What an experience you have ahead of you if you are choosing a telescope to look at the night sky!

But even if you want a telescope for other purposes, it is important to gather a few facts about telescopes first so you know what to look for when you buy.

Types of telescope

Essentially there are two types of telescope:

1. A refractor telescope – that’s the ‘traditional’ type of telescope which has a lens at the front, a tube for the body, and an eyepiece at the other end.
2. A reflector telescope – which has an open end and a mirror at the other which directs the image to another mirror and then directs that to the eyepiece

Well, if price is important, then generally speaking you will get better ‘value for money’ with a reflector telescope. But purists will claim that you will get a better quality image with a refractor. So, if you can, try each out and make your decision.

Buying tips

DON’T be sold on magnification! Ads and salesmen will talk about so many hundred times magnification. That’s not the most important factor at all – too much magnification often only succeeds in giving you a more blurred image!

What counts is the amount of light collected by the telescope – and that depends on the size of the lens or the mirror (as a rule of thumb, multiply the diameter of the objective by 2.5, and you’ll get an idea of the magnification possible).

And don’t skimp on the tripod and mountings; make sure they are solid and steady. When you are looking at a distant object at high magnification, a wobbly tripod is not something that you want!

If you can afford it:

Go for a GoTo telescope. What’s that? Well you align it with several known objects in the sky, and then you can find just about anything else with a supplied remote control – saves hours of time and frustration.

Or go one step further and invest in a GPS telescope – using the same principle of satellite navigation used in cars, this will find any known object in the night sky for you!

Final word of warning

DON’T under any circumstances, point your telescope at the sun – ever. The damage you can inflict on your sight is unbelievable. Do not be tempted – just don’t do it!

Happy viewing.

For an essential FREE guide getting the right telescope at the right price, visit www.info4u-services.com/telescope