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  1. B

    Different scope for birds and for stars?

    I am talking about serious observers who contribute very regularly to serious organisations. The majority of owners of telescopes probably use diagonals. There are perhaps one hundred serious observers in the U.K. , maybe one thousand worldwide. I have nothing against people who have...
  2. B

    Different scope for birds and for stars?

    Presumably someone will have a telescope and let you look through it at Jupiter. I visited La Palma to see comet Halley and also Tenerife. It was so dark in Tenerife that I nearly fell into the caldera besides the observatory. So if really dark, be careful. I took a Celestron 5 in carry on...
  3. B

    Different scope for birds and for stars?

    sbpbirder. First Light Optics have a range of 1.25 inch fit multicoated Plossls 52 degree view. £20 and £29. I have not used these, but with a Barlow these should be quite good and inexpensive. They say, best with f/6 or slower scopes, but maybe O.K. at f/5.5 without a Barlow. Regards, B.
  4. B

    Different scope for birds and for stars?

    Post #16. Dear Mark. No, I am talking about refractors, Dall Kirkham, and Maksutovs. I was pretty flexible, and as I said planets in the U.K. are on average at a maximum elevation of under 40 degrees. In Finland an average maximum of 30 degrees. I looked straight through. The 12.5 inch Dall...
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    Different scope for birds and for stars?

    It doesn't make it better, but gives a wider range. The magnification can be increased by using either short focus astro eyepieces or a Barlow lens. With a Barlow, because the focal ratio of the objective is longer, say f/11 instead of f/5.5 simple eyepieces work, but have smaller fields. I...
  6. B

    Different scope for birds and for stars?

    A Barlow lens is a negative lens, usually a doublet, that increases the focal length of the objective. It fits near the eyepiece. Often 2x or 3x but can be 5x. This increases the magnification by 2x, 3x or 5x, but it depends on the position of the Barlow. A 2x to 3x Barlow just works by having...
  7. B

    Different scope for birds and for stars?

    Most active visual astronomers in the U.K. don't use diagonals or prisms, but view inverted. I rarely used a 90 degree mirror. The average maximum elevation of a planet in the U.K. is less than 40 degrees. It makes no difference to me whether the view is inverted or direct, and the normal...
  8. B

    Different scope for birds and for stars?

    A bird scope is small, light and short so it can be carried around maybe for miles. An astro scope is usually heavier, longer and larger and needs a heavier tripod. An astro scope can weigh 50kg to 100kg to tonnes. A spotting scope is usually one to 3kg or 4kg. The downside is that the...
  9. B

    Different scope for birds and for stars?

    Stars covers numerous objects. So, it depends what you mean and also what experience you have. The main thing for astro objects is a dark location. The telescope is secondary. Any spotting scope enhances the visibility of stars. But astro scopes, as mentioned, are usually not waterproof and...
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