look for in a telescope
Astronomy is a difficult field to get into without the right conditions. For the amateur astronomer, of course, you will want to make sure you have a good location above all from which to view any stars, moons, planets or constellations. If you live in, say, an urban area where visibility is often obscured by cloud cover/pollution and there are a number of bright lights being shone that might interfere with the natural illumination of stellar bodies, the prospect of stargazing might be a lost endeavor from the start. Likewise, if you are trying to orient yourself to the stretches of the Milky Way Galaxy and you are trying to accomplish this with a starter set of binoculars, you might have quite a task on your hands. The proverbial weapon of choice for the starting stargazer and serious astronomy enthusiast is the telescope. Telescopes are common fixtures in many people’s mountain homes, and a starter telescope might be a fun solution for what gift to get a child, especially if they are really interested in the sciences. Who knows, you may be starting off the next great astronomer on the way to a prize-winning discovery! If you are serious contemplating astronomy as a hobby, though, you will want to do some comparison shopping as it regards telescopes. While a telescope often has the look of being a toy or a weapon, you should understand it is a finely-tuned instrument and a complex bit of machinery. Some general recommendations for how to go about purchasing telescopes:
1. Don’t expect to compare with the “big boys” – Before you begin with your stab at astronomy, keep some things in perspective. The telescopic images that you see in scientific magazines and syndicated news reports are products of telescopes that are of the highest quality and the biggest and newest on the market, especially if they involve the discovery of some far-flung planet or interstellar structure. Essentially, these are very expensive images to produce and capture! From a telescope you buy on the public marketplace, you can’t expect to see the same distances and of the same quality that high-grade devices are privy to. In fact, you shouldn’t even be expected to see a lot farther than our solar system. This may still be quite rewarding to you as an amateur viewer, but if this does not match up with your romantic views of astronomy, you might want to reassess how serious you are about the hobby.
2. Keep in mind price and availability – Another test of how serious your commitment to the field of astronomy may be the dent it makes in your wallet. For a good quality telescope, you can expect to pay over $200 American. In tight economic times, this may not be financially prudent, so you may want to put off your pursuit of this hobby until you can afford the necessary materials. While you should expect to spend a significant chunk of money on a telescope, you should also be aware of good avenues for acquiring one. While you may be able to go to a high-end shop or find a store in a shopping center that deals with telescopes, you would be well served to check for suppliers in a trade magazine and appeal to them directly.
3. Note the different types of telescopes out there – Telescopes vary on a number of important specifications specific to the way they work. One thing that you will want to research is the magnification power of the telescope’s lens. In particular, if you are using your telescope on a casual, infrequent basis, or are only using it for a short-term period of study, make sure you are not paying for more magnifying power than you need. In addition, be aware of the difference between refractive and reflective telescopes, which have different production costs and can be used to see dimmer or lighter objects.
