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Categories :: Advice Articles |
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 Category :: Advice |
Author :: John Weasner  |
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| Article Title :: Buying a Telescope. Advice and Guide for Amateur Astronomers |
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Before purchasing a telescope it is very important to know what
you want and what. $30 invested in a good book will not only ad
to your enjoyment of the night sky, but may save you from making
a $300 mistake. The best advise is to visit your local astronomy
club and learn from the experience and mistakes of others who
have gone before. Question the scope owners about the
advantages/disadvantages of each of their scopes. You will
quickly learn that there are many different types of scopes and
mounts. There is no "best" design, each has its strong and weak
points. The only way to know what to expect and what you really
want is to look at and through as many different scopes as
possible before deciding what to buy.
When you are ready to buy, avoid department stores. The types of
telescopes that sell in department stores for up to $300 and
more are mostly junk. Despite outrageous advertising claims they
are all but unusable and are more likely to kill your interest
in astronomy than encourage it. A telescope shop is the
preferred place to shop though some larger camera stores may be
approached with caution.
When getting started in any new hobby the best advice is always
to start with the basics. Every avid amateur astronomer, no
matter what other equipment they own, has a good pair of
binoculars. There are several good reason for this. The wide
field of view and erect image of binoculars allow easy
navigation around the sky. Many of the best astronomical objects
can be seen in binoculars including; 150,000 stars (Compared to
3,000 with the unaided eye), the complete Messier Catalogue of
109 best star clusters, galaxies and nebulae, all the solar
system planets except Pluto, 2 - 4 moons of Jupiter, 100 craters
and mountains on the Moon and bright asteroids. Note also that
binoculars are better than telescopes for observing extended
objects such as star clouds of the Milky Way, open star clusters
and bright comets which are to large to fit into the field of
view of a telescope. A pair of binoculars that you already have
around the house are the most cost-effective way to get started
but if you have to buy a pair 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars are an
ideal beginners instrument. You can get a very good quality pair
of binoculars for around $150 which will give views far superior
to a cheap telescope that cost twice that much. The next
accessory you should consider is a camera tripod and an adapter
for your binoculars. The view through a solidly supported pair
of good quality binoculars is comparable in quality to a wide
field view through a good telescope. The secret to enjoying the
night sky is not having fancy equipment, but knowing what to
look for and where to look. A telescope is no better than the
naked eye if you don't know where to point it.
Once you learn your way around the sky and how to locate the
brighter objects you may decide that your interest justifies the
purchase of a telescope. The move from binoculars to a telescope
is motivated by the desire to see finer detail in bright objects
like the moon and planets or fainter objects like galaxies and
nebulae. Long focal length refractors are best at showing
planetary and lunar detail; a large aperture reflector excels at
showing feint galaxies and nebulae, while wide field scopes are
better for comet and supernovae searches. Alt-azimuth mounts are
portable, inexpensive and easy to operate, while heavier, more
expensive equatorial mounts are best for photography and high
power tracking. For these reasons it is strongly advised against
buying a telescope until you have looked through several
different types and talked with a few experienced owners.
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