telescope
The Best Telescope For Beginners
Buying a telescope is an important first step towards a new world of appreciation for the night sky, and the wonders found within it. I was once in this position myself, and I found the number of options and telescope types overwhelming.On this page, I’ll give you my honest advice for the best telescope for beginners.
Because the telescope I’m recommending for beginners is the one that propelled my interest in astronomy and the night sky into a life-altering addiction. (known as AstroBackyard)
I’ll warn you right now, this purchase may end up being a gateway into the world of astrophotography.
The most important aspect of choosing a telescope is to ensure that you buy an instrument that nurtures your desire to observe and enjoy the night sky. A poor user experience may hinder your enjoyment of the hobby overall, so be wary of the cheap telescopes that deliver underwhelming results. Stick to the advice I am about to give you.
The most important features of the telescope you need to understand are:
- optical design (reflector, refractor, catadioptric)
- aperture (size of the mirror/objective lens)
- focal length (native magnification)
- focal ratio (ability to gather light)
- user experience (collimation, weight, mount
A Telescope for Beginners – Some Honest Advice
The first telescope I ever looked through was a cheap, wobbly department store telescope. I was offered to take a look at the moon and was completely underwhelmed. The view was so blurry and shaky, I made the assumption that this was the kind of experience I would get if I purchased my own telescope.
Unfortunately, this experience delayed my interest in astronomy for years. I aim to not let this experience repeat itself with anyone else.
The enjoyment I experience from observing the night sky and sharing it with others has changed my life. Astronomy has enriched my life by exposing me to another level of appreciation for the Universe and our place within it. A telescope can open this window.
There are more quality telescopes available than ever. It all comes down to your budget and your expectations and needs. For example, a modest Newtonian reflector (About $250) will provide incredible views of the Solar system, and even a number of galaxies and nebulae.
Do you want to use the telescope visually, or to take pictures?
I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of astronomy newcomers are quite interested in doing BOTH! My thought process about this subject was, “These views are amazing, I need to show somebody!” But the truth is, there is nothing like seeing the ‘real thing’ through a telescope visually. I dare you to invoke the same emotion you get by viewing Saturn under clear viewing conditions and a high-powered eyepiece, from a photograph.The truth is, I appreciate the wonders of our night sky on another level when viewing them in real-time through the eyepiece. Astrophotography is just another creative outlet for me to share my interests with others.
Orion SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian Specs:
New telescope? No, I didn’t go out and buy yet another refractor. The star party would be more than just a pleasure trip for me this year. That APO, a loaner from Meade, would be the subject of my next Sky & Telescope Test Report. That was another reason Dorothy and I’d decided on a Wednesday rather than Thursday departure. That would allow me more time to put the scope through its paces.
After a little more than three hours on Interstates 10, 12, 55, and multiple Louisiana back-roads, we were rolling onto the Feliciana Retreat Center grounds. We headed for the field straight away to stake out a spot. The weather had been good Tuesday night, and looked to be even better Wednesday, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that there were already plenty of eager amateur astronomers on the field. My usual place along the eastern side was taken, so I picked one on the northeastern field edge. The view to the south was compromised by a tree, but the light dome in that direction meant I wouldn’t be
giving up much.
Start with dinner. Tiny pieces of chicken that were as dry as the Sahara. The next morning at breakfast, I finally identified the yellow disk that was plopped onto my plate as eggs. The plastic-like thing did taste faintly of eggs, anyway. One evening there was jambalaya that tasted like it came straight out of a can, and was accompanied by a side of canned corn. Another “memorable” meal? Salisbury steak that was apparently made the same way MacDonald’s makes chicken nuggets: smash some powdered something together in a mold. I expected better based on past experience, and knew the Feliciana Retreat Center could have done better if they’d wanted to. I survived largely thanks to the salad bar (which also wasn't what it used to be).
Postscript:
Reinstalling Nebulosity and the Canon driver once we got home did indeed fix my problem, whatever it was. Murphy banished and the weather finally looking up, I find myself eager to do astrophotography from my backyard. In fact, I'm sanguine enough about observing again that I'm kind of looking forward to next year's Spring Scrimmage. PLEASE, NO MORE OF THAT JAMBALAYA, though!
Issue #549: Using the Losmandy GM811 for Visual Observing
How do I like my new Losmandy GM811? That’s a question I’ve
gotten a lot over the last few weeks. But what is the answer? Given the limited
amount of time I’ve had to use the telescope mount, I can at least say I
like what little I’ve seen so far.
The problem, as you’ve no doubt guessed, has been the weather.
Mostly clouds, and if not
clouds, heavy haze. There has yet to be an imaging-worthy night since
the mount arrived from California, but I have had an opportunity to use
it visually a
couple of times, so that’s what this will be about.
Comments
Post a Comment