Choosing the Right Telescope for You

 There are three main sorts of telescopes and during this article, I will be able to discuss the main attributes of every. Hopefully, this may assist you to choose the telescope that you simply want to shop for.

Reflecting Telescope

By far, the foremost commonly used telescope is that the reflecting. It uses an outsized curved mirror to collect light and reflect it back through an eyepiece. this is often the sort of telescope that's utilized in professional observatories. The reflector is so popular because it's relatively cheap compared to the opposite kinds and may have a really large aperture, so it can see very faint objects. due to this the reflector is superb at viewing region objects, like nebula and galaxies. However, these telescopes tend to be fairly large and hulking due to their large aperture.

Reflecting telescopes are usually mounted in one among two ways. the primary is on a tripod mount. These mounts are useful for smaller telescopes because they permit the telescope to be lifted to eye height. These mounts also can be easily computerized and lots of of them accompany GoTo and tracking technology already inbuilt. The tripod mount can't hold larger, heavier telescopes, for those a special mount is required called a Dobsonian mount. The Dobsonian mount is far cheaper than a tripod mount then may be a good option if money is a problem, however, it also holds the telescope much closer to the bottom. If the telescope isn't that big then you would possibly need to use a table to line it on.

Overall reflecting telescopes are very nice pieces of kit. Buy a reflector if you're curious about objects outside of our system or outside of our galaxy, with an honest reflector you'll easily be ready to see this stuff.

Refracting Telescope

The optical telescope is that the telescope most frequently related to astronomy. it had been the primary sort of telescope made and uses a group of lenses to gather and magnify the sunshine of whatever you're watching. due to the value and weight of huge lenses refracting telescopes do not have the aperture that reflecting telescopes do, however, they have a tendency to possess a way longer focal distance. this massive focal distance allows them to magnify alright, making them a superb tool for viewing bright, closer to home objects, like the planets or comets, etc.

Refracting telescopes tend to be much easier to hold and travel with than reflecting telescopes; this makes them a pleasant tool to possess if you've got to drive to urge to good observing skies. They mainly use tripod mounts then many of them accompany computerized mounts, which may be very helpful if you're just starting out.

Refracting telescopes are an exquisite sort of telescope, but you want to take care to not buy a budget kind sold at supermarkets, etc. an honest optical telescope will take a touch out of your wallet, but it'll be worthwhile. Buy an optical telescope if you're curious about the planets or other objects in our system.

Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope

The Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope is that the commonest sort of hybrid telescope. A hybrid telescope is one that takes aspects of both reflecting and refracting telescopes and combines them. within the case of the Schmidt-Cassegrain, this suggests combining an outsized aperture with an extended focal distance. Since reflecting telescopes suffer from short focal lengths and refractors do not have large apertures, this telescope seems almost too good to be true. it's real, but there are some catches. Foremost, Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes are often far more expensive than the opposite sorts of telescopes, they also do not have quite as wide a field of view. Hower, Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes most use the tripod mount and most of them accompany computer-controlled mounts, so beginning astronomers find them helpful.

If money isn't a problem then the advantages of Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes easily out weight the downsides, making them one among the foremost common amateur astronomy telescopes. Buy a Schmidt-Cassegrain if you're willing to spend some money to urge the simplest view of the sky possible. Learn More.