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Which telescope should I buy?
There is a Meade telescope that comes with a microscope for $19.99 on sale (reg 39.99) . specs:
40 mm 2 element front lense
tabletop tripod
2x viewfinder
two eyepieces
100x, 400x, 900x objective lenses #70040
or a venture telescope/spotting scope hybrid for $49.99 (on sale from $99.99
32 to 300 power dual purpose unit #rx280
This is for my 10 year old daughter who is interested in Astronomy.
The 100x, 400x, 900x might be the microscope?
Do not purchase either of these telescopes. They are cheap plastic with horrible mounts. If there is a true interest in astronomy, these poor excuses for telescopes will quickly kill any interest in astronomy at all. I highly recomend purchasing a membership in your local Astronomical Society or an astronomy club. The rewards of this are far greater than any telescope can bring to a child. Seriously. Please read on.
There are several different kinds of telescopes and all of them have some excellent features. Refractors and Reflectors, plus Schmidt-Cassegrain, APO refractors and more. There are also several mounts to chose from and the mounts are just as important as the scope is. All of the different scopes and mounts have some features that some people like and do not like.
There is no one scope that is "better" than another except for the junk scopes out there which are all just a waste of money. Never, ever buy from Walmart, Costco, Target, or any other discount store like that. Junk scopes are flooded into the market from those stores. You will be buying nothing but bad optics and plastic.
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http://oriontelescopes.com/
Orion is the very best for value and for customer service too. I have 2 of their scopes and I will only buy from them from now on.
The Orion site has some excellent diagrams and explanations of all types of scopes and mounts.
Things to consider are size--can the user lift and transport the scope to the viewing site easily? If not, then it will gather dust in a closet. Can the viewer reach all the knobs and buttons? I have a long tube large manual refractor and it is very dificult for me to reach the knobs when I am pointed to Zenith. I am not a tall person.
Take your time in making your decision.
I would like to suggest that you join a local astronomy club or astronomical society BEFORE you spend your money on a scope. There are many different kinds of scopes and what is perfect for one person is not perfect for another. Everyone has their own set of eyeballs and no two are the same. If you join a club, you can attend a few of their star parties and try out members scopes to see what works best for YOU, before you buy a scope. The members can also help you when you get your scope and show you how to get the most out of your new scope as well as to help teach you where the treasures in the sky are located. Hint: they will be especially helpful if you take cookies to star parties. Most clubs have loaner scopes and extensive libraries that you can gather more information from too.
Some people will suggest that you purchase binnoculars. Not a bad idea but dont buy anything less than 10x50 and you must have a tripod too or you will not be happy with your astronomical views because they will be too shakey from your movements. Personally, I prefer a scope to binos because if binoculars are not aligned properly at the factory, then you get double images and distortions that cant be fixed.
But when you buy go Orion and you wont be disappointed. Don't try to learn everything all at once or you will be overwhelmed and discouraged. Patience is the key to Astronomy.
You will also need a good star chart program.
http://www.stellarium.org/
This is great freeware that you can download. Just tell it where you are and it will tell you what you see.
I wish you all the best. Enjoy
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