Can a spotting scope double as an amature astronomy telescope?

[vpsalin]

Can someone have a lot of fun with a spotting scope both at the range and at the hunting camp at night as an amature astronomy telescope?

I'm looking at the Bushnell 12-36x50 Legend HD and it seems like a good deal for the price. If it can double as a telescope to gaze at the night sky, I think I'm sold...

Is there a better 300-350$ spotting scope on the market than this?

 

[Splatter]

Sure. Heck, you can use 7x binos to good effect to observe the night sky, why wouldn't a 36x scope be fun too? It doesn't have the crazy-high magnifications that a really fun scope would have; but it has to be a real "light bucket" to make anything over 100x work.

And the very dark sky you'll have will be a HUGE advantage.

Galileo's first telescope was probably around 3x or 4x and I think his most powerful 'scope was in the neighbourhood of 30x, and he discovered the moons of Jupiter (and a bunch of other cool stuff).

 

[Brutus]

Can someone have a lot of fun with a spotting scope both at the range and at the hunting camp at night as an amature astronomy telescope?

I'm looking at the Bushnell 12-36x50 Legend HD and it seems like a good deal for the price. If it can double as a telescope to gaze at the night sky, I think I'm sold...

Is there a better 300-350$ spotting scope on the market than this?

I used to use my uber cheap chinese spotting scope (long gone into the trash) for amatuer astronomy when my daughters were much younger and could be entertained with a father who had a 'telescope' to do this. IIRC, there were lots of oohs and ahs over the magnified view of our moon's many craters. I miss those fun filled times.

Oh yeah, I think one of the fringe benefits of using a terestrial telescope versus a true astronomy telescope, is that yours has an 'erector' lens in it. Pardon the term please!

And I dont get it why an upside down view of the distant planets and stars is not a hinderance to the amatuer stargazers??

 

[vpsalin]

Is there a better scope then the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD for the price?

 

[Brutus]

Is there a better scope then the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD for the price?

You are probably not going to get a satisfactory answer from myself buddy. I've since upgraded to a Kowa. And if I was short of funds the Vortex Viper would be another viable choice IMO. I have not used one, but the recent Vortex products often come up in optics conversation in a favorable light. And this from thier owners here on CGN.

Cheers and good luck to you..................

 

[Moose308]

Your typical spotting scope will do fine for simple stargazing. You might even be able to spot Jupiter's moons. However, keep in mind that magnification doesn't mean much. It's all about light gathering (which is often at odds with magnification). And your typical spotting scope simply doesn't have an objective lens large enough for any significant light gathering. That said, keep the magnification down a little lower and you ought to be able to spot some pretty cool object out there. Apparently there should be a naked eye visible comet due later this year or next iirc.

 

[jjohnwm]

My 10-year-old medium quality 60mm scope is lots of fun for casual skygazing at 45x...I've found at least 6 of Jupiter's moons + the Great Red Spot, Saturn's rings and a couple of its moons, and the views of our moon are spectacular. You'll want a decent quality tripod with a pan head...all of these objects move pretty quickly through your field of view due to the Earth's rotation, and you have to keep chasing them.

The angled eyepiece is much better and easier to use for this purpose than the straight one. Much more comfortable viewing, whether for objects in the sky, objects on the ground or targets at the range...less neck strain. It takes a while to get used to zeroing in with the angled one, but it's worth it in the long run, IMHO.