Tasco Spacestation
With a 60x telescope, what planets will I be able to observe?
With a Tasco Spacestation 60AZ Refractor Telescope which planets will I be able to observe? The lens objective is 700Mn.
Well, …, basically, this is scope is known as a ‘trash’ scope and my advice to you is: “Do Not Buy It”. You’d be better off buying a decent set of 10×50 binoculars. Or save your money until you have enough to buy a decent first scope. Please read the write-up below about how to purchase a telescope.
… and for those of you who think some of us are harsh … we’re not. We just want people to have good astronomy experiences. However, when we see people duped by the false claims of these cheaply made scopes we know that the scope will be used once and then put away in the garage forever. If that’s the case I’d rather the buyer get a subscription to a good astronomy magazine rather than give up their passion for the night sky due to crappy equipment.
— write-up —
When considering a first scope I suggest that you watch the following video on how to select a first time telescope: http://www.mycarolinatoday.com/2010/08/telescope-101/
You should, also, read the following article. It will give you some information on how telescopes work, as well as, additional buying tips: http://www.raleighastro.org/observing/general-articles/102-purchasing-a-telescope
For more advice I would suggest that you contact your local astronomy club. You don’t have to own a telescope to join! Joining your local astronomy club is the best way to nurture your passion for astronomy. Plus, you’ll find that they’ll be able to provide you lots of great advice and support for acquiring and operating a telescope.
Now the best pricing for a decent first scope that I can suggest is a Dobsonian scope with a 6″ or 8″ mirror from Orion (e.g. Orion XT6 – $279 or XT8 – $329.95).
The two dobsonians I suggested are great visual beginner scopes and are super for just taking out to the backyard for casual observing but will definitely hold their own at any amateur astronomy gathering. They are also easy for young people to use and operate. You can do short exposure astrophotography with them but not long exposure astrophotography (for that you need a lot more money – See “Astrophotograpphy for Web Cams – Robert Reeves”).
The Dobsonian scope will be much more durable, of higher quality, and you’ll be able to see all of the Messier deep sky objects (DSO’s) plus many of the brighter NCG DSO’s, many many stars plus: Mercury, Venus, Earth’s Moon, Mars, Jupiter and it’s moons, Saturn, its rings and moons, Uranus, Neptune and the dwarf planet Pluto, as well as, many of the minor planets, comets, and asteroids. Additionally, it’s easy to transport, setup, and use (under 60 seconds from car to ground … no kidding).
Bottom Line: any scope with less than a 6″ mirror with a 1200mm focal length, IMHO, would be a waste of money. See the links below for low priced dobsonian scopes with 6″ and 8″ mirrors. However, the larger the aperture (size of primary objective … like an 6″, 8″, 10″, 12″ mirror or larger) the better. Also, there are many brands of dobsonian scopes made by many different companies that you can choose from. I only offered these as examples because they are popular with our club members.
Look at the links to the www.telescope.com site that I’ve provided below and you’ll find that they do have quite a selection of standard, push-to, goto dobsonian scopes that could fit your needs.
Mars taken through 114mm Tasco Telescope
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TASCO 49114500 SPACESTATION 114MM REFLECTOR ST TELESCOPE $154.20 TASCO 49114500 SPACESTATION 114MM REFLECTOR ST TELESCOPE114X MAGNIFICATION; FOCAL RATIO: F/4.4 ; OBJECTIVE LENS DIA: 500MM ; EYEPIECE: 25MM (20X), 10MM (50X), 4MM (125X) ; SINGLE FORK ARM ALTAZIMUTH MOUNT ;… |
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TASCO 49070800 SPACESTATION 70AZ REFRACTOR TELESCOPE $116.04 TASCO 49070800 SPACESTATION 70AZ REFRACTOR TELESCOPE70MM LENS; OBJECTIVE LENS DIA: 800MM ; EYEPIECE: 25MM (32X), 10MM (80X), 4MM (200X) ; PARTIALLY PRE-ASSEMBLED; STURDY DESIGN;… |
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Tasco 49070800 Spacestation 70Az Refractor Telescope (Binoculars / Telescopes) $109.56 TASCO 49070800 SPACESTATION 70AZ REFRACTOR TELESCOPE. 70MM LENS, OBJECTIVE LENS DIA: 800MM , EYEPIECE: 25MM (32X), 10MM (80X), 4MM (200X) , PARTIALLY PRE-ASSEMBLED, STURDY DESIGN,70X MAGNIFICATION , SINGLE FORK ARM ALTAZIMUTH MOUNT, RED DOT STARPOINTER FINDERSCOPE, FOCAL RATIO: F/11.4 ,ADJUSTABLE ALUMINUM TRIPOD, WEIGHT: 18.5 LBS, INCLUDES TASCO SKYWATCH CD-ROM, 3X BARLOW LENS, MOON MAP & MOON FIL… |
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Tasco Spacestation 70x800mm Refractor AZ with Variable LED Red Dot Finderscope Telescope $81.00 Put on your pressure suit and commence docking procedures, because we have a spacestation powerful enough to take you to the moon and way, way beyond. See the stars like you?ve never seen before with a view from an all-new tasco spacestation telescope featuring a cosmically inspired new design. Its variable led electronic red dot finderscope takes you to visit your favorite constellation in a flas… |
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Tasco Spacestation 60x700mm Refractor AZ with Variable Led Red Dot Finderscope Telescope $67.74 Put on your pressure suit and commence docking procedures, because we have a spacestation powerful enough to take you to the moon and way, way beyond. See the stars like you?ve never seen before with a view from an all-new tasco spacestation telescope featuring a cosmically inspired new design. Its variable led electronic red dot finderscope takes you to visit your favorite constellation in a flas… |
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Tasco 49060700 Spacestation 60Az Refractor Telescope (Binoculars / Telescopes) $94.95 TASCO 49060700 SPACESTATION 60AZ REFRACTOR TELESCOPE. PERFECT STARTER TELESCOPE, SINGLE FORK ARM ALTAZIMUTH MOUNT , RED DOT STARPOINTER FINDERSCOPE , ADJUSTABLE ALUMINUM TRIPOD , 60X MAGNIFICATION , FOCAL RATIO: F/11.7 , OBJECTIVE LENS DIA: 700MM , EYEPIECE: 25MM (28X), 10MM (70X), 4MM (175X) , WEIGHT: 11 LBS, INCLUDES TASCO SKYWATCH CD-ROM, 3X BARLOW LENS, MOON MAP & MOON FILTER… |
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NEW TASCO 49070800 SPACESTATION 70AZ REFRACTOR TELESCOPE (BINOCULARS) $135.95 70MM LENS; OBJECTIVE LENS DIA: 800MM ; EYEPIECE: 25MM (32X), 10MM (80X), 4MM (200X) ; PARTIALLY PRE-ASSEMBLED; STURDY DESIGN; 70X MAGNIFICATION ; SINGLE FORK ARM ALTAZIMUTH MOUNT; RED DOT STARPOINTER FINDERSCOPE; FOCAL RATIO: F/11.4 ; ADJUSTABLE ALUMINUM TRIPOD; WEIGHT: 18.5 LBS; INCLUDES TASCO SKYWATCH CD-ROM, 3X BARLOW LENS, MOON MAP & MOON FILTER… |