TheTelescope

If you’re about to buy your first telescope, there are several important questions you need to ask yourself before making your purchase. You should also take into account your needs, preferences, and of course, budget. Here are a few good points you should consider before getting your own scope:

Why do I want a telescope?
Do you belong in a stargazing group or are planning to be in an astronomical organization? Has it been a childhood hobby? Do you have a friend who wants to be an astronomer? If you feel like you’re going to be using a scope for a very long time, then it would be best if you purchase a large scope that has a lot of features. You would find these features handy especially in your explorations, since they do not limit your ability to discover the heavens. The higher quality the scope offers, the more time you’ll have fun viewing the sky, as well as broadening your knowledge. Meanwhile, if you are planning to buy a scope simply because you want to view the upcoming lunar eclipse, then a smaller scope would do. It wouldn’t be a wise move to invest a lot of money for a larger scope if you’re only going to use it once.

What kind of telescope should I buy?
There are three types of telescopes namely, refractors, reflectors and compound, also known as catadioptric (Maksutov-Cassegrains can be considered as refractors).

Refrators are a kind of telescope that gather light at the top of a long tube and concentrates it to an eyepiece at the other end. Refractors are popular among stargazers and those who enjoy viewing the moon other planets. This kind of telescope provide high-contrast views and bigger magnifications of thee object observed, and are not easily affected by varying atmospheric conditions. Refractors are a perfect choice when used in the city.

Reflectors meanwhile are a kind of telescope that curve the light using a concave mirror located at the rear end of the tube, instead of focusing the light at the lens at the top. Newtonian telescopes are a kind of reflectors, and they work by bouncing the gathered light into the secondary mirror at the top end of the tube so that the light would be directed to an eyepiece, thus creating an upright, comfortable viewing position. If you live in the suburbs as well as in the countryside, this kind of telescope would suit you best, especially when you want to discover what else lies out there. However, reflectors are big and bulky, thus they are not ideal for transport.

Another type of telescope is called catadioptric, which involves a combination of mirrors and lenses to collect and concentrate light. The design of this kind of telescope allows a bigger aperture mirror in smaller amount of space. Catadioptric telescopes reflect the light they collect through a mirror placed at the rear end of the scope, then they let the light bounce towards a secondary mirror near the top of the scope where it is once again focused and finally reflected to the eyepiece at the bottom of the tube. The tube of this scope is shorter than that of the Newtonian, and its design is perfect for looking a objects farther than the nearby planets.

For more information on the different types of scopes and their pros and cons, check out: this page.

Location
Do you live in a busy street or in a sweet country home? Your place plays a big role in astronomy, since you can’t view much of the heavens when you’re surrounded by all those neon lights. The surrounding lights in your community greatly affects the visibility of the sky, so you need to travel to some place far from the glow. Hence, if you really need to travel to faraway places whenever you explore the heavens, then what you need is a compact telescope that is easy to carry. Do not buy a telescope that’s too bulky and difficult to assemble. However, when you live in the suburbs or the countryside, then you can settle for large telescopes since in these places you can enjoy a clearer view of the sky without those annoying lights. Get a scope with big lenses so you can gather more light and focus it in any location in the solar system-you’ll sure be fascinated with that you’re going to see.

Hobby or Passion?
Do you spend your weekends gazing at the moon, stars and other planets? Do you take time to plot constellations as well as other stars? Are you updated with the latest activities of the planets and asteroids in the solar system? Do you also take photographs using a charged coupled device (CCD) camera? If your answer to all these questions is yes, then what you need is a high-resolution telescope to satisfy your gazing needs.

Meanwhile, if you’re planning to get a scope because you’re going on a camping trip, then there’s no need to lay down a lot of bucks for a high-end telescope. You can opt for a small, portable scope or a pair of binoculars to suit your needs. Just get the one that fits right into you knapsack.

Finally, you should consider your budget when getting a new scope. If you’re just a newbie who just getting into astronomy, be prepared to shell out 200 to 300 dollars on a beginner scope. If you think you can handle a bigger scope with more features, then be ready to set aside thousands of dollars. Of course, try to balance your needs, wants as well as the capabilities of your budget.