Telescopes

Archive for the ‘Buy A Telescope’ Category

i was thinking of getting the 60mm spotting scope/Telescope, its 80 dollars. does that sound reasonable for a begginer?

In short, these look like what are sometimes called "hobby killers". You may well get little use apart from seeing the moon and terrestrial objects.

Read this, especially the heading "Money And Before You Buy". Ignore that it’s for Australia; the principle is the same. Ignore the prices too, because they’re in Aust dollars for 2002.

http://astronomy.concreteairship.com/scope.htm

You would do better with a good pair of 50mm binoculars an a book of star maps, especially "Nightwatch" by Terence Dickinson.

I also strongly advise finding a local amateur astronomy club. They’d love to help, and show you what you can expect to see through different scopes. Don’t rush into this.

I need a telescope which is able to reach stars…..

The most important single property of a telescope is its aperture (the diameter of the main lens or mirror). This will determine how faint and how small a detail you can see with it. Buy the largest aperture telescope that you can afford and that is still easy for you to set up and transport. A four to eight inch dobsonian is what I generally recommend to beginners.

Learn something of how telescopes are used, and what they can do, so you’ll have realistic expectations. If possible, visit a star party and see for yourself. Consider how you’re going to find things in the sky. Most amateurs learn to star hop, first using guide books like "Turn Left at Orion", and graduate to a star atlas. You can also get computerized scopes that will find objects fo you, but at the low end you wind up giving up a lot of capability to get the electronics.

There are three basic types of telescopes available for sale.
1) Refractor. A Telescope with a lens. These are rugged and foolproof, but beginner refractors are small aperture, and bigger refractors and expensive, and cumbersome to mount. Usually the most expensive telescope for a given aperture, but available in very small and therefore inexpensive sizes.
2). Newtonian reflector. The simplest optical design, using one figured mirror and one flat to divert the light to the eyepiece. Needs occasional adjustment. The dobsonian is a Newtonian on a very simple mount and gives you the most telescope for your money.
3) Cassegrain or catadioptric. Compound reflector telescopes (e.g. Schmidt-Cassegrain or Maksutov-Cassegrain) with short stubby tubes, most often with a corrector plate on the front. Very good for astrophotography and technical uses. require occasional adjustment.

Buy from a reputable astronomical telescope store, not Walmart, the camera store, or eBay.

Can someone please tell me where I can find an astronomical shop here in Malta?

Malta is a relatively small country. There may be none to speak of. Your best bet is to order by mail. But do read up first.

I would recommend registering to post on the Cloudy Nights Astronomy forums. This is the most active group of amateur astronomers posting on the net. A virtual astronomical society online. They can give you much practical advice. Someone might even know if Malta has any worthwhile astronomy stores.

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?Cat=