63 replies to this topic

[gregbeanpe]

I have a grandson who hasn't much money but would like a decent scope. 

[Noodle123]

Hello! I am a beginner, but I hear the AstroTech AT series is well-liked. 

[GolgafrinchanB]

Binoculars for wide field for sure! Planets are a lot tougher at that budget. There's the SARBLUE 60mm mak which I've wrote about before, it's decent but IMO not exactly worth the MSRP. Otherwise, there's the used market here and on Facebook marketplace. The biggest concern is going to be a decent mount within the budget. An existing photo tripod in your basement, a goodwill, or a friend's basement wuld make that a little easier. Regardless, I wish you the best of luck!

[Jethro7]

Hello Gregory,

Finding a decent refractor plus a decent mount together, is going to be like eating your cake and having it too sort of thing with a very short budget. However if one were to switch scope Genres to a reflector such as a  used 114mm - 130mm table top Dob you could could come in under or about your budget. Or a used 4" 6" Dob, can be had for a little over your budget. These come with a stable bases.

 

HAPPY SKIES AND KEEP LOOKING UP Jethro 

 

 

Edited by Jethro7, 27 March 2025 - 10:31 PM.

[therealdmt]

I think you may have to get creative rather than simply buying a new complete system including all of a refractor telescope, diagonal, eyepiece(s), mount and tripod, for $200 total.

 

For example, for the mount, you and/or he, etc. could build a pipe mount. In some households, such piping is already laying around, in which case the cost could be ‘free’. And, one way to build a tripod is out of old crutches, which, again, in some houses might be standing unused in the back of a closet from a long-ago injury, etc. (only trick is, you need three of the same length, not just two).

 

Here’s some links just to get you started:

Pipe Mount (this one is for a 6" refractor, which would be much bigger than the refractor your nephew would want to start out with [a 3" or 4" refractor would be appropriate for your nephew, or for most people really]. Accordingly, you could use smaller, lighter piping than was used in the article here).

https://www.cloudyni...ipe-mount-r1873
 

Crutch Tripods

https://www.cloudyni...crutch-tripods/

 

 

You can read up more on such things or start a new thread in the ATM forum here on Cloudy Nights: https://www.cloudyni...-and-diy-forum/

 

It can be done!

[arg0s]

At $200, you'll have to make some compromises.

 

The Explore Scientific Firstlight 80mm Refractor (AR80) bundled with a Twilight Nano mount is exactly $199. The body of the refractor is plastic, the glass is not coated, and it will show some false color on bright objects; otherwise, it's a perfectly fine achromat that will be reasonably sharp. The Twilight Nano is a serviceable Alt-Az, if you don't put more than 5lbs on it (the AR80 is 4lbs and pretty rock solid on it). They mount together on a Vixen dovetail, so you actually do have some limited flexibility to upgrade piecemeal later. The only thing I'd get in addition is maybe a cheap 1.25" eyepiece in the 10-15mm range in addition to the 25mm provided for additional magnification.

 

I bought the AR80/Nano setup when jumping into smaller telescopes for the first time. I quickly upgraded to a Porta 2 to handle slightly larger scopes and more magnification. That said, the AR80/Nano setup is 10 lbs total and dead simple for anyone to understand, so for me it's become my goto "outreach" scope I can throw in a car and deploy in a social setting without worrying all that much about abuse.

[bobzeq25]

Binoculars.

[Jay_Reynolds_Freeman]

I also suggest that if there is a binocular handy -- any binocular -- your grandson should take it out and use it. There is plenty of reference material for what to look for and how to go about it on line, for free.

 

I agree that a more effective use of a small budget might be to look for a small used Dobson-mounted Newtonian. That choice depends somewhat on how old and how adept the grandson is -- Newtonians take a bit more fussing to use properly.

 

 

Clear sky ...

[PNW]

My first real scope was the Infinity 102. AmScope is selling a similar version for $279. If that's not a budget buster, you should check that out...

[Pierre C]

Zane Landers at Telescopic Watch has a helpful article that reviews over 70 refractors by price - https://telescopicwa...pes/refractors/

 

You may be interested in something from the $150-250 category.

 

You may want to keep some birthday money aside for guides, accessories and upgrades if he likes the hobby.

[Mike Q]

A skywatcher heritage 130 is a decent scope, they are in the 250 to 300 area new, so a bit over budget.  Celestron has the AZ series that are not totally terrible.  I have a AZ 70 that i keep around if i want to look at the moon.  For as cheap as it is, i really can't complain about the images of the moon.

[RiderRoy]

The Celestron store on Amazon has the Starsense Explorer LT 80AZ on sale for $170. I have this scope, though I don't use the Starsense on it, anymore. You could do a lot worse for a first telescope. Just my opinion. 

 

https://www.amazon.c...ast_sto_dp&th=1

 

 

Edited by RiderRoy, 28 March 2025 - 06:53 AM.

[SeattleScott]

The Celestron store on Amazon has the Starsense Explorer LT 80AZ on sale for $170. I have this scope, though I don't use the Starsense on it, anymore. You could do a lot worse for a first telescope. Just my opinion.

https://www.amazon.c...ast_sto_dp&th=1

I bought that scope for the Starsense. The diagonal is lousy and should be replaced. The kid would need a decent smartphone (or access to one) to take advantage of Starsense. The mount is shaky like most in this price class, but at least it didn’t seem to have backlash. By investing another $40, I was able to use Starsense on my other scopes.

[RiderRoy]

I bought that scope for the Starsense. The diagonal is lousy and should be replaced. The kid would need a decent smartphone (or access to one) to take advantage of Starsense. The mount is shaky like most in this price class, but at least it didn’t seem to have backlash. By investing another $40, I was able to use Starsense on my other scopes.

I gave starsense the boot and started using astrohopper. The telescope is useable without them. The diagonal is what you would expect from a kit type telescope. But, it works. I've looked at quite a few Messier and NGC objects with this set up just like it is. Not fancy, but a good beginner rig. 

[jcj380]

You might want to check the CN classifieds for used gear.  An 80mm refractor on a decent mount can do some good things.  But you'd have to add in a diagonal, a couple of EPs, maybe a finder if not included.

[sevenofnine]

Welcome to C/N! 

 

You'll get mixed reviews with that question because at that price point the mount is the weak link. In a new scope, this one from Explore Scientific might fit the bill. Good luck! 

 

https://www.explores...ts/fl-ar80640tn.

[SeattleScott]

Welcome to C/N!

You'll get mixed reviews with that question because at that price point the mount is the weak link. In a new scope, this one from Explore Scientific might fit the bill. Good luck!

https://www.explores...ts/fl-ar80640tn.

Really it just depends on one’s definition of “decent.” Can you get a usable refractor for $200? Sure. Will it be shaky when applying more than low magnification? Sure. Will that sap the enjoyment of using it? Maybe? Depends a lot on expectations.

[geovermont]

I'm with SeattleScott. It would be so much better to go to a local astronomy club event and try different scopes and talk to the people there. Mountings like the one shown above are really quite bad. Sometimes the main optical assembly is fine, but then they stick them on those wobbly plastic disasters. They are a waste of $200. You can buy a good pair of binoculars for that or less.

Edited by geovermont, 28 March 2025 - 03:31 PM.

[Dave Mitsky]

While it doesn't deal with purchasing or using a telescope directly, you may find some of the information on astronomy, amateur astronomy, and observing presented in my post (#22) at https://www.cloudyni...mers/?p=5184287 useful, gregbeanpe. There are sections on various books, observing guides, the Moon, the planets, star-hopping, stellar atlases, planispheres, planetarium programs, astronomy apps, deep-sky objects, lists of worthwhile celestial objects to observe, binocular astronomy, urban astronomy, and other related topics.

[kevinkiller]

Another option would be the ZWO SeeStar 50 on the newly announced EQ wedge.

$499 + wedge (???)

And you can start taking some pretty nice wide field images.

This all presumes you're okay with not actually looking through it with your own eyeballs :-)

[Paul Sweeney]

First, I would find your local club and look at the scopes that they have. Once you find a scope that you like, start watching the used market. Many of us have numerous scopes, and you may be able to get a good used scope from a club member at a good price.

Club members will also help steer you away from cheap, trash scopes. Getting the wrong scope can quickly lead to frustration, and the scope will land in the closet.

[Dave Mitsky]

Another option would be the ZWO SeeStar 50 on the newly announced EQ wedge.

$499 + wedge (???)

And you can start taking some pretty nice wide field images.

This all presumes you're okay with not actually looking through it with your own eyeballs :-)

The Seestar S50 now costs $549.  

https://astronomics....smart-telescope

[WillR]

The Celestron store on Amazon has the Starsense Explorer LT 80AZ on sale for $170. I have this scope, though I don't use the Starsense on it, anymore. You could do a lot worse for a first telescope. Just my opinion. 

 

https://www.amazon.c...ast_sto_dp&th=1

 

 

I agree that this would be a good first telescope for a kid. Binoculars just won’t give the kid the wow factor looking at the moon that a telescope will.

[Tony Flanders]

I agree that this would be a good first telescope for a kid. Binoculars just won’t give the kid the wow factor looking at the moon that a telescope will.

And binoculars are far inferior to all but the very worst telescopes for viewing the planets. I do think that with careful shopping, $200 should get you a refractor that would serve most (though not all) beginners better than binoculars.

Edited by Tony Flanders, 29 March 2025 - 05:19 AM.

[jcj380]

Several of us on CN have AstroTech 50mm RACI finders that take interchangeable eyepieces.  The AT50 is no longer available, but there are several other out there.  They're not planet-busters, but they are nice little travel scopes and good for widefield viewing.

 

A finder alone isn't a turnkey solution, but they're light and small and easily mounted on a mini-tripod that your grandson could use on a tabletop or a less hefty tripod.  Here's the discussion if you want to have a look:

 

https://www.cloudyni...45-50mm-f5-rft/

 

Post #26 is a good example of a tabletop set-up. (Don't let the size of the EP scare you.   )

 

If i were going to give any of my scopes to my 7 year old grandson, this would most likely be the one FWIW.  Here's mine on a lightweight photo tripod:

 

Edited by jcj380, 29 March 2025 - 08:30 AM.