Meade NGC-60 Telescope
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- Optical Diameter: 60 mm
- Max Useful Magnification: x 120
- Finderscope: Optical
- Mount Type: Altazimuth Unmounted
- Motorized: No
- Focal Length: 700 mm
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Meade NGC-60 telescope
Pros
Excellent inexpensive telescope for the beginner
Cons
You will outgrow this telescope as your interests in space grows
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
recommended for the beginner
I found that the Meade NGC-60 is an excellent inexpensive telescope for the beginner.
The best price I found was at Wal-Mart ($150.00) and the package included about everything you need starting out for the first time. The package included four eyepieces (SR4mm, H9mm, H12.5, and H25mm) for all types of viewing day or night. It also included a 3x magnification Barlow lens that can be used with the eyepieces giving the telescope a maximum power of 525x magnification (note that 200x is the recommended max with this telescope)
The onboard computer (GOTO system) makes finding objects in the night sky much easier for the beginner as long as the telescope is set up correctly when starting up the computer. In order to set it up correctly you need to make sure that the telescope is perfectly level and that it is pointing directly North and in the home position when starting up the computer (remember to account for daylight savings time if it applies during set up). Once the set up is done correctly and the alignment stars are found, just enter in what you want to look at and the computer tells you where to point the telescope manually, you still may need to use the viewfinder and adjust it some, but it will get you in the general location. Practice makes perfect.
Another good feature on this telescope is the slow motion controls, as the beginner will soon learn is that objects move across the night sky because of the Earths rotation. These controls make it much easier to keep the object in view.
Also the package from Wal-Mart included the StarLocator Astro software for your PC or laptop, this program gives real time positions of objects in the sky and what is the best time to observe them, it's great for mapping out your viewing sessions. (note that not all objects are visible year round and/or may below the horizon at certain times) Also this program allows you to connect your PC or laptop directly to the telescope with the purchase of minimal additional equipment.
Some of the objects you can see with this telescope is the moon in high detail, (the moon is best observed in it's half moon phase, the shadows in the craters provide depth). The rings of Saturn are clearly visible with just the use of the 4mm eyepiece, not much color though. Jupiter can also be seen with some color and some of it's moons depending on their position. Mars can be seen with lots of color (even the polar icecaps on Mars are visible if the conditions are right). Venus can also be seen fairly well.
The hardest part about starting out is knowing what magnification to use, the highest power is not always the best. With practice you will learn what is the best magnification to use depending on the object and conditions.
Overall this is an excellent telescope for the money and the beginner. This can be an expensive hobby as you get more involved with stargazing but it's best to be sure before dropping $600 plus dollars into a more powerful telescope.
The best price I found was at Wal-Mart ($150.00) and the package included about everything you need starting out for the first time. The package included four eyepieces (SR4mm, H9mm, H12.5, and H25mm) for all types of viewing day or night. It also included a 3x magnification Barlow lens that can be used with the eyepieces giving the telescope a maximum power of 525x magnification (note that 200x is the recommended max with this telescope)
The onboard computer (GOTO system) makes finding objects in the night sky much easier for the beginner as long as the telescope is set up correctly when starting up the computer. In order to set it up correctly you need to make sure that the telescope is perfectly level and that it is pointing directly North and in the home position when starting up the computer (remember to account for daylight savings time if it applies during set up). Once the set up is done correctly and the alignment stars are found, just enter in what you want to look at and the computer tells you where to point the telescope manually, you still may need to use the viewfinder and adjust it some, but it will get you in the general location. Practice makes perfect.
Another good feature on this telescope is the slow motion controls, as the beginner will soon learn is that objects move across the night sky because of the Earths rotation. These controls make it much easier to keep the object in view.
Also the package from Wal-Mart included the StarLocator Astro software for your PC or laptop, this program gives real time positions of objects in the sky and what is the best time to observe them, it's great for mapping out your viewing sessions. (note that not all objects are visible year round and/or may below the horizon at certain times) Also this program allows you to connect your PC or laptop directly to the telescope with the purchase of minimal additional equipment.
Some of the objects you can see with this telescope is the moon in high detail, (the moon is best observed in it's half moon phase, the shadows in the craters provide depth). The rings of Saturn are clearly visible with just the use of the 4mm eyepiece, not much color though. Jupiter can also be seen with some color and some of it's moons depending on their position. Mars can be seen with lots of color (even the polar icecaps on Mars are visible if the conditions are right). Venus can also be seen fairly well.
The hardest part about starting out is knowing what magnification to use, the highest power is not always the best. With practice you will learn what is the best magnification to use depending on the object and conditions.
Overall this is an excellent telescope for the money and the beginner. This can be an expensive hobby as you get more involved with stargazing but it's best to be sure before dropping $600 plus dollars into a more powerful telescope.
