eBay Telescopes

So should I buy a telescope on eBay or not?

One of my family members has decided that they want a telescope for Christmas, and I have not got a clue what, or which one to buy.

There are so many different types and should I go for a refractor or reflector?

Even if you google which telescope should I buy there are plenty of guides for dummies in to which one to buy and I still don’t understand it.

So many different types, sizes, purpose, strengths and styles.

The question is do I spend a shed load or do I try and scoop a bargain on eBay and hope its good enough? Anyone have any answers?

Its stuff like this that confuses me

“Your dilemma, however, is you don’t know a lot about telescopes in general, particularly what makes one a quality instrument and another not worth hanging your hat on.

Moreover, there appear to be a staggering number of models on the market at wildly different prices. How can you know if the telescope you might buy is worth the money you are forking over?

Before buying anything — breathe in, breathe out and ask yourself five common-sense questions.

1) Why do you want to buy a telescope?

Do you want to provide a meaningful learning experience for a child, or do you want to test the waters to see if little Jimmy or Becky will follow through with their interest? Or is this the first step toward your own personal pursuit in astronomy? Do you envision sweeping up a panoply of galaxies and star clusters, discovering a comet or looking down into the craggy craters of the moon? Perhaps you just want to have a telescope on hand for the next lunar eclipse or bright comet, or to take with you on camping trips.

In short, if your purpose is event-driven or casual observing, shoot for a simple, lightweight, low-cost telescope with a wide field of view and good optics. Ditto if you’re buying a telescope for a child whose interest might be ephemeral. You might even consider binoculars.

If your or the child’s interest is unquestionably spirited and steadfast, then you will want a telescope that will nurture rather than limit a developing interest. In that case, lay out a few more bucks for a larger, more well equipped model that has, it should go without saying, good optics. You won’t regret it.

What’s your telescope type? Casual: buy a low-cost, lightweight scope or binoculars; Show-off: score an antique store telescope; Urban: opt for a moderate aperture scope; Rural: reach for as much aperture as you can afford; Committed: ditto.

2) How much do you want to spend?

The answer to this question usually cuts through the fog of indecision. Good beginners’ telescopes run anywhere between $250 and $600. More money buys more bells and whistles, but not necessarily more enjoyment. If you spend a lot of money on a complex telescope you don’t use very often, how much fun can that be? You want a telescope that you will use and, perhaps, grow into — not one that limits you the moment you take it out of the box or that you later rue for having spent too much money.

3) What do you want to do with your telescope?

To be honest, it doesn’t matter what you plan to do with your telescope, just as long as you want to look at celestial objects with it. If you simply want a telescope that “looks good,” I suggest you purchase one of those antique brass remakes sold in tony furniture shops. Their optical quality is terrible, but they look smashing when posed beside an ornamental birdcage or an early 20th-century French lithograph.

Seriously, whatever you want to observe — planets, stars or galaxies — you need to consider the diameter of the telescope’s main light-gathering lens or mirror, called the objective. We’ll explore this in more detail in the next section, but for now, suffice it to say that a telescope’s “power” is squarely vested in its aperture, not its magnification capability. Telescopes are often described as “light buckets.” The larger the light bucket’s aperture, the more light it gathers; the more light it gathers, the more detail you can see, no matter what you’re looking at. Hence, always buy as much aperture as you can afford. Like real estate, the more you have the greater your return.

4) How dark are your skies?

In other words, where will you be observing the most: from the city, suburbs or country? If you are fortunate enough to live away from city lights then put as much money as you can into aperture. Costly accessories — high-dollar eyepieces, a computerized drive system and an electric focuser — can wait. Get out there and observe.

The Great Plains Star Party in 1999

5) How serious are you about astronomy?

A difficult question to answer but give it a try. Can you recognize some of the major constellations and brighter stars? Do you know where the planets are in tonight’s sky? Do you keep up with the latest astronomy discoveries? If a moderately bright comet could be seen in the predawn sky, would you drag yourself out of bed to see it? Do you own more than one astronomy book or software program, or subscribe to a popular astronomy magazine like Sky & Telescope? Is your wall plastered with astronomical art or photos? Do you have two or three or more internet bookmarks that take you to astronomy-related websites like SPACE.com?

I’m no psychologist, but it stands to reason that the more affirmative your answers are to these questions the more active your interest. That doesn’t mean a telescope will necessarily enhance your enjoyment. Indeed, many people, myself included, enjoy scanning the night sky with the unaided eye and binoculars. But I suspect if you had the right telescope at your disposal, you’d probably get a lot of pleasure out of it. How much, of course, depends on you and how involved you want to become.

As you probably already know, there are all kinds of telescopes out there. In the next section, I’ll cover basic telescope design, describe the various types of instruments available, and lay out their advantages and disadvantages. If you really want to buy a telescope that you won’t later regret, press on to a quick lesson on light-gathering.”

Now i just want buy this one and you will see the neighbours or buy this one and you Will see Uranus, not an in-depth guide in to how to reprogram the big bang.

I just know when it comes down to ill plump for a medium cost telescope and my luck will make me buy a rubbish one.

Shop shop shop for hamilton stuff on eBay.

So by hook or by crook Lewis Hamilton has won the drivers formula 1 championship and now watch all his stuff fly off eBay now and if you have any to sell its the time to put it up for sale an make a tidy profit.

In the most dramatic closing lap ever seen in Formula one, Lewis was over taken by Vettel and held off Hamilton until for some strange reason Glock slowed down enough for both to pass with Hamilton finishing 5Th he claimed the title.

I’m not sure if Glock was told to a slow down or his tyres were not good enough in the rain as he was the only 1 who didn’t change but the fact is he didn’t finish ahead of Lewis and he now becomes the youngest Formula 1 Champion.

Well done Fella.

gretchen morgan prison break aka Jodi Lyn O’Keefe

Does anyone watch prison break? You can buy lots of stuff on eBay that is related to the show, one of the biggest sellers is products related to Gretchen Morgan, the sexy actress called Jodi Lyn O’Keefe.

You can buy the obvious photos and collector items when she was younger and making a name for herself with underwear shots. But some of the funniest stuff is gloves worn by the actress or a terrible bed spread with that deathly stare she often pulls in the show.

Could you imagine trying to sleep with that evil glare looking at you?

I have sold one or two photos of the actress and explained within the description that they are simply high definition shots and stills of the show and they have sold quite well. There are copies and this is also explained but people still buy them.