What should you look for in a good telescope?

Answer 1

Can you spy on your neighbors and see all the good stuff.

Answer 2

All other things being equal, the telescope with the larger aperture will show more objects and more detail. A good telescope has sharp, contrasty optics, a sturdy mount with smooth motions, and smooth, firm focuser motion.

Don't buy based on magnification. You can get any reasonable magnification from any scope by changing eyepieces. Cheap telescopes are often made to look attractive to naive buyers by advertising uselessly high magnifications. As a rule, an astronomical telescope being sold by magnifying power is apt to be junk.

You're best off ordering a telescope from a reputable telescope dealer - Orion, Astronomics, Anacortes, etc. Avoid discount stores, sporting goods stores, camera stores, and eBay. All of them move large numbers of inferior telescopes to unwary buyers.

Brand name is not always a good recommendation - some of the big names sell some nearly unusable junk at the low end of their ranges.

For more specific recommendations go to the Yahoo telescopes group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/telescopes/ ) or the beginners forum at Cloudy Nights (http://www.cloudynights.com/ ) and start asking questions.

Answer 3

Generally, good optics that will allow you to see what you want to see, and a sturdy mount.

The first step in choosing a telescope is asking yourself what you want to see. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking the key to seeing things is magnification. This is false. The key to seeing things is generally aperture. Aperture is the light collecting ability of a telescope. The larger the diameter of the telescope's primary mirror or lens, the more light it can collect, and the more you will be able to see. It will make dim things bright enough for your eyes to detect and it will allow you to use higher magnification should you want to use it. Most people use low magnification because it offers better images.

If you want to see deep space things like galaxies, which are generally dim, you need a telescope with a lot of aperture. For deep space viewing you should use nothing smaller than an 8" telescope....8" being the diameter of the primary mirror in this case.

Next you should ask if you have enough money to buy this and if you want to buy it used or new. Really good telescopes range in price from $400 (used) to thousands and thousands of dollars, with many good ones below $2000 and even $1000 for average people to choose from. If you buy it used you usually pay up to half the original price.

Also, be aware of the reputable brands such as Celestron, Orion, Meade, Astro-Physics, Takahashi, and others you may see at store that deals primarily with telescope. Stay away from department store telescopes like Bushnell, Tasco, and even very low end Meade and Celestrons (less than $200).

Most important, do your research!

Answer 4

The only tip i can offer is if it says " made in china" anywere on it, stay away. If going to a store that specializes in just telescopes, talk to one of the sales men, they can be alot of help.

Answer 5

A price tag of at least $300. Anything under that is almost definitely crap, although there may be one or two exceptions.

Answer 6

The type of telescope
The magnification
positioning abilities
computer compatability

Answer 7

The moon and stars--sorry could not resist