ALDI have a telescope on Special on Sunday

Smart and supposidly 'amusing' comments are all very well, along with references to persons who have not been quoted at all, but the fact remains that a small telescope is a bad idea for anyone interested in astronomy. I stated a view (which I am entitled to do) that is shared by many astronomers, and sarcastic and therefore offensive comments are hardly in keeping with the purpose of this site. If you don't agree with me as to small telescopes, ask Sir Patrick Moore. (Or does he know nothing about it?) I do after all work for an organization that has an internationally sold astronomy magazine and gets interviewed on national radio and TV. I don't notice others being in that same position, but please correct me if I'm wrong on that subject. I think comments of the nature of the one I refer to have little place in an astronomy site such as this. We are all on the same side, right?

As I said, the light-grasp of a small telescope is not enough to make most objects visible, that is a fact. Looking at the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn is nice, but limited in its lasting interest. Quite a good scope can be purchase for a few hundred euro, one that will bring many deep-sky objects into view as well as the bright members of our Solar System. If someone has a real interest in astronomy it is far better to get them a good scope to begin with. I do actually know someone who had a little scope, poor optics, and said they put it in the attic and never bothered with astronomy again because they "couldn't see anything". I'm not saying that a small scope is totally useless, it isn't, and a good modern 60mm refractor will give a better view of the sky than most professional astronomers got up to the end of the 18th century, but such a small scope is limited. If you must get one, then at least get a good quality one, not something from Aldi.

Denton P. Walter

Astronomy Ireland

Oh why do I have a feeling the sort of attitude in the initial part of your post Denton will provoke a reaction...

All comments are welcome, and all persons are entitled to their opinions, as I was. I would respect such opinions, and should I disagree with them, that could be expressed in a polite manner. But scarstic slagging is something I consider out of bounds and something I would respond to in a suitable manner.

Denton P. Walter

Astronomy Ireland

12-inch D.T.G. DOB
10-inch Celestron Starhopper
8.75-inch D.T.G. dob
C-8 motorised
C-8 manual
3.5-inch refractor
3.1-inch Celestron refractor
2.4-inch refractor
Binoculars:
7x35
7x50
8x30
10x50
20x60
30x70

Denton,
I didn't think anyone was been sarcastic to you or derogatory in the replys, one thing you'll find about this site is that there is a fair amount of humour, without it, this site would become very dry very quickly.

As for this scope, it's probably scraping the bottom of the barrel, but then again its not costing a fortune either, you get what you pay for.

Denton,
You are of course entitled to your opinion and you are most certainly welcome here to express it. You are of course a person with a significant amont of experience in this hobby and your views would carry a certain weight.
FWIW, I certainly understand where you are coming from on this small scope issue. I agree that small scopes are of limited use, but then again "limited" is relative. For some people, one view through a small scope at a first quarter moon can be enough to hook them for life. For others though, a small scope can be a hobby killer. The difficulty of course is geting a balance. Most parents don't understand issues of optical quality etc. For them it's simply a cost issue. And of course there would be a vast difference between a Televue scope and a Tasco scope of similar aperture, to take an example.
Personally, I would recommend a decent pair of binos over a small scope such as the aforementined one, especially as it's unlikely to be of good quality at the price mentioned. However, alot of people seemed to be happy with the Skylux refractors sold by Lidl over the last two years, so strange things can happen. I would still recommend a pair of binos as a starter though.

As moderator of this forum, please send me a PM if anyone (besides Denton) has been offended by anything in this thread.