Telescope

So You Want to Purchase a Telescope….

Even with the naked eye the night sky is beautiful to behold. Binoculars do a fair job of bringing the heavens a little closer. But, if you really want to investigate the universe a telescope is the way to go. Purchasing your first telescope can be a daunting task so before you run out and purchase the first telescope you see, let’s investigate some telescope basics that will help you make an informed choice.

Telescopes are designed to do two things: to brighten and magnify objects in the night sky. Each of the three types of telescope (refractor, reflector and compound) does this in different ways. And each has advantages and disadvantages.

Aperture

The most important “spec” of a telescope is the aperture. The aperture is the diameter of the main light gathering lens or mirror. Simply said, the bigger the aperture, the sharper and brighter the view. A good 10 inch aperture scope shows a sharper view than a well-made 6 inch aperture scope. A bigger aperture allows you to use more magnification. However, it isn’t as easy as just looking for the biggest aperture because a large aperture increases the size of the telescope and portability is also important. (I’ve been in several households that have very large telescopes gathering dust in the corner because they are simply too awkward to easily transport.) Most of the time, the best views will be seen on a telescope’s lowest power. At its highest power the object is too dim to see well. A large aperture will let you see fainter objects. The problem is not that objects are too small but that they are too dim and need more light, thus the need for the aperture.

Magnification

You must also consider magnification when choosing a telescope. The magnification determines how close of a view you can get of space and its objects. The magnification can be altered by different eyepieces though, so you do have some options if you are not happy with the magnification of your telescope....