When we were children we were often taught that we could wish upon the first star that we saw in the evening sky. After that wish was made and if we believed hard enough our wish would come true. Eventually, our childhood fantasies gave way to fact as we became more educated. This education was accomplished through astronomy classes, space exploration and other educational means.
The word astronomy is comprised of two Greek words. The Greek word astro means star shaped or star and pertains to outer space. The word onomy literally means the study of. Therefore, astronomy is the study of the stars.
One of the major tools that assists amateur and professional astronomers in understanding and respecting the galaxy is the astronomy telescope. When looking to purchase a good astronomy telescope there are a number of factors that you can keep in mind. First, of all consider some practical suggestions, remember it is about the diameter of the lens, and make sure your telescope has a solid stand.
Practical Suggestions
Before you purchase your astronomy telescope it is important to conduct your research. One way of conducting this research can be accomplished by accessing the Internet and learning more about telescopes. Some of the questions that you should endeavor to answer surround what features to look for in a telescope, approximate cost, recommended brands, etc.
Another practical suggestion, before you purchase your astronomy telescope, is to “test drive” a telescope. This can be accomplished by joining an astronomy club. Often these clubs will have a stargazing event which will allow you to peer through the telescopes owned by the various members.
Another way of conducting research, prior to purchasing an astronomy telescope, is to ask the members in the club as to what telescope they would recommend. The key is education. Listen for the features they recommend, brand names, the diameter of the lens, price, etc.
Also, you may come across a member of the club who is considering the purchase of a new telescope. If so, you may be able to purchase their used telescope.
Diameter Of The Lens
When considering the purchase of an astronomy telescope it is important to remember what is the key feature surrounding your purchase. That key feature should focus on the diameter of the lens of the telescope and not its advertised magnification.
This is because the diameter of the lens equates to the amount of light that can be received by the telescope. Therefore, the larger the diameter of the lens the more light that is captured. This in turn allows for the image that you are viewing to become more visible.
Solid Base
Another very important feature when considering the purchase of your astronomy telescope is to ensure that it has a solid base. Generally, these bases or mounts are tripods.
It is important that when the telescope is mounted on these bases that the telescope does not shake or move. Obviously, any movement by the telescope, when peering into space, will distort the image being viewed and provide a negative experience.
3 Types of Telescopes – Know the Differences
There are 3 main types of telescopes and each one performs differently and may be used for different purposes. If you are thinking about buying a telescope to look at stars and deep space then you should know that this might not be possible if you live in a built up area with light pollution. If it is just the moon and the planets you want to look at then you should now that refractors are better than reflectors for this. If you are prepared to travel with your telescope then you should know which types are fragile and which ones give you the best performance from a smaller scope.
The three types of telescopes that exist for capturing light so that it may be magnified for viewing are Catadioptric, Newtonian Reflector and Refractor.
Refractor Telescope
The traditional long-tube looking telescope. The Refractor uses lenses to bend light and this causes the rays to meet at a point on the other end of the telescope. They are magnified by the eyepiece for viewing. There is a large lens on the front of the Refractor, which is the objective lens.
Pros: Requires little to no maintenance. Excellent for planetary viewing
Cons: Color deviation in achromatic designs. Not recommended for deep sky observation.
Reflector Telescope
The Newtonian Reflector uses a primary mirror that is concave. This mirror sends light to a flat mirror which reflects the light out a side opening and to the eyepiece where it is magnified and focused.
Pros: Best for deep space observation – Great for looking at remote galaxies. Delivers very bright images.
Cons: Requires regular alignment. Requires more complicated cleaning of mirrors than other types of the same design
Catadioptric Telescope
The last of the three types of telescopes and currently the most popular on the market. This type uses a series of lenses and mirrors that fold the light path and send it through to the primary mirror through a small hole. This allows the light to be magnified and focused for viewing. There are two types of Catadioptric telescopes – Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov-Cassegrain.
The Maksutov type has a concave and convex correcting lens where the light enters. The light hits the primary mirror, is sent back to the secondary mirror and finally sent to the opening in the back of the telescope.
Pros: Portable and easy to use. Versatile – good for deep space and planetary observation. About the best for focusing. Excellent optics
Cons: It does not look like a telescope to many people. It is more costly than other Newtonians with the same size opening for light.
Once you know what you want to look at and which of the types of telescope you should choose you need to think hard about how much you are prepared to carry around, telescopes can be bulky and your tripod and mount are essential bits of additional kit.
Size determined, you are now ready to see just how much aperture you can get for your money. Don’t concern yourself with magnification, it is not nearly as important as is touted and higher magnifications will cause images to be blurry because of air turbulence. The performance of a telescope depends on how much light gathering capability it has, the more light it can gather the better you will see, and this is aperture. As a general rule of thumb, once you know which of the types of telescopes is best for you, get the biggest aperture you can afford for your money.
Related: More STEM toys here.
Funtoyworld is a family-managed website with me (Ben), and my wife doing most of the work. We are proud parents of two wonderful kids and love reviewing toys. We have a firm but friendly “democratic parenting” style and offer several practical suggestions backed by extensive research. Our own experience with raising two children prompted us to share our knowledge. Read more.
Leave a Reply