celestron nexstar 102 gt vs Celestron astro master 130 eq (telescopes)?

ajay

I am a begginer in astronomy(age 13) And i am looking for my first telescope

i have done alot of reasearch on reflector thelescopes but not refractors.

I live in jacksonville florida(it has alot of light pollution.)

i was wondering which one i should get.

Thanks you.

anonymous

Each type of telescope has its advantages/disadvantages.

Refractors are best suited for Solar, Lunar, & planetary viewing (which is most of what you'll be able to see from a highly light-polluted location) as they offer high-contrast views & typically don't require or lose their factory collimation. They are also well suited to terrestrial viewing. They aren't as good for deep sky objects, which are very dim & require a larger aperture.

Reflectors are best suited for larger & dimmer objects, such as open star clusters & galaxies. Because of the obstruction created by the secondary mirror, they don't have as much contrast as a refractor, but they are cheaper to manufacture & usually are purchased w/larger apertures (6" to 8" is pretty much the minimum you should consider). They are bulkier, requiring a more substantial mount, & require proper collimation for good views. They also take longer to cool down.

That said, I wouldn't recommend the Celestron NexStar 102GT (see review below):

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.ph...

You'd be better off w/the Celestron Astro Master 130 EQ (see review below). I'd plan on purchasing some better eyepieces for it, as the ones provided aren't very good.

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2483

If you can afford it, I think the best first telescope for an amateur like yourself is an 8" Newtonian reflector on a simple Dobsonian mount. Something like the Orion SkyQuest XT8:

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobsonian-Tele...

minnick

Celestron 102

rexs

If you are pushing up past $250 on your budget then I would say NETHER.

You should shoot for a 6 inch (150mm) Dobsonian Telescope like that---> http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobsonian-Tele... .... why mess with flakey mounts and "too small" optics when you could have a decent scope for a little more?