<p>Generally speaking, you should never buy any telescope which advertises itself in terms of magnification.</p>
<p>Telescopes at this level are, unfortunately, not much more than toys which will serve more to frustrate than to delight.</p>
<p>These telescopes are made almost exclusively from plastic parts - the optical tube, the focuser, even the eyepieces are a polymer and not a glass. The tripods are flimsy aluminium.</p>
<hr />
<p>If you only have €50 to spend then you could buy a pair of 8x42 or 10x50 binoculars. At this price they won't be a great pair of binoculars, but they'll show you a lot of objects in the night sky which you can't see with the naked eye alone.</p>
<p>More positive points in favour of binoculars:</p>
<ul>
<li>you can use them during the day</li>
<li>they're very portable</li>
<li>they'll continue to be useful as you continue in the hobby --- I still use my €40 10x50s to sweep the sky even though I have a reflector and a refractor; each instrument gives a different view</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p>Alternatively, you could put that €50 into a savings account and then try to add to it at every opportunity you get. Your goal would be to save up around €200</p>
<p>A telescope which is generally accepted as being one of the best starter telescopes is a 130mm F5 reflector sold in the USA under the name &quot;Astronomers Without Borders OneSky&quot; and in Europe under Sky Watcher brand with the name &quot;Heritage 130p&quot;.</p>
<p>It's a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount. It has an aperture which is large enough to show you details on Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars (around opposition, at least).</p>
<hr />
<p>In between the €50 binoculars and the €200 reflector there are many achromatic refractors, but I hesitate to recommend any of these because you mainly want to observe planets:</p>
<p>When light passes through a refracting telescope's objective lens, different wavelengths are diffracted different amounts, and this results in some colour separation which is most noticeable with bright objects.</p>
<p>Planets are some of the brightest objects we observe.</p>
<hr />
<p>Also, many of the aforementioned refractors also suffer from less-than-brilliant build quality, which is another reason to go for the the 130mm reflector. Here's how I think about it:</p>
<p>At this price point you want to make sure that as much of your money as possible is going into what's important: the optics.</p>
<p>Anything else: bundled eyepieces, diagonals, tripods, equatorial mounts, ...all of this costs money, and money going into these components is money that isn't going into the optics.</p>
<p>This is why a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian makes the most sense: the optics are mirrors and the mount is a couple of bits of wood. Telescopes don't get any more simple than that :-)</p>
<hr />
<p>You mentioned in a comment that it was hard to find the Heritage 130p in Europe.</p>
<p>Right now it's hard to find any telescopes anywhere - the pandemic has created a lot of new amateur astronomers and has also affected supply from China.</p>
<p>Here's a short list of European shops I can think of which you might want to check out:</p>
<ul>
<li>Astroshop</li>
<li>Bresser</li>
<li>First Light Optics</li>
<li>Teleskop Service</li>
</ul>
<p>Of these, if you're looking for good deals then keep and eye on Bresser's and FLO's special offers pages. (If you're in the EU then be careful ordering from FLO because they're based in the UK and you'll have to pay additional taxes on your orders). Bresser is probably the place where I've managed to get the best deals.</p>
<p>Finally, consider buying second-hand. Your money will go a lot further.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T21:48:08.290Z
Thank you so much! But, my budget is 130 £. I've found a good deal on the National Geographic Dobsonian 76/350 telescope which costs 150 £ but i've got a deal for it for 130 £. Is there a difference between that and the one you suggested? I'm a student at 16 years old. So money won't be easy for me. Thank you for poiniting out that telescope. I was looking at it when i passed the store at the mall, it looked really good and had pictures on the cover of Saturn (which obivously fools people to believe you can actually see Saturn that well with it). It was really cheap so i was concearned.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T21:56:40.563Z
Also, on Bresser, when i went to Sales it were used/returned items, are these safe? And i looked up the Heritage 130p on Bresser and astroshop, i couldnt seem to find them
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T22:06:53.647Z
On firstlightoptics it was out of stock and delivery was quite expensive. And on the Teleskop Service, i couldnt find the website. Is there any other telescopes better than the National Geographic that costs 130 £? Thanks.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T22:09:06.757Z
@John You're very welcome :-) I think that the Nat Geo telescope you found is the same as [this Bresser one](https://www.bresser.de/en/Sale/BRESSER-Solarix-Telescope-76-350-with-Solar-Filter.html) which is on sale for €54. Its aperture is a little bit on the low side for a Newtonian: its secondary mirror will obstruct quite a lot, leaving you with maybe 55mm (I'm completely guessing there) usable aperture. I wouldn't personally buy that telescope...
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T22:12:29.153Z
It also says on Bresser: The delivery time of this article is currently not known. Pre-orders are therefore temporarily not possible. Which means the option to buy it isnt there
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T22:12:56.040Z
@John "are these safe?" - in theory yes they are - the products should be checked before being sent back out. In my experience with the Bresser sale section, I bought some eyepieces which looked to me like they were brand new (I think they were in the "ex-display" category) and on another occasion I bought a laser collimator which was missing one of its collimation screws (I went to a local ironmongers and bought a new screw). I think that it _should_ be fine, but also that it's always possible that unexpected problems happen.
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T22:20:31.900Z
Which telescope from the Sales category should i buy? BRESSER Venus 76/700 AZ - Reflector telescope with Smartphone Camera Adapter or BRESSER Lyra 70/900 EQ-SKY Telescope? And do you think i should buy from there? Thanks
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T22:21:15.080Z
If you absolutely _have_ to buy a telescope _right now_, then [this 114/500 Bresser reflector](https://www.bresser.de/en/Sale/BRESSER-Solarix-Telescope-114-500-with-Solar-Filter.html) might not be terrible. You could do a lot worse. I would urge you to be patient - wait a while, formulate a plan, keep an eye on the deals and classified adverts - but I know what it's like to have your heart set on something: you want a telescope and you want it now, and I completely understand that feeling :-D
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T22:32:41.983Z
I've been watching constantly on youtube of people looking at the planets through the telescope, and thats my dream come true to be witnessing it with my own eyes :) I live in a small city in Norway where the skies are rare that it's clear. At this period of time, the skies have never been more beautiful to observe the sky with.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T22:32:45.783Z
I've promised my friends to go up to a high mountain and observe it from there together with them. Which is why i really want to have it right now as we speak :), but the BRESSER Lyra 70/900 EQ-SKY Telescope and the 114/500 bresser reflector, whats the difference? Because the BRESSER Lyra 70/900 EQ-SKY Telescope was more expensive. Thanks.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T22:34:35.653Z
Let us [continue this discussion in chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/119231/discussion-between-aaron-f-and-john).
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-02T11:27:06.843Z
Hi, the 114/500 Bresser telescope got out of sale. Do you know if this might be the smartest replacement? BRESSER Venus 76/700 AZ - Reflector telescope with Smartphone Camera Adapter
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-02T13:52:14.530Z
I watched this video, i'm not sure if he used the exact telescope i mentioned but i want to have a telescope to be able to see exactly what jupiter and saturn looked in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQTNbIPaJgw
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-02T17:43:56.117Z
@John I wouldn't get that. Better to wait and check the website every day or two to see if anything else comes up. If you get a telescope of only 76mm aperture then you want that to be _clear_ aperture: ie. unobstructed. Only a refractor can offer that. A reflector makes more sense at larger apertures. Here's another suggestion for you: go and hang out at [cloudynights.com](https://www.cloudynights.com/) for a while. Read some of the threads in their beginner's forum. Make an account and ask the same question over there and see what advice people give you. They're very knowledgeable there too.
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-02T17:58:08.673Z
also, in that video do you see the view wobbling? That's a small gust of wind doing that. It'll wobble worse than that every time it's touched, and it's going to be touched every 20 seconds when you reposition the telescope because the object you're looking at has drifted out of view. It's also going to be touched by your face accidentally, and will wobble every time. Hopefully the wobbling will settle down in less than 2 or 3 seconds, because otherwise it gets _seriously_ annoying - turning what should be a relaxing pasttime into an exercise in frustration...
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T21:28:18.110Z
2021-02-01T21:28:18.110Z
Aaron F
<p>Is it possible to see Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus with the Spectra Optics Telescope 600x50? And even the moon?</p>
<p>This is the description of the telescope:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>User-friendly and easy to install with magnification up to 100x.
A telescope is a learning and discovery tool that is suitable for both old and young. This model is larger and has significantly better optics than the telescope that Galileo Galilei used during his astronomical discoveries hundreds of years ago. Magnifies from 30-100x. The viewfinder binoculars (5x24 mm) make it easy to roughly calibrate the telescope and the stand is easy to mount. Focal length 600 mm. Light opening 50 mm. Weight about 3.1 kg. Live incl. 2 eyepieces.**</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T15:11:48.813Z
https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/41147/can-i-see-jupiter-mars-and-saturn-through-the-national-geographic-76-350-dobson is very similar... yes, you can see each of them with a telescope - you even see them with the naked eye. The answer to this question won't greatly differ to your previous
planetmaker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T15:18:26.807Z
I've been looking at a video where they showed what the planets would look like with the National Geographic telescope. And because the Spectra Optics Telescope is cheaper, like 50 dollars cheaper i thought it would be more smaller to view them. Of course i get that you CAN see them, however its about the size and how much of it i can see it.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T18:08:44.777Z
Yes it's possible. But I wouldn't buy that telescope. At that price range your money would be better spent on a pair of binoculars. You can get cheap 10x50 binoculars which will be fine, and will also be usable for other things. If you want a telescope and don't have much money then go for a reflector on a Dobsonian mount rather than a achromatic refractor on a wobbly tripod. The "AWB OneSky" / "Sky-Watcher Heritage 130" is the perfect beginners telescope.
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T19:25:51.640Z
I cant seem to find a website where they sell your recommended telescope. And alot of them are from US websites while im in the EU. I think i will try out the National Geographic Telescope Dobsonian telescope for now and see how it goes.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T20:21:04.127Z
In the EU it goes by the name "Sky-Watcher Heritage 130p". If money's tight then you can wait for a deal (they pop up fairly frequently) or buy second-hand. I'll write a quick answer, rather than continue in the comments...
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T21:28:43.613Z
...one "quick answer" and an hour later... ;-)
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T21:34:45.097Z
The Nat Geo telescope you're looking at is a 76mm reflector isn't it? The problem with Newtonian reflectors that small is that the central obstruction is quite large relative to the aperture. I personally wouldn't get a reflector with an aperture smaller than about 120mm. At that size a refractor is the optimal choice.
Aaron F
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-01T23:05:41.557Z
You can see each of those objects with the naked eye, so the answer to your question is trivially "yes."
D. Halsey
<telescope>
Can I see Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus with the Spectra Optics Telescope 600x50?
John
# Can I see Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus with the Spectra Optics Telescope 600x50?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-02-01)

Is it possible to see Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus with the Spectra Optics Telescope 600x50? And even the moon?

This is the description of the telescope:

> User-friendly and easy to install with magnification up to 100x.
> A telescope is a learning and discovery tool that is suitable for both old and young. This model is larger and has significantly better optics than the telescope that Galileo Galilei used during his astronomical discoveries hundreds of years ago. Magnifies from 30-100x. The viewfinder binoculars (5x24 mm) make it easy to roughly calibrate the telescope and the stand is easy to mount. Focal length 600 mm. Light opening 50 mm. Weight about 3.1 kg. Live incl. 2 eyepieces.\*\*

**Tags:** telescope
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/41147/can-i-see-jupiter-mars-and-saturn-through-the-national-geographic-76-350-dobson is very similar... yes, you can see each of them with a telescope - you even see them with the naked eye. The answer to this question won't greatly differ to your previous  
> **username_0**: I've been looking at a video where they showed what the planets would look like with the National Geographic telescope. And because the Spectra Optics Telescope is cheaper, like 50 dollars cheaper i thought it would be more smaller to view them. Of course i get that you CAN see them, however its about the size and how much of it i can see it.  
> **username_2**: Yes it's possible. But I wouldn't buy that telescope. At that price range your money would be better spent on a pair of binoculars. You can get cheap 10x50 binoculars which will be fine, and will also be usable for other things. If you want a telescope and don't have much money then go for a reflector on a Dobsonian mount rather than a achromatic refractor on a wobbly tripod. The "AWB OneSky" / "Sky-Watcher Heritage 130" is the perfect beginners telescope.  
> **username_0**: I cant seem to find a website where they sell your recommended telescope. And alot of them are from US websites while im in the EU. I think i will try out the National Geographic Telescope Dobsonian telescope for now and see how it goes.  
> **username_2**: In the EU it goes by the name "Sky-Watcher Heritage 130p". If money's tight then you can wait for a deal (they pop up fairly frequently) or buy second-hand. I'll write a quick answer, rather than continue in the comments...  
> **username_2**: ...one "quick answer" and an hour later... ;-)  
> **username_2**: The Nat Geo telescope you're looking at is a 76mm reflector isn't it? The problem with Newtonian reflectors that small is that the central obstruction is quite large relative to the aperture. I personally wouldn't get a reflector with an aperture smaller than about 120mm. At that size a refractor is the optimal choice.  
> **username_3**: You can see each of those objects with the naked eye, so the answer to your question is trivially "yes."  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-02-01. Score: 3

Generally speaking, you should never buy any telescope which advertises itself in terms of magnification.

Telescopes at this level are, unfortunately, not much more than toys which will serve more to frustrate than to delight.

These telescopes are made almost exclusively from plastic parts - the optical tube, the focuser, even the eyepieces are a polymer and not a glass. The tripods are flimsy aluminium.

---

If you only have €50 to spend then you could buy a pair of 8x42 or 10x50 binoculars. At this price they won't be a great pair of binoculars, but they'll show you a lot of objects in the night sky which you can't see with the naked eye alone.

More positive points in favour of binoculars:

* you can use them during the day
* they're very portable
* they'll continue to be useful as you continue in the hobby --- I still use my €40 10x50s to sweep the sky even though I have a reflector and a refractor; each instrument gives a different view

---

Alternatively, you could put that €50 into a savings account and then try to add to it at every opportunity you get. Your goal would be to save up around €200

A telescope which is generally accepted as being one of the best starter telescopes is a 130mm F5 reflector sold in the USA under the name "Astronomers Without Borders OneSky" and in Europe under Sky Watcher brand with the name "Heritage 130p".

It's a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount. It has an aperture which is large enough to show you details on Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars (around opposition, at least).

---

In between the €50 binoculars and the €200 reflector there are many achromatic refractors, but I hesitate to recommend any of these because you mainly want to observe planets:

When light passes through a refracting telescope's objective lens, different wavelengths are diffracted different amounts, and this results in some colour separation which is most noticeable with bright objects.

Planets are some of the brightest objects we observe.

---

Also, many of the aforementioned refractors also suffer from less-than-brilliant build quality, which is another reason to go for the the 130mm reflector. Here's how I think about it:

At this price point you want to make sure that as much of your money as possible is going into what's important: the optics.

Anything else: bundled eyepieces, diagonals, tripods, equatorial mounts, ...all of this costs money, and money going into these components is money that isn't going into the optics.

This is why a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian makes the most sense: the optics are mirrors and the mount is a couple of bits of wood. Telescopes don't get any more simple than that :-)

---

You mentioned in a comment that it was hard to find the Heritage 130p in Europe.

Right now it's hard to find any telescopes anywhere - the pandemic has created a lot of new amateur astronomers and has also affected supply from China.

Here's a short list of European shops I can think of which you might want to check out:

* Astroshop
* Bresser
* First Light Optics
* Teleskop Service

Of these, if you're looking for good deals then keep and eye on Bresser's and FLO's special offers pages. (If you're in the EU then be careful ordering from FLO because they're based in the UK and you'll have to pay additional taxes on your orders). Bresser is probably the place where I've managed to get the best deals.

Finally, consider buying second-hand. Your money will go a lot further.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you so much! But, my budget is 130 £. I've found a good deal on the National Geographic Dobsonian 76/350 telescope which costs 150 £ but i've got a deal for it for 130 £. Is there a difference between that and the one you suggested? I'm a student at 16 years old. So money won't be easy for me. Thank you for poiniting out that telescope. I was looking at it when i passed the store at the mall, it looked really good and had pictures on the cover of Saturn (which obivously fools people to believe you can actually see Saturn that well with it). It was really cheap so i was concearned.  
> **username_0**: Also, on Bresser, when i went to Sales it were used/returned items, are these safe? And i looked up the Heritage 130p on Bresser and astroshop, i couldnt seem to find them  
> **username_0**: On firstlightoptics it was out of stock and delivery was quite expensive. And on the Teleskop Service, i couldnt find the website. Is there any other telescopes better than the National Geographic that costs 130 £? Thanks.  
> **username_2**: @John You're very welcome :-) I think that the Nat Geo telescope you found is the same as [this Bresser one](https://www.bresser.de/en/Sale/BRESSER-Solarix-Telescope-76-350-with-Solar-Filter.html) which is on sale for €54. Its aperture is a little bit on the low side for a Newtonian: its secondary mirror will obstruct quite a lot, leaving you with maybe 55mm (I'm completely guessing there) usable aperture. I wouldn't personally buy that telescope...  
> **username_0**: It also says on Bresser: The delivery time of this article is currently not known. Pre-orders are therefore temporarily not possible. Which means the option to buy it isnt there  
> **username_2**: @John "are these safe?" - in theory yes they are - the products should be checked before being sent back out. In my experience with the Bresser sale section, I bought some eyepieces which looked to me like they were brand new (I think they were in the "ex-display" category) and on another occasion I bought a laser collimator which was missing one of its collimation screws (I went to a local ironmongers and bought a new screw). I think that it _should_ be fine, but also that it's always possible that unexpected problems happen.  
> **username_0**: Which telescope from the Sales category should i buy? BRESSER Venus 76/700 AZ - Reflector telescope with Smartphone Camera Adapter or BRESSER Lyra 70/900 EQ-SKY Telescope? And do you think i should buy from there? Thanks  
> **username_2**: If you absolutely _have_ to buy a telescope _right now_, then [this 114/500 Bresser reflector](https://www.bresser.de/en/Sale/BRESSER-Solarix-Telescope-114-500-with-Solar-Filter.html) might not be terrible. You could do a lot worse. I would urge you to be patient - wait a while, formulate a plan, keep an eye on the deals and classified adverts - but I know what it's like to have your heart set on something: you want a telescope and you want it now, and I completely understand that feeling :-D  
> **username_0**: I've been watching constantly on youtube of people looking at the planets through the telescope, and thats my dream come true to be witnessing it with my own eyes :) I live in a small city in Norway where the skies are rare that it's clear. At this period of time, the skies have never been more beautiful to observe the sky with.  
> **username_0**: I've promised my friends to go up to a high mountain and observe it from there together with them. Which is why i really want to have it right now as we speak :), but the BRESSER Lyra 70/900 EQ-SKY Telescope and the 114/500 bresser reflector, whats the difference? Because the BRESSER Lyra 70/900 EQ-SKY Telescope was more expensive. Thanks.  
> **username_2**: Let us [continue this discussion in chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/119231/discussion-between-aaron-f-and-john).  
> **username_0**: Hi, the 114/500 Bresser telescope got out of sale. Do you know if this might be the smartest replacement? BRESSER Venus 76/700 AZ - Reflector telescope with Smartphone Camera Adapter  
> **username_0**: I watched this video, i'm not sure if he used the exact telescope i mentioned but i want to have a telescope to be able to see exactly what jupiter and saturn looked in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQTNbIPaJgw  
> **username_2**: @John I wouldn't get that. Better to wait and check the website every day or two to see if anything else comes up. If you get a telescope of only 76mm aperture then you want that to be _clear_ aperture: ie. unobstructed. Only a refractor can offer that. A reflector makes more sense at larger apertures. Here's another suggestion for you: go and hang out at [cloudynights.com](https://www.cloudynights.com/) for a while. Read some of the threads in their beginner's forum. Make an account and ask the same question over there and see what advice people give you. They're very knowledgeable there too.  
> **username_2**: also, in that video do you see the view wobbling? That's a small gust of wind doing that. It'll wobble worse than that every time it's touched, and it's going to be touched every 20 seconds when you reposition the telescope because the object you're looking at has drifted out of view. It's also going to be touched by your face accidentally, and will wobble every time. Hopefully the wobbling will settle down in less than 2 or 3 seconds, because otherwise it gets _seriously_ annoying - turning what should be a relaxing pasttime into an exercise in frustration...  

---

