Telescopes 101

    Telescopes 101

    Buying the right telescope to take your love of astronomy to the next level is a big next step in the development of your passion for the stars.  In many ways, it is a big step from someone who is just fooling around with astronomy to a serious student of the science.  But you and I both know that there is still another big step after buying a telescope before you really know how to use it.

    So it is critically important that you get just the right telescope for where you are and what your star gazing preferences are.  To start with, let’s discuss the three major kinds of telescopes and then lay down some “Telescope 101” concepts to increase your chances that you will buy the right thing.

    The three primary types of telescopes that the amateur astronomer might buy are the Refractor, the Reflector and the Schmidt Cassegrain telescope.  The first two are named for the kind of lens that is used.  It is pretty easy to see that the lens is the heart of the telescope so the kind that you will use will determine the success of your use of that telescope.

    The refractor lens is the simplest because it uses a convex lens to focus the light on the eyepiece.  So the lens bends outwards for this purpose.  The refractor telescope’s strength is in viewing planets.  The reflector’s strength is in seeing more distant objects and the lens is concave or bends in.  It uses mirrors to focus the image that you eventually see.  The final type, the Schmidt Cassegrain telescope is the most complex and accomplishes the goals of both but it uses an involved system of mirrors to capture the image you want to see.


    So to select just the right kind of telescope, your objectives in using the telescope are important.  To really understand the strengths and weaknesses not only of the lenses and telescope design but also in how the telescope performs in various star gazing situations, it is best to do some homework up front and get exposure to the different kinds.  So before you make your first purchase…

    * Above all, establish a relationship with a reputable telescope shop that employs people who know their stuff.  If you buy your telescope at a Wal-Mart or department store, the odds you will get the right thing are remote.

    * Pick the brains of the experts.  If you are not already active in an astronomy society or club, the sales people at the telescope store will be able to guide you to the active societies in your area.  Once you have connections with people who have bought telescopes, you can get advice about what works and what to avoid that is more valid than anything you will get from a web article or a salesperson at Wal-Mart.

    * Try before you buy.  This is another advantage of going on some field trips with the astronomy club.  You can set aside some quality hours with people who know telescopes and have their rigs set up to examine their equipment, learn the key technical aspects, and try them out before you sink money in your own set up.

    There are other considerations to factor into your final purchase decision.  How mobile must your telescope be?  The tripod or other accessory decisions will change significantly with a telescope that will live on your deck versus one that you plan to take to many remote locations.  Along those lines, how difficult is the set up and break down?  How complex is the telescope and will you have trouble with maintenance?  Network to get the answers to these and other questions.  If you do your homework like this, you will find just the right telescope for this next big step in the evolution of your passion for astronomy.


    RELATED POSTS
    :)
    :(
    =(
    ^_^
    :D
    =D
    |o|
    @@,
    ;)
    :-bd
    :-d
    :p

    ‎ Bookmarking Sites Aadhaar Card Aadhaar Card Toll Free Number Adsense Adsense ad units Adsense Safe.Website Traffic Agreement as valid Address Proof. Apartment for Rent in burj khalifa Apartment for sale in burj khalifa Apartment in dubai downtown for rent Asian Paints Asian Paints Customer Care ath Authority Domains backlink Backlinks Bank Banks Beautiful Water Painting BEST FUNNY NEWS Bharat Gas Bharat Gas Customer Care Phone Number Blank Space Blog guest post Blogger Website blogging blogs BLOOPERS 2016 Bookmarking Bookmarking service Bookmarking Site Boost your Alexa Business Website Business/Job opportunity buy Facebook like buy Blogger Website buy domain buy twitter follower Carrier AC Customer Care Chanakya IAS Academy Chanakya IAS Academy Ahmedabad Chanakya IAS Academy Coaching Chanakya IAS Academy Hazaribagh Chanakya IAS Academy Ranchi Chanakya IAS Academy South Delhi CIBIL CIBIL Customer Care click to protect Click2Protect Consumer Affairs Department Consumer Helpline control your laughter Credit Information Bureau Custom and Professional Blogger Website custom domain Deepak Bansal IPS - Success Speaks Episode 8 Dell Customer Support directory sites seo directory submission seo marketer Do follow Social Bookmarking Sites Dofollow Backlinks Dofollow Social BookMark Domain Domains Ebay Customer Care Ebay Customer Care India Ebay Customer Care Number Ebay Customer Care Number In India Ebay Customer Complaints Ebay Customer Service Ebay Customer Support EDU - GOV Backlinks Evo Evo WordPress Templates Evo WordPress Themes EvoWPThemes FACEBOOK page LIKE Federal Bank Customer Care Number FedEx FedEx Customer Care fednet toll free Free Directory List Fujitsu Laptop Gangnam Style General Insurance godaddy google Adsense google plus followers HDFC Life HDFC Life Customers Service Number HDFC Mutual Fund or Investment Services Account Health India TPA Services Toll Free number Health Insurance Health Insurance TPA Helpline Number at Amazon High Authority Backlinks Highlight your Service Highlight your Service on seoclerks.com Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority IRDA Contact Number IRDA Contact Number IRDA Grievance Call Centre IRDA Head Office Kingson Dream Kingson Dream Motivational Video Laugh Life Insurance list of general insurance companies List of Non-Life Insurance Companies in India List of Non-Life Insurance Companies in India LMFAO Mangalayatan University Customer Care Mediclaim TPA Mini Desktop Computer Most famous Viral video Most viewed YouTube videos Motivational Video off optimization seo Page Rank Domain Sale Pagerank Backlinks party rock anthem Passport Seva Passport Seva Customer Care Number Toll Free Paypal Customer Care‎ Paypal India Customer Care‎ Paypal India Customer Care‎ : 1800-212-3852 Pizza Hut 50% Off Pizza Coupons‎ Pizza Hut Buy 1 Get 1 Pizza Free‎ Pizza Hut Coupons Promo Coupon Pizza Hut Flat 50% Off Coupon‎ PR Backlinks Psy RDP Mini PC REAL Visitors Registered Rent Agreement as valid Address Proof Sale Domain SBI NRI Services sell Blogger Website Sell Buy Sell Page Rank Domains Sell PR Domains Sell Premium Page Rank PR Domains seo seo site seoclerks.com Setup custom domain Setup custom domain for blogger with godaddy domain Small PC Social Bookmarking Sites Stock Broker SWIFT Code SWIFT Code of SBI Taylor Swift TP LINK India Customer Care Number TPA For Mediclaim TPA Health Services twitter follower Twitter Profile Verified UID UIDAI Ultimate Like a Boss Compilation 2015 Unique Identification Authority of India Usefull TollFree Numbers Vip Bookmark Viral video on youtube Water Painting Web Directory Site web traffic Web Visit Website Traffic Western Digital Western Digital India Western Digital India Customer Care Number whitehat backlinks WordPress youtube views