasions when looking for my first scope was to not be too cheap. They told me that many people are turned off from stargazing simply because they bought a junk scope and were disappointed in the view.

I ended up with a 5" reflector from Orion and am very happy with it.

http://www.telescope.com/control/telesc ... -telescope

Not as cheap as the one you are looking at but I have had a blast with it, even living on the outskirts or Chicago.

Hope that helps.

 

[crazyeddie]

Hello all,

I'm definitely a newbie here but have found great value in the posts you leave here. I've spent a decent amount of time doing research on what I would like to purchase for my "first telescope".

Then - I was offered a brand-new Meade ETX-70AT for $100. I hadn't even looked at this telescope previously.

The question(s) is...do I take this offer to make sure the "hobby" is something I'll enjoy enough to invest more in later or do I skip it and just go a little higher quality. Or to add - is this telescope a great deal at $100?

I used the same strategy with an acoustic guitar...it worked out fine.

I'd really appreciate any comments.

Thank you.

I don't think this telescope is a great deal at any price. If it were a conventional 70mm refractor, it would typically have a focal ratio of F/11, giving it a focal length of 770mm. But this scope has a short focal ratio of F/5, and a focal length of 350mm, which means it will be suitable only for low-magnification views. If you try to push the magnification up on such an instrument, you will be disappointed with the resulting image quality. It will not be as sharp as a refractor of similar aperture but with a longer focal ratio, because of chromatic aberration. That why achromatic refractors must have a focal ratio of F/10 or higher to get the sharpest views. My advice: don't buy it. If you only have a hundred bucks to spend, get something like this:

http://www.telescope.com/control/telesc ... -telescope

Or, if you can afford a little more, I'd recommend something like this:

http://www.telescope.com/control/produc ... 5cf8bb3e6b

 

[kmc123]

I was planning on spending in the $300 range to start...thank you very much for the suggestions.

I think I'll pass on the Meade.

Glad I asked here.

"I'm not a plumber...so I don't plumb".

Thanks again.