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Buying a Telescope
Buying a telescope has caused many amateur astronomers to pull their hair out. That's because the question "What kind of a telescope to buy?" is not an easy one to answer. But if you are serious in buying a telescope, let me tell you that this is not the right question. The one that you should be asking yourself is "What kind of telescope is best for me?". Isn't that the same, you might say. The short answer is no. Some telescopes are best suited for observing one type of objects, others something else, there are those better suited for astrophotography, and so on. The telescope that you want to get is the one that will best fit your needs.
Be aware of the magnification scam! Magnification is something not to look for when you are buying a telescope. Click here for more info about telescopes. Here you'll find more about buying a telescope new vs. used, $150-200 price range, telescopes for stargazing, planets, astrophotography, the go-to feature and my personal pick.
Be aware of the magnification scam! Magnification is something not to look for when you are buying a telescope. Click here for more info about telescopes. Here you'll find more about buying a telescope new vs. used, $150-200 price range, telescopes for stargazing, planets, astrophotography, the go-to feature and my personal pick.
Before we continue let me make one thing clear. At the end of the day it's your money on the line. Make sure you've done your research and know what you'll do with the telescope you plan to get. OK, there are two things we should get straight. In case you haven't notice, this website is oriented toward beginners, people that plan to start or have recently started to dive into the field of amateur astronomy. So, I'll try to address the issue of choosing a telescope accordingly. One last thing, I promise :). Quality matters. Buying a telescope with a good quality optics, even with specs not as good as you would have wanted, is better than buying a telescope that is cool on paper and a piece of junk when you try to use it.
Remember the important question - "What kind of telescope is best for me?". To answer it let see in which category you fall into. But also remember that the best telescope is the one you'll use most frequently, not the one that will collect cobwebs in the basement for not being practical enough to be used.
New vs. used
That's a tricky one. Basically, it's up to you. The benefits of getting a brand new telescope are obvious - excellent condition, warranty, etc. Getting a used telescope is a bit of a gamble. Unless, of course, you buy it from someone you know and trust to have taken a good care of the instrument. But even so there are no guaranties that it won't brake down the first time you use it. On the other hand buying a used telescope could save you a lot of money. And good quality telescopes could last for a while. I've used some very good scopes that were older than me. So you can get a good quality telescope for half of what is worth. As I said, it's up to you.
I don't have much money. Can I buy a telescope for $150-200, tops?
Yes and no. A piece of advice, you get what you pay for. Heaving said that, if you're short on cash you might want to consider buying a binocular. I'm serious. For that much money or less you'll get a very nice binocular. Nevertheless, you could find some decent scopes (up 4" or even 6") that would do an OK job. And if you travel a lot, a small telescope might be what you'll be looking for. Here are a few examples of what you would find out there:
Remember the important question - "What kind of telescope is best for me?". To answer it let see in which category you fall into. But also remember that the best telescope is the one you'll use most frequently, not the one that will collect cobwebs in the basement for not being practical enough to be used.
New vs. used
That's a tricky one. Basically, it's up to you. The benefits of getting a brand new telescope are obvious - excellent condition, warranty, etc. Getting a used telescope is a bit of a gamble. Unless, of course, you buy it from someone you know and trust to have taken a good care of the instrument. But even so there are no guaranties that it won't brake down the first time you use it. On the other hand buying a used telescope could save you a lot of money. And good quality telescopes could last for a while. I've used some very good scopes that were older than me. So you can get a good quality telescope for half of what is worth. As I said, it's up to you.
I don't have much money. Can I buy a telescope for $150-200, tops?
Yes and no. A piece of advice, you get what you pay for. Heaving said that, if you're short on cash you might want to consider buying a binocular. I'm serious. For that much money or less you'll get a very nice binocular. Nevertheless, you could find some decent scopes (up 4" or even 6") that would do an OK job. And if you travel a lot, a small telescope might be what you'll be looking for. Here are a few examples of what you would find out there:
I want to do stargazing. Don't care much about astrophotography
Well then, you might get out of this without spending a fortune. Go for a low f/ratios - f/8 or less if possible. That would insure having bright images in your eyepiece. Although large apertures also help a lot :). Here are a few more questions to think about. Do you plan to used it in your backyard? If yes, then size doesn't matter. If you travel to do your observing sessions and transporting the telescope could be tricky, you might prefer something smaller and more compact.
My suggestion for you is a Dobsonian system. They are easy to assemble and more importantly affordable, which means you could buy a telescope with larger aperture for you budget. The telescope's optical system is Newtonian, which means the eyepiece is on the side of the tube. That could make hunting targets less comfortable than the rifle-like aiming of a refractor, let say. However, with a well aligned guide on the telescope this should not be a problem.
Sun, Moon and planets
Observing or taking photos of the entire Sun or Moon, or having a point-like planets could be done with almost any telescope. Finding details on the planets and getting a close-ups on our Sun and Moon is a bit more tricky. If you want to do this get a solid mount! When you are at such magnifications every vibration is fatal. There is no point of getting a good telescope if every time you take a breath the system shakes. So before you even consider buying a telescope, make sure you've picked a solid tripod, and a good equatorial mount. I'll recommend a German type mount, rather than the fork type. In my experience the German types are more flexible, reliable and sturdier.
About the telescope... Buying a telescope with f-stop of at least f/8-f/10 and maybe even more (~f/15) is recommended. That way you'll have the proper focal length for your system. Granted, there are techniques to increase the focal length of your system, but a good startup f-stop alway helps.
I like to do some astrophotography
Again, a good, solid, equatorial mount is a must! It's as simple as that. Whether you'll be shooting through the telescope or do a piggyback astrophotography you must avoid vibrations at all cost. For piggyback astrophotography any good quality telescope with normal specs should be fine. As I said before, be more picky with your mount. I'd go with a good German type one.
If money is not an issue, you might consider getting an astrograph. Astrographs are high quality catadioptric tubes (although the cheaper versions are simple Newtonians) that are specifically built for astrophotography. Such scope would produce such stunning images that would make your friends jealous :).
A note on Go-to telescopes
They are good, useful... and very expensive. If you have that much money and you think this is a feature you must have, who am I to stop you :)? I'd like to have one, too. One reason I would not recommend it for beginners is that you'd rely heavily on this feature and won't learn where different celestial objects are on the sky. Whereas, hunting down your targets manually will make you much more familiar with your instrument and the night sky. That's why I think it would hinder your progress as amateur astronomer. Nevertheless, it's your call.
My personal pick/recommendation
I would not recommend a telescope with aperture less than 6" (150 mm). If you were to keep it for a while, and are not in the position to buy multiple telescopes, then that would be my minimum diameter. If you are on the move a lot and you need compactness and mobility a 4.5" (114 mm) would do. Less than that and you'd be better off getting a binocular.
If buying a telescope was on my to-do list and money not much of an issue (this day will come someday... I hope), I would get 8-10" (200-250 mm) with f/6-f/10. That would be a universal instrument that you could use for almost everything. I would go for a good quality optics. Whether Newtonian or Cassegrain it's up to you (and the depth of your pocket). I would rather get a Newtonian (10" if I have any say in it) and save some cash to spend on a good equatorial mount (a German type if you haven't guessed by now :) ), than getting the catadioptrics.
But that's just me. As I said earlier, it's your money and your choice. Pick what would best work for you. Buying a telescope is an important step so do your research carefully.
