this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2025
34 points (100.0% liked)

Astronomy

4682 readers
17 users here now

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
[email protected]
34
Beginner telescope suggestions (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
19 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I'm planning to go to a rural spot that has a Bortle class 3 night sky around Southern California. Can anyone recommend a beginner friendly telescope with decent magnification for around $200? I'm not interested in using an accompanying smart phone app to go with it either. I'd like to see nebulae and galaxies the most. Thank you.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

For 200 you could probably land yourself an old criterion telescope or used Skywatcher. The important part is the aperture. For good nebula and Galaxy viewing, you're going to want at least 6 in of aperture. But more is better.

Definitely check Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, and cloudy nights classifieds.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

CN classifieds are going for almost the same price as new last I looked. Market must be tight.