How do I know what kind of telescope I should get if I'm an amature at star gazing?

Question

I want a telescope, should I get a refracter or a reflecter? What kind of lense should it have? Overall what kind is best for a beginner?

Answer 1

It depends on what you intend to look at.

If you primarily want to see planets, the moon, bright double stars...get a Refractor with at least a 2 element objective lense. Bigger is always better, but a 70-80 mm would be ok for a starter scope...good quality eyepieces will make the biggest difference in your viewing quality.

If you wish to see galaxies, globular clusters, open clusters, star forming nebulae, planetary nebulae...get a Reflector...with at least a 6 inch diameter objective lense...and again, good quality eyepieces. Meade and Orion sell introductory level dobsonian mounted reflectors that will serve you well. Reflectors also give you the Most aperture (lens diameter) for your buck...and you can also view planets and the other stuff through them...just not quite as sharply as a high quality refractor would be able to. (heh, however you can trick a reflector into working like a refractor by making an Off-Axis mask...basically a cover over the front of the scope with an 80mm hole cut in it that is located between the diagonal mirror and the edge of the tube...which allows an unobstructed view without the central diagonal mirror messing up the sharpness...and you don't need full aperture for planets and the moon anyhow)

DO NOT buy any telescope from a sporting goods store...all junk, unless they are selling Meade, or Orion products.

Good luck.

Answer 2

The best way to make an informed decision is to join an astronomy club, if there's one in your area. Go to some of their star parties and talk to people about telescopes. Lacking that, there are some online discussion groups where you can get more information. "Star Ware" by Phil Harrington is a good book about what's available for amateur asrtonomy.

For many beginners, a small (8" or so) dobsonian telescope is a good first telescope. This is a Newtonian reflector on a simple altazimuth (tilt & swivel) mount. The advantage of the dob is that it will give you the most aperture for the money. Aperture (the size of the main lens or mirror) is the most important factor - it determines how much you can see.

Whatever you choose, it's best to buy from a reputable telescope dealer. Stay away from Walmart, eBay, and discount and sporting goods stores. Brand name is no assurance of quality - Meade makes some fine telescopes but they also put their name on several varieties of junk telescopes sold in discount stores and such.

To get the most out of your telescope, you'll need to learn how to use it and how to find things in the night sky. Your astronomy club will be a big help here, but there are some useful books available too. Binoculars are a great help in learning the sky.

Answer 3

In general I'd say get a reflector only because you can get a larger telescope for a cheaper price if it's a reflector, and the larger telescope will allow you to see more.

My first telescope was a Celestron 4.5" Newtonian on a german equatorial mount. It was a wonderful little telescope with excellent optics and I have it to this day. It produces excellent images for it's size, however, I think I would have been happier with something a little larger, such as a 6", and an 8" would have definatly kept me occupied longer.

You should expect to spend at least $150 if you plan on buying used. If you can't spend over $100 then just buy a nice pair of binoculars for now.

I recommend you buy a reflector at least 4.5" in aperture and no smaller. Celestron, and Meade make nice ones. I recommend you buy something on a german equatorial mount which can be later outfitted with a motor drive for astrophotography if it isn't already. If you buy a Dobsonian you might be able to find something larger for the same price but you won't be able to easily use it for astrophotography if you ever want to.

DON'T buy a department store telescope and DON'T buy one of those cheapo Bushnell or Celestrons on the cheapo plastic equatorial mount. This is another reason to buy used because almost all of the older Celestron newtonians come on high quality metal Vixen German equatorial mounts and few of the newer ones do.

DO research different types of telescopes before you buy. You can easily do this online. DO check out www.astromart.com for used telescopes and www.cloudynights.com as well.

And as far as reflectors and refractors are concerned, there is no better really. It's like calling an SUV better than a Porsche...it all depends on what you want out of it and what you use it for. Most cheap end department store telescopes tend to be poorly made refractors. High quality apochromatic refractors can offer excellent crips clear images but are the most expensive and difficult to manufacter per inch of aperture. As far as light collection goes, refractors have no central obstructions like reflectors so a 100mm refractor will collect just as much light as a 4.3" reflector with a 33% central obstruction. But it's still difficult to cost effectively produce a refractor large enough for live deep space viewing, which is why most giant telescopes use a reflector set up.

If I wanted to take nice, crips images of star fields, nebula, and clusters I'd probably buy a refractor or a maksutov cassegrain. If I wanted to do live deep space viewing, I'd buy a reflector such as a large Dobsonian.

Answer 4

You should get the best telescope you can afford.

1. Get smart on the different kinds of telescopes. Check the web sites, below. Pick up a copy of "Astronomy" magazine and read the ads. Order a few catalogs from telescope companies.

2. Befriend a more experienced stargazer. Most large cities have astronomy clubs.

3. Avoid buying a low-cost 'beginner' telescope from a department or chain store. Far better to wait a while and save up for a quality model - even at a low cost you'll get a better scope.

4. Keep learning about what's up there! I've learned more astronomy from visiting NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) over a few years than I have from astronomy magazines and web sites. Check it out.

Have fun and keep looking up!

Answer 5

Hi. The first thing you may want to try is a good pair of binoculars. 7x50 (7 power x 50mm diameter front lens) is a good choice. Plan on about $100 for good optics. Then, if you decide you like astronomy, a decent 6" to 8" reflector would keep you happy for a long time.

Answer 6

Get a Hubble space telescope ! lol & hahahah,, sorry just kidding,, the $300 ones at Walmart are great for any beginner I've heard, it should have the lens you would need to start out with.

Answer 7

Reflectors are better. There is less "edge distortion". In my opinion, Meade makes the best for the money. Celestron is good too, but more expensive.

Answer 8

in simple terms went exterior with my digital SLR digital camera and longest Lens -- to image the entire Moon .... (to assessment those photos with those I took of the Lunar Eclipse at present). So i assume you could desire to declare that I savour great call looking at for effective! (and definite, I do image the night sky to boot. It has certainly provided me with some exciting photos).

Answer 9

Get a refracter.