How to Choose a Telescope

A telescope allows you to explore the skies and see well beyond the capacity of the human eye. The telescope has certainly come a long way from when Galileo first viewed the craters of the moon in 1609. Now, its possible for anyone to buy a telescope, limited only by their budget. However, there are some things to consider when making such a purchase. Read this eHow to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Buy your telescope from a telescope store or online store. A department store telescope will not have the same quality as one sold by a store that focuses on the instrument.
2. Join an astronomy club and look through the telescopes that the other members or the club provide. Ask a lot of questions, and learn which telescopes perform the best, and which ones the other members prefer. You may find such clubs listed at your local planetarium or museum, or even a department store.
3. Decide the size of the telescope you wish to buy. Generally speaking, smaller telescopes are smaller and are easier to carry as well as less expensive. However, the smaller telescopes do not always come with added features like a computer in which you can punch in coordinates.
4. Choose a telescope with a large aperture. The larger aperture allows in more light, thus allowing you to see more and farther.
5. Buy a telescope which has a low-power eye piece with a wide view for both finding things in the sky as well as for larger, diffuse objects. Add eye pieces that are the next power up from the low-power eyepieces that allows you to see the detail of the objects in the sky. As you become more familiar with your telescope, you may add eyepieces of varying powers.
6. Choose which type of telescope you wish to have: a refractor, Newtonian, or Catadioptric telescope. The refractor telescopes have the lens on one end and the eye piece at the other. They help with viewing the moon and also the planets. A Newtonian telescope uses a mirror to collect light which is then reflected into the focuser. The Newtonian telescope is also good for viewing planets. The Catadioptric telescope uses compound optical systems. The mirrors and lenses collect the light. The eye piece is at the end. The Catadioptric telescope is good for astrophotography, as the images viewed through them are very clear.
7. Select a Japanese or American eyepiece. The Japanese eyepiece has a barrel diameter of 0.965 inches, whereas the American eyepiece is 1.25 inches. Generally speaking, the Japanese eyepiece is less expensive. The more expensive and better quality telescopes will be designed to accept the American eyepiece.
8. Carry a good sky chart and an atlas to help you decide where to look. Also take a flashlight with a red light so you can read your chart at night, and a log book in which you can track whet you see and where.

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