Observing the night sky with the naked eye or binoculars can provide great enjoyment. But the ultimate goal for anyone serious about astronomy is to get their own telescope.
With the huge number of telescopes (and types of telescope) available, deciding which is the right one to buy can be a tough decision. So it pays to do a little research to find a telescope that suits your individual needs.
Some things to think about when you’re buying a telescope:
How Portable Does Your Telescope Need To Be?
Where will you use your telescope? In the backyard or will you be taking it out to a dark sky site? If the latter, you’ll certainly need a telescope that’s portable. Even if you’re just going to use the telescope in the backyard, you need to consider the weight of the telescope. If you have back problems, a heavy scope could be the difference between you using the telescope or having it just sit in a corner somewhere.
Aperture
The most important thing in determining the optical performance of a telescope is the aperture, the diameter of the main lens or mirror within the telescope. The more light you can gather, the fainter the things you can see. In addition, larger telescopes have higher resolution, that is they can be used to observe finer detail on the planets or split tighter double stars.
Local Conditions
These days, suburban areas are heavily light polluted. There’s an ever-present glow in the sky from all the city lights, drowning out faint objects. To get truly dark skies, you may need to travel some distance outside of a city. In such cases, a portable telescope will be of better use to you. On the other hand, a large telescope used with filters can eliminate a lot of the effects of light pollution and a backyard observatory might be a better solution for you (this saves time setting up and taking down a telescope each observing session).
Telescope Prices
Poorly built telescopes are less common these days but expect to pay a few hundred dollars for a quality telescope. For the same amount of money, you will always be able to buy a larger reflecting telescope than a refracting one (one that uses lenses). More work is required to grind lenses than mirrors, so this is always reflected (no pun intended) in the price.
You can see hundreds of deep-sky objects, the planets and features on the Moon with a good-quality 80mm refractor or a 6-inch reflector. Larger telescopes will allow you to see deeper into the night sky. Telescopes hold their value well over time and do not depreciate in value like personal computers. A quality instrument will always command a good resale price should you ever come to sell.
Accessories For Your Telescope
Nowadays, the majority of telescopes include a mount. If you are interested in doing astrophotography (taking photo of objects in the night sky), you’ll need a quality mount and the one provided with your telescope probably won’t be up to the exacting requirements of astrophotography. You can always buy a better mount at a later date if you decide you need one. Buying a top-quality mount with a telescope will push up the cost.
Conclusion
Decide what you want out of a telescope (how heavy it should be, do you want to travel to dark-sky sites or build a backyard observatory) and choose one with a minimal setup (to save time each time you use it).
Buying from a dedicated telescope store is the best course of action. They’ll be able to advise you on your individual needs.
Spend as much as you can. Ignore accessory bundles. Note the resale value of the same or similar used telescopes. Don’t overspend.
Don’t buy a 60mm refractor or a 4 inch reflector – they’re too small and restrict what you can see in the night sky. Go for a 6-inch reflector (a Dobsonian) or an 80mm refractor instead.
Remember, above all, you’re buying a telescope to appreciate the wonders of the night sky, not to give you back trouble or frustration because it’s too awkward to move! Buy a telescope that you will actually use, not one you think would be great but that will never actually get used in practice.
Learn more about astronomy. Stop by Gary Nugent’s site where you can find all the latest astronomy news. Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.
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