Telescope Photography Shack
Telescope For Astronomers
By Cedric B Georges
A telescope is fantastic tool for getting a glimpse
into space. They are powerful enough to get a great
view of stars, planets and satellites that normally
could not be seen with the naked eye. Yet inexperienced,
amateur astronomy buffs can get tricked into buying
expensive equipment and accessories that they don’t
need.
Telescopes are a worthwhile investment for the serious
stargazer, but does your interest in astronomy really
warrant spending a lot of money. If the answer is no,
then explore renting a telescope or purchasing night
vision binoculars. These are excellent, cost effective
alternatives.
If you do want a telescope, then evaluate the location
in which you will be using the equipment. Urban areas
with a lot of light will require a moderate aperture
scope, while a rural stargazer will need a scope with
as much aperture as possible. Aperture refers to the
diameter of the lens or mirror collecting the
light.
Buy A Telescope First And Buy Accessories Later
The bigger the mirror (or lens), the more light is
collected and fainter objects can be seen. Telescopes
for beginners usually cost between $250 and $600. Of
course, the more accessories you buy, the more you’ll
spend, so it’s best to buy them later once you know
exactly what you want. Costly extras like fancy eyepieces
and an electric focuser really aren’t important.
Most people interested in amateur astronomy think that
magnifying power should be their prime concern but that’s
actually not true. This is why it’s so important that
you learn telescope terminology before you get to a
store. An eyepiece is really all you need to improve
a telescope’s magnification.
Calculating The Maximum Useful Magnification
To calculate the telescope’s maximum useful magnification,
multiply the size of the lens or mirror in inches by
50. For example, a 4-inch telescope can be used with
eyepieces that provide up to about 200 times the intensification.
An 8-inch telescope’s highest useful magnification is
400 x, and so on.
To get an idea of the kind of magnification you want,
take a look through as many different eyepieces as you
can. Consulting astronomy clubs or a planetarium are
great ways to uncover more information about cost, maintenance
and accessories.
Buy A Small Telescope To Learn
As a consumer, you should be well informed before you
even go into a store. Dealers make a lot of money by
convincing inexperienced amateurs to purchase expensive
telescope accessories that they don’t need. Most experienced
stargazers do not recommend buying department store
brands either.
To save yourself money, buy a smaller model to learn
on. If you find that you use the telescope regularly
and need a more powerful piece of equipment, then you
will be more informed about making a larger and more
expensive purchase. Used telescopes are also a good
option.
Rent A Telescope
For example, if you’ve joined an astronomy club, then
you may be able to purchase a used telescope from someone
looking to upgrade. Some clubs also rent telescopes
for a small fee. However, remember that buying a used
telescope usually means you won’t get a warranty.
Where you shop for a telescope can be just as important
as the telescope model you buy. Telescopes from department
stores don’t have a very good reputation among astronomers.
The components are often cheaply made, the mountings
are unsteady, and the finder scopes are difficult to
use.
Get A Better Quality Telescope Built To Last
It’s better to spend a little more money and get a
better quality telescope that will be more powerful
and last a lot longer. This is especially important
if you will be traveling with the scope and it will
get some wear and tear.
As with any investment, do your homework, read some
telescope reviews, examine several models, and make
sure you get a good warranty.
About the Author:
Cedric B Georges has written a number of articles on
digital photography including 35mm
Cameras, Best
Digital Camera, First
5 Megapixel Camera, People
in Photos, Image
Editor Software, Cheap
Digital Cameras, Digital
Camera Memory Card, Baby
Birth Announcements, Leather
Photo Albums.
Keep a lookout as more articles from this popular author
on this website in the near future.
More Telescope Facts....
What is the largest telescope?
The world’s largest telescope is
found in the Grand Canary Islands in Spain. It took
seven years to build and came with a whopping $180 million
dollar price tag. It is a 10.4 meters reflecting telescope
that is phenomenal to see. It actually came about as
a partnership between the University of Florida, Spain
and Mexico.
But it may soon simply be a very
large telescope. Currently under construction is the
European Extremely Large Telescope which will be a whopping
42 meters! For those not familiar with metric conversions
that is 140 feet. Imagine the size of the building that
will be needed to house that optical telescope.
There was a thought to construct
the Overwhelmingly Large Telescope which would be 100
meters but it would come with a price tag of over $1.5
billion dollars and be far too complex to build at the
current time. And yes, the names are incredibly hokey.
You would think that scientists, architects, astronomers
and engineers would have better names for these telescopes.
|
|
| Copyright
© 2007 - 2012 The Photography Shack, All Rights Reserved |
|
