How Do I Choose The Best Telescope For Me?
Posted on September 6, 2009
Choosing which astronomical telescope is right for you requires a little bit of research. Right off the bat, forget about magnification – it’s really not that important. If you’re looking at a telescope that is advertising the magnification as its main selling point then walk away. Telescopes collect and focus light and so the most important factor is its light gathering capability, or aperture. As a general rule of thumb, bigger apertures gather more light, and the more light you gather the more you will see! But before you can decide how much aperture you can get for your budget there are a few other questions that you need to ask yourself 1st.
1) What do I want to look at?
– The Moon and the planets, deep space, or both
2) Where do I live?
– Are you in an area affected by light pollution
3) Do I plan to travel with my telescope?
– How much kit can you reasonably transport
4) What is my budget?
– How much aperture can you afford
The first thing you need to decide is what you want to look at – your two choices are the planets or deep space. For just planetary observation your best choice is a Refractor telescope. If, however, you want to spend your time gazing into deep space at nebulas and star clusters then you will want a Reflector telescope. If, like me, you want to do both then your best bet is to get a Catadioptric telescope, these combine the advantages of the other types whilst also doing away with most of their disadvantages. Right now these are the most popular telescopes on the market.
You then need to think about where you live and if you and your scope are prepared to travel. Light pollution effectively rules out deep space observation in built up areas so there is little point getting a reflector telescope if you don’t plan to travel. If you plan to travel then your next big decision is how portable does it need to be. Bigger aperture might be better but it also makes a telescope much bulkier. It is also worth noting that reflectors will require extra care on the move as they can be quite fragile and refractors tend to be the largest of all the types due to their design. My choice for portability is a catadioptric. Do not forget about the tripod and mount – it is crucial for observation that your set-up is sturdy. This additional kit is bulky and needs to be factored into your ‘realistic’ travelling plans, just how much equipment do you really want to lug around?
Now that you have an idea of what the best telescope for you might be it is time to consider your budget and any features that you consider important to you, such as computer aided navigation of the stars. You don’t necessarily want the most expensive telescope you can buy – you want the right type of telescope, at the right size for your needs with the greatest aperture you can afford with your budget. I would also advise sticking to a trusted brand of telescope bought from a reputable and knowledgeable specialist telescope store. When asked I always recommend Orion or Celestron, both produce high quality excellent astronomical telescopes.
Choosing a Telescope
Here are more articles which you may find interesting: -
- New Age the Basics of Buying A Telescope | 1st in Business – New Age the Basics of Buying A Telescope. One thing no one would desire to do is to take away any of the amusement of the activity of astronomy because the excitement of what that we do being star gazers is a big part of the attraction. …
- A Telescope Buying Guide For Beginners – Buying a telescope is a daunting task for a newcomer. It all depends on your astronomy goals and careers. There is no perfect one which suits all observers in all conditions. You have to look for the features you want in your telescope …
- A telescope dream for any budget – Star Gazers As a graduate student at the University of Texas, I got to accompany the undergraduates on star parties (nominally as the ‘responsible’ adult, but really as a colleague in madness). We’d load up our cars with every telescope …
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What are the Different Types of Telescopes?
Posted on August 10, 2009
There are 3 main types of astronomical telescope – and it might just turn out that the best telescope for you is the one that looks least like a traditional telescope. All 3 types have the same purpose – to collect light and focus it to a point where it can be magnified so that we can examine it. How each of the different types of telescopes does this is different, and you need to understand the differences as they greatly impact upon what it is you might want to look at, portability, cost and style.
REFRACTING TELESCOPE
These are your classic ‘long tube’ looking telescopes with a big lens at one end and an eyepiece at the other. As the light passes through the curved lens its path is bent (refraction) towards the optical axis of the smaller (objective) lens where it is bought to a focus.
Pros
*Very easy to use
*Require little to no maintenance
*Excel at planetary viewing as they are the best choice for looking at objects that have width e.g. the moon
Cons
*They are heavier, longer and more bulky than the other types
*It is incredibly expensive to make large lenses so they are limited in size and this means less aperture.
*Less aperture means that you cannot get a wide view of the sky and so they are not great for looking into deep space
REFLECTOR TELESCOPE
A Reflector, or Newtonian telescope uses a primary concave mirror that sends light to a secondary flat mirror which reflects the light out a side opening and to the eyepiece where it is magnified and focused.
Pros
*Mirrors cost a lot less than lenses meaning you get more aperture and light gathering power for your money
*Wider aperture makes for better night time viewing and these telescopes excel at viewing faint deep space objects such as remote galaxies and star clusters
Cons
*Can be fragile and sensitive
*May require regular alignment
*Mirrors require complicated cleaning and may require re-coating after several years
CATADIOPTRIC TELESCOPE
These represent the best of both worlds as they utilise both lenses and mirrors to fold the optics and form an image. They may look the least like a ‘conventional’ telescope but they are right now the most popular type of telescope on the market. The two main types are Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov-Cassegrain.
Pros
*Best all rounder – can be used for planetary, deep space and terrestrial observation
*Easy to use and portable
*Excellent optics and focussing capability
Cons
* They just don’t look like a telescope to most people
* They are more costly than other Newtonians of equal aperture
Refractor, Reflector or Catadioptric?
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How Much Should I Expect to Pay for a Good Telescope?
Posted on August 10, 2009
The good news is that you can get a beginner astronomical telescope in the price range of $100 – $600. As you might expect, the details you are going to be able to see for this price fall far short of pricier telescopes, but you will still be amazed at the detail you can see of the moon – craters and mountains you just did not know existed. As a rough guide to prices you should expect to pay around $5,000 for an 8 inch Refractor and $500 for an 8 inch Reflector. The big price difference is due to the fact that Reflectors use mirrors and these are a lot cheaper (albeit a nuisance to maintain) than the lenses in a Refractor telescope. A Catadioptric will fall somewhere in between and you should expect to pay $1,000 for an 8 inch telescope.
Given that refractors look the most like the traditional image of a telescope these are historically what most people bought to begin with, but given the staggering increase in price as you increase in aperture (lens size) the standard entry scope is about 2.4 inches. After a while with one of these the next choice for budding astronomers was a 6 – 8 inch Reflector. The Orion Starblast 6i Intelliscope Reflector (with computerized object locator) will you set you back just under $400. Go up to a 10 inch Reflector and expect to pay around $1,000.
Nowadays most people get started with a Catadioptric telescope as they provide the best option in terms of versatility and performance. They sit in the middle price range of the three telescope types meaning that you will have to pay more than for a Reflector of the same aperture, but in my opinion it is worth it. A Schmidt-Cassegrain with a decent 8 to 9 inch lens will cost somewhere in the region of $800 – $2,000. If you are determined to see deep space objects then ideally you are going to want an 11 inch lens and these will cost you somewhere in the region of $3,000 – $4,000. A Celestron EdgeHD 1100 CGEM SCT from telescope.com would currently cost you $3,499.
How Much for a Good Telescope?
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