Replies

Hi, baseballfanjm! . . . Since few other people are posting anything (that's the problem with chat if you want to query Freepers for info), and since I bookmarked a bunch of astro-links last summer while I was studying up on what kind of telescope I should buy, I might as well pass a few of them on to you, along with some additional comments:

Orion Telescopes . . . You want a metal optical tube assembly (OTA) and Orion and its clones make them. Lots of telescope makers will stick you with a cheap cardboard OTA or a cardboard focuser assembly. Meade is one of those manufacturers that uses cardboard in the focuser assembly.

FAQ about Collimating a Newtonian telescope . . . You can see the problem in the diagrams: A telescope needs collimating when the two principle axes (the one defined by the primary mirror and the one defined by the eyepiece and focuser) become misaligned.

The Collimation . . . Recommended

HOWIE GLATTER’S LASER COLLIMATOR INFORMATION PAGE . . . Laser collimators seem to be the preferred tool for amateurs and professionals alike. Haven't bought one myself yet.

Finding an astronomy club near you . . . Go to some star parties and look at (and look through) some of the telescopes there to help you decide what kind of telescope you want. Also, people at these clubs can be a great help if you need someone to show you how to collimate a telescope.

Ed Ting's telescope reviews

Todd Gross reviews 70 telescopes

The Heretic's Guide to Choosing and Buying Your First Telescope

How To Collimate Your Newtonian Reflector

Offsetting Your Secondary Mirror

Yahoo! Talking Telescopes Another very nice Yahoo! group, they talk about lots of different kinds of scopes, not just dobs.

The Use of Filters . . . Salesmen will often try to sell beginners way more filters than they actually need, at least for a beginner.