What would you rate my telescope on a scale of 1 to 10?

[CometPhoenix]

<p>(10 being the best)</p><p>I have a Meade DS-114 model. Here's a picture, just that mine is black:</p><p>http://sci-toys.com/my_toys/uploaded_images/meade_ds114-763558.jpg</p><p>It is about 34 inches long and 5 1/2 inches thick, and can stand as high as 6 feet, or as low as 3 feet. With it, I have seen Saturn, Titan, and Rhea (I barely saw Rhea; magnitude 9.7), Jupiter and the 4 Jovian moons, and even an eclipse of Ganymede on Jupiter, and I've seen Venus in detail (able to see the&nbsp;clouds in the&nbsp;atmosphere). However, I've never had the opportunity to see Mercury, and when I looked at Mars this past winter, I saw nothing but a bright dot, and that was when Mars was the closest to Earth. I've seen the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), but it was very fuzzy. I've seen the Orion Nebula (M42), but for the most part, it looked like a star with a lot of stellar gas around it.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><p style="margin-top:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-right:0in" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3" color="#0000ff">What ever happens, happens/</font><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#0000ff"><font size="3">Just call me Phoenix</font></font></font></p></font> </div>

 

[crazyeddie]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>(10 being the best)I have a Meade DS-114 model. Here's a picture, just that mine is black:http://sci-toys.com/my_toys/uploaded_images/meade_ds114-763558.jpgIt is about 34 inches long and 5 1/2 inches thick, and can stand as high as 6 feet, or as low as 3 feet. With it, I have seen Saturn, Titan, and Rhea (I barely saw Rhea; magnitude 9.7), Jupiter and the 4 Jovian moons, and even an eclipse of Ganymede on Jupiter, and I've seen Venus in detail (able to see the&nbsp;clouds in the&nbsp;atmosphere). However, I've never had the opportunity to see Mercury, and when I looked at Mars this past winter, I saw nothing but a bright dot, and that was when Mars was the closest to Earth. I've seen the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), but it was very fuzzy. I've seen the Orion Nebula (M42), but for the most part, it looked like a star with a lot of stellar gas around it. <br /> Posted by CometPhoenix</DIV></p><p>About a 3. &nbsp;These Chinese-made Meade computer-controlled scopes are notorious for being cheaply made. &nbsp;If it had been a "short-tube" model, I would have given it a "1", because they can't get much worse than that. &nbsp;The electronics are quirky and not nearly as accurate and reliable as the kind you find on the expensive models. &nbsp;Lots of plastic parts that break easily, and they are usually supplied with the cheapest "throw-away" eyepieces.</p><p>However, don't blame the scope for too much. &nbsp;With an aperture of only 114mm, is not capable of high resolution or much light-gathering ability. &nbsp;I'd upgrade to a 6" or 8" dobsonian as soon as you can afford it, if I were you.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CometPhoenix]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>About a 3. &nbsp;These Chinese-made Meade computer-controlled scopes are notorious for being cheaply made. &nbsp;If it had been a "short-tube" model, I would have given it a "1", because they can't get much worse than that. &nbsp;The electronics are quirky and not nearly as accurate and reliable as the kind you find on the expensive models. &nbsp;Lots of plastic parts that break easily, and they are usually supplied with the cheapest "throw-away" eyepieces.However, don't blame the scope for too much. &nbsp;With an aperture of only 114mm, is not capable of high resolution or much light-gathering ability. &nbsp;I'd upgrade to a 6" or 8" dobsonian as soon as you can afford it, if I were you. <br />Posted by crazyeddie</DIV><br /><br />I plan to get a better telescope. When I got it 2 years ago, I didn't know if it would be good or what a good telescope looked like.&nbsp;Of course now I realize what a really good quality telescope looks like: wide telescopes are the way to go. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><p style="margin-top:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-right:0in" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3" color="#0000ff">What ever happens, happens/</font><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#0000ff"><font size="3">Just call me Phoenix</font></font></font></p></font> </div>