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Astronomy Links Which Telescope
Should I Buy?
The decision on which telescope to buy is difficult to make if you have not used a telescope before. Here is what I have learned. Choosing a Telescope For a good explanation of telescope basics go to Celestron International Always choose the brand with the best optics. A cheap telescope is not going to have good optics. First of all you need to know what and who it is intended to be used for. Is it for use by a child <14 years old? A young child will not understand how to setup and maintain a complicated telescope. It is best to buy them a small telescope. A 60mm refractor is ideal. Is it for use by an adult who is only occasionally going to look at the sky and perhaps terrestrial objects?. For casual observing of the night sky and terrestrial objects, a 60mm to 90mm refractor or 60mm to 90mm Maksutov are ideal. Is it for use by an adult who wants to seriously observe the night sky and perhaps join an astronomy club. For more advanced use, a 150mm to 200mm reflector or 80-100mm refractor is the ideal choice. If it is not going to be used for astrophotography, a Dobsonian Mounted Newtonian is ideal. Otherwise, get a equatorial mount with 80-100mm refractor or 150mm to 200mm reflector, such as a Schmidt-Cassegrain or Newtonian. Is it
for use by an adult who has advanced knowledge of amateur astronomy and who
wants to do astrophotography? Well, in this case, a telescope with more
aperture is in order. The smallest telescope worth considering is a 200mm
reflector or 100mm refractor, although the aperture largely depends on what
the telescope will be used for. For widefield, 70-80mm f/6-f/7.5 refractors
and 150mm-200mm f/5 Newtonians are popular. For planetary work, a 250mm or
larger Newtonian or 200-300mm SCT telescope is required. The telescope
requires an equatorial mount with dual axis drives and autoguider port for
astrophotography. A Newtonian telescope is the lowest cost and has the least
light obstruction and gives the brightest images but requires a very solid
equatorial mount, which becomes impractical in the larger sizes. For
portability and excellent optics, a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope is an
excellent option. A 80mm to 100mm or larger apo-refractor is a nice wide
field telescope, requires very little maintenance and is also quite portable.
Ritchey Chretien (RC) telescopes are usually the choice of advanced
astrophotographers who use dedicated CCD Astro cameras.
Accessories In addition to the main telescope assembly, you will require the following accessories: 10mm
and 25mm plossl eyepieces Text and Images Copyright ©2004-2010 by Rob Kanen |
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