Need Help - Need a Telescope

[RGD.]

Need some help here finding a telescope for my daughters 21st birthday in about two weeks.

I know next to nothing about them and have been trying to read up on them. I do know that she wants the GPS locating thingy and of course something with a good/decent resolution of the planets or whatever. If possible in the future to be able to attach a camera to it.

Currently with the cost of everything else, party, etc - I have about $800 to $1000 to spend. Maybe a few bucks more but not much.

Needs to be new of course, need the complete setup - tripod, scope and GPS locating thingy.
Links to sites would be excellent or at least what type of optics I should be looking for, type of locating thingys etc etc.

She had a $150 scope when she was a kid so this is really her first one.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Need to order by about Tuesday or so.

Thanks

Ron

[oooo35980]

GPS locator? They have those now? I had a huge telescope when I was a kid and finding the stars was half the fun. Things I remember from astronomy class:

Get a reflector telescope, they are considerably clearer and more powerful.

That's really all I remember, guess it wasn't much of a class. I think my telescope was an Orion, and it was amazing, so yeah that's a good brand.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by oooo35980

Get a reflector telescope, they are considerably clearer and more powerful.

No, and yes. Refractors, those with the lens as an objective, will resolve greater detail than will a reflector, or one with a mirror as the light-gathering source, and so would be better for planetary observations as opposed to cosmological ones. However, a reflector can have a much larger objective for the same general price range, and thus can gather more light from deep-space objects.

Aside from the size of the objective, the other main consideration for brightness and clarity are the eyepieces. The larger the diameter of the front element of it is key to the transmission of the light gathered to one's eye, which in practical terms means you are better served by obtaining not only qualtiy eyepieces but also making certain the telescope itself accepts the larger (1.25-inch) diameter ones as opposed to the smaller (and cheaper) 0.75-inch ones.

Meade makes some nice telescopes that have the motorized star-finder technology, either as an option or standard equipment.

[RGD.]

Thanks! Those links and info have given me more stuff to filter through.

Ron

[oooo35980]

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/...CategoryId=343

This one is 1100 bucks with automatic object finding.

[68TriShield]

Ron,this place is right down the road from me.They've been around for several years now.

http://handsonoptics.com/