Tips for Buying a Telescope

Series Summary

Since the dawn of time, the night sky has fascinated inhabitants of Earth. The Egyptians and Mayans used stars to navigate, as did sailors. Constellations have provided fascinating legends and fodder for horoscope writers in newspapers all over the world. In this free amateur astronomer series, a professional telescope salesperson demonstrates how to purchase a telescope, discusses how strong a lens should be purchased for a first telescope, and what type of accessories should be purchased to go along. In this series, an expert explains the parts of a refracting telescope and the qualities which make up a good eyepiece. What about portable telescopes? Find out about a planisphere, and how it can help beginning astronomers map out the night sky. A new telescope is a big investment, and buyers face a bewildering array of options. Find out which options suit different levels of user expertise in this free video series of amateur astronomy buying tips. The night sky awaits!

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Jesse and I'm here today to help you out with what I hope will be an educational and informative and a practical guide to selecting a telescope and explaining the various varieties that are available to you. For instance, you may recognize a typical refracting telescope right next to me here but what about this big fat guy right here and what about this little guy that sits on the ground right here. How is an excited, enthusiastic, beginning star gazer come in and start choosing a telescope? Well, that's what I want to help you out with today and I want to do it in a way that cuts through all the technical babble. Sometimes I think that confuses more than clarifies. After all, my friend Brian is fond of saying that astronomy is much more fun when you're not an astronomer. However, that being said, there are a few basic things you're going to need to know about telescopes for this tutorial to be of value. For instance, did you know that magnification is about the least important factor you should consider when purchasing a telescope. We'll cover that and many other things coming up here in the video."