what telescope should i buy

[North]

I am looking at getting a new telescope this is the one I am looking at getting is a SkyWatcher HERITAGE 5" 130mm Table Top Telescope from Jacobs Digital is this telescope any good?
I am 13 years old and have a budget of 550 New Zealand dollars.

 

[Jim Franklin]

I am looking at getting a new telescope this is the one I am looking at getting is a SkyWatcher HERITAGE 5" 130mm Table Top Telescope from Jacobs Digital is this telescope any good?
I am 13 years old and have a budget of 550 New Zealand dollars.

Its not a bad telescope, optics are decent. Table Top might be a limiting factor for you. You should look to buy the best you can with the budget you have. I imaging the second hand market is not that active in NZ, which is a shame, because quite often you can pick up some nice equipment second hand.

I think you need to answer these questions for yourself.

1. What is my primary driver for buying a telescope?
2. What are the objects I am most likely to observe?
3. Will I want to image objects with a camera, if so, will these be "snapshots" of up to a few seconds, or timed long duation images?

Answering those questions will dictate the equipment you look at buying.

 

[North]

I can buy a 8 inch telescope second hand for 230 dollars is these a good deal. what exactly is the disadvantage of having a table top stand compered to a tripod

 

[North]

sorry just noticed that the 8 inch telescope is not available.

 

[Jim Franklin]

The table top tripod is only useful if you happen to have a table with you when you want to use it - thast makes getting out to a dark sky site - of which there are many in NZ, I do not know where you live, but I know from personal experience that you do not need to travel far for a truly dark sky - bit more from Aukland and Wellington, but still not as far as most nations. However, I appreciate that as a 13 years old, you are not yet driving so it is not as simple as hoping in your car.

You might find this useful too.

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