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Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Can you attach a camera to any Celestron telescope? If so, which one for an entry level telescope?
A:
You can attach a camera to almost any telescope. Refractors with give you the clearest picture and reflectors will give you the brightest picture. Cassegrains give the best overall picture.
Q:
Does this come with an AC adaptor? If not, where can I obtain one from?
A:
Unfortunately, Celestron only makes AC adapters for telescopes for the US, and the telescopes that come to Australia don't come with AC Adapters.
I believe that you can use a car battery adapter (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-car-battery-adapter-for-all-nexstars.html) and connect it with a power tank (such as this one http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-powertank-12v-power-supply.html) for power supply. Alternatively you can just get the car battery adapter and go to your local hardware store to find a converter/adapter type of thing that you can use to plug the car adapter into a wall socket.
I believe that you can use a car battery adapter (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-car-battery-adapter-for-all-nexstars.html) and connect it with a power tank (such as this one http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-powertank-12v-power-supply.html) for power supply. Alternatively you can just get the car battery adapter and go to your local hardware store to find a converter/adapter type of thing that you can use to plug the car adapter into a wall socket.
Q:
I want an advice which is the best telescope for viewing planets. Something that is not too expensive or hard to use as this is my first scope. I want to see craters on the moon and the rings on saturn or venus with my $300-500 .What can you advise?
Where is your nearest store? I live near Gold Coast to tweed or is this only available online? If so, how long is the shipping?
Where is your nearest store? I live near Gold Coast to tweed or is this only available online? If so, how long is the shipping?
A:
To view planets, our general advice is that the bigger the aperture, the better. The aperture/objective lens refers to the diameter of the telescope's main optical component (consisting of either a lens or mirror). The size of your telescope's aperture determines how much light it can capture. The more light that is captured the more objects you can see in the night sky and the clearer the images you see. However, the larger the aperture, the larger the telescopes as well so it's important to think about whether or not you'll be moving the telescope around.
You can look at our guide on what to expect to see with telescopes here: http://www.ozscopes.com.au/what-can-you-expect-to-see-with-a-telescope.html. It has some pictures that will give you a good idea of the differences in image quality and detail that you can expect to see in different telescopes and apertures :)
For your budget and level, the best telescopes would be Dobsonians. They are easy to use and give good quality pictures, and for your budget you can get a decent aperture that you can definitely view planets with. We have the Skywatcher 6" Dobsonian Telescope SW580: http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatcher-6-dobsonian-telescope.html which is currently on sale at $359 and would be a suitable telescope for you. It has a 150mm aperture and would definitely let you see planets clearly.
If you don't mind going over your budget by a little bit, you can get the SAXON 8" Dobsonian Telescope (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/dobsonian-telescope-saxon-8inch.html) which is currently on sale at $515 and gives you a larger (203mm) aperture and therefore, better image.
The only downside to the Dobsonians is its size - they are pretty big so if portability is not an issue and you won't be moving or bringing this telescope around often, then the Dobsonian would be a suitable telescope for you.
If portability is an issue, you can opt for reflector or refractor telescopes as well. Reflectors are a popular choice because they offer the lowest cost per inch of aperture. They deliver bright, good quality images, but they require more care and maintenance because of their open tube design. If you don't mind putting in more time in taking care of your telescope, a reflector would be a good choice as well. We would recommend the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Telescope (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-astromaster-130eq-telescope.html). It has a 130mm aperture and is currently on sale for $349.95 without a motor drive and $459.95 with a motor drive (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/reflector-telescope-celestron-astromaster-130eq-motor-drive.html). The motor drive helps you to track or follow stars or planets better.
Refractors are also good for portability, and are much easier to maintain than reflectors because they have closed tubes. However, their images are sharp but not as bright. The Celestron AstroMaster 90AZ Refractor Telescope (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/refractor-telescope-celestron-astromaster-90az.html $419.95) has a 90mm aperture, and is a good choice.
Another type of telescope we recommend is the Cassegrain. Cassegrains are generally more expensive than the aforementioned types of telescopes, but they give the best quality image among all the telescopes. The SkyWatcher MAK102EQ2 Maksutov Cassegrain Telescope (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatcher-mak102eq2-maksutov-cassegrain-telescope.html) is now $599 and a bit over your budget, but with 102mm aperture and longer focal length, it delivers a much sharper and brighter image that would be suitable for astrophotography as well.
I hope I've given you a good idea of the different types of telescopes you could choose from! With a budget like yours, you do have a wide range of choices for telescopes, and because we are currently having a sale, there are quite a few telescopes that are usually more expensive that are suitable for your budget. In the end, it comes down to your personal preferences when using the telescope.
Unfortunately, we are based in Melbourne, so any purchases would have to be made online or over the phone. Delivery to your location usually takes 4 to 7 working days to reach once it's shipped out from the warehouse, but this would also be dependent on whether or not the telescope is physically in stock. Some telescopes take 1-2 weeks to reach us from the supplier, so if you do wish to purchase from us and need it urgently, do enquire on the availability of the telescope beforehand :)
You can look at our guide on what to expect to see with telescopes here: http://www.ozscopes.com.au/what-can-you-expect-to-see-with-a-telescope.html. It has some pictures that will give you a good idea of the differences in image quality and detail that you can expect to see in different telescopes and apertures :)
For your budget and level, the best telescopes would be Dobsonians. They are easy to use and give good quality pictures, and for your budget you can get a decent aperture that you can definitely view planets with. We have the Skywatcher 6" Dobsonian Telescope SW580: http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatcher-6-dobsonian-telescope.html which is currently on sale at $359 and would be a suitable telescope for you. It has a 150mm aperture and would definitely let you see planets clearly.
If you don't mind going over your budget by a little bit, you can get the SAXON 8" Dobsonian Telescope (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/dobsonian-telescope-saxon-8inch.html) which is currently on sale at $515 and gives you a larger (203mm) aperture and therefore, better image.
The only downside to the Dobsonians is its size - they are pretty big so if portability is not an issue and you won't be moving or bringing this telescope around often, then the Dobsonian would be a suitable telescope for you.
If portability is an issue, you can opt for reflector or refractor telescopes as well. Reflectors are a popular choice because they offer the lowest cost per inch of aperture. They deliver bright, good quality images, but they require more care and maintenance because of their open tube design. If you don't mind putting in more time in taking care of your telescope, a reflector would be a good choice as well. We would recommend the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Telescope (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/celestron-astromaster-130eq-telescope.html). It has a 130mm aperture and is currently on sale for $349.95 without a motor drive and $459.95 with a motor drive (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/reflector-telescope-celestron-astromaster-130eq-motor-drive.html). The motor drive helps you to track or follow stars or planets better.
Refractors are also good for portability, and are much easier to maintain than reflectors because they have closed tubes. However, their images are sharp but not as bright. The Celestron AstroMaster 90AZ Refractor Telescope (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/refractor-telescope-celestron-astromaster-90az.html $419.95) has a 90mm aperture, and is a good choice.
Another type of telescope we recommend is the Cassegrain. Cassegrains are generally more expensive than the aforementioned types of telescopes, but they give the best quality image among all the telescopes. The SkyWatcher MAK102EQ2 Maksutov Cassegrain Telescope (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatcher-mak102eq2-maksutov-cassegrain-telescope.html) is now $599 and a bit over your budget, but with 102mm aperture and longer focal length, it delivers a much sharper and brighter image that would be suitable for astrophotography as well.
I hope I've given you a good idea of the different types of telescopes you could choose from! With a budget like yours, you do have a wide range of choices for telescopes, and because we are currently having a sale, there are quite a few telescopes that are usually more expensive that are suitable for your budget. In the end, it comes down to your personal preferences when using the telescope.
Unfortunately, we are based in Melbourne, so any purchases would have to be made online or over the phone. Delivery to your location usually takes 4 to 7 working days to reach once it's shipped out from the warehouse, but this would also be dependent on whether or not the telescope is physically in stock. Some telescopes take 1-2 weeks to reach us from the supplier, so if you do wish to purchase from us and need it urgently, do enquire on the availability of the telescope beforehand :)
