Marzipan
Well-known member
as I mentioned in another thread, I'm a bit of an optiholic and worked in a telescope store for a few years. I was asked what was needed to see the rings of Saturn. the short answer is about $400 - $500 (with current exchange rate).
first, magnification is literally the least important feature you need to concern yourself with. it has it's place, but there are many other things that are more important.
the primary scopes you would want to consider buying are 90mm or 100mm (often 102mm or 105mm) achromatic refractor. you want the scope to have an f-stop of no less than 5, with 6 or longer being better. 5 and 6 are ideal as they're short enough or long enough to let you do both deep sky and powered viewing. most items you want to look at are deep sky, which don't respond well to magnification unless you have very large lenses...however the planets take easy to magnification, but if your focal length is too short, it's hard to get that magnification without use of additional items, like a barlow lens. having too long a focal length makes it difficult to do low power viewing (needed for DSO - deep sky objections, ie: nebula's, star clusters, galaxies).
the top seller beginner scopes we sold were from Meade and SkyWatcher:
SW 102mm F5 (the #1 selling scope):
http://skywatcher.com/product/bk-1025az3/
Meade 90mm F6:
www.meade.com
there are a few accessories that are highly recommended, such as a barlow as well as a third eyepeice (most kits come with two, a 10mm and 25mm) to complement the magnifications the eyepieces you get provide. a barlow is a magnifier...they come in several different magnifications, but the most popular is 2x. when you have a barlow, you double the available magnifications available with your eyepieces. 10mm becomes a 5mm and the 25mm becomes a 12.5mm.
you figure magnification by dividing the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. for instance, the SW 102mm is F5, so 500mm long. take that and divide it by the 10mm eyepiece, you get 50x magnification.
there are several types of telescope. each one has it's pros and cons. the one that likely comes to mind immediately is the refractor, which is the most popular. then there is the reflector, which uses mirrors and then there are one's called compounds, which are a combination of lenses and mirrors. the most popular reflector is called a Newtonian, or Dobsonian. the two most popular compound are the Schmit-Cassegrain and the Maksutov- Cassegrain.
in astronomy, aperture is king. the more light you see, the more resolution you have or deeper you can peer into the night sky. however, the best telescope is the one you use the most. bigger scopes get heavier, which means harder to move around and setup. it also means a lot more cost is involved, as you require mounts and tripods that can handle these weights.
first, magnification is literally the least important feature you need to concern yourself with. it has it's place, but there are many other things that are more important.
the primary scopes you would want to consider buying are 90mm or 100mm (often 102mm or 105mm) achromatic refractor. you want the scope to have an f-stop of no less than 5, with 6 or longer being better. 5 and 6 are ideal as they're short enough or long enough to let you do both deep sky and powered viewing. most items you want to look at are deep sky, which don't respond well to magnification unless you have very large lenses...however the planets take easy to magnification, but if your focal length is too short, it's hard to get that magnification without use of additional items, like a barlow lens. having too long a focal length makes it difficult to do low power viewing (needed for DSO - deep sky objections, ie: nebula's, star clusters, galaxies).
the top seller beginner scopes we sold were from Meade and SkyWatcher:
SW 102mm F5 (the #1 selling scope):
http://skywatcher.com/product/bk-1025az3/
Meade 90mm F6:
Infinity™ 90mm Refracting Telescope
Click HERE for Instructional Video on How To Setup & Align Your Infinity Telescope Aperture: 90mm Refracting Telescope with f/6.7 Focal Length Features a precision Alt-azimuth Mount with slow-motion controls, making it easy to track celestial objects as they move across the night sky. Comes with...
www.meade.com
there are a few accessories that are highly recommended, such as a barlow as well as a third eyepeice (most kits come with two, a 10mm and 25mm) to complement the magnifications the eyepieces you get provide. a barlow is a magnifier...they come in several different magnifications, but the most popular is 2x. when you have a barlow, you double the available magnifications available with your eyepieces. 10mm becomes a 5mm and the 25mm becomes a 12.5mm.
you figure magnification by dividing the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. for instance, the SW 102mm is F5, so 500mm long. take that and divide it by the 10mm eyepiece, you get 50x magnification.
there are several types of telescope. each one has it's pros and cons. the one that likely comes to mind immediately is the refractor, which is the most popular. then there is the reflector, which uses mirrors and then there are one's called compounds, which are a combination of lenses and mirrors. the most popular reflector is called a Newtonian, or Dobsonian. the two most popular compound are the Schmit-Cassegrain and the Maksutov- Cassegrain.
in astronomy, aperture is king. the more light you see, the more resolution you have or deeper you can peer into the night sky. however, the best telescope is the one you use the most. bigger scopes get heavier, which means harder to move around and setup. it also means a lot more cost is involved, as you require mounts and tripods that can handle these weights.
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