Getting Started
I want a Telescope
Time for a new Telescope
Eyepieces and Filters
Book Reviews
Free Astronomy Software
Our First NightOut
Orion SpaceProbe 130ST First Light
Astro Links
My Home Page-
God, Genesis and the big bang
How I Chose My First Real Telescope
The experts tell us we don't need a scope
to get started in astronomy but let's be honest we beginners can't hear
them. We want a scope! So knowing you aren't going to listen either,
here is how I made my decision on what to buy.The first thing to settle is understanding what is the purpose of a telescope. Ask most people what a telescope is for and they will tell you it makes things look bigger. That is what I used to think as well. Yes, magnifying things is part of its job but not the most important part. When you point a telscope towards the heavens the main function is to gather light. The night sky is full of very dim very distant objects. You might be surprised to know that very low magnification is used more often than high magnification when viewing the night sky. Telescopes are for gathering light.
The second thing to know is that there are telescopes and there are toys. If you are considering a scope at the toy store or department store you will almost certainly be disappointed. If it is advertised by its magnification power it is a good idea to keep looking. I owned one of these when I was a kid, used it a couple times to view the moon then I put it in the closet. Didn't learn my lesson, bought one for my son. Within a month it was falling apart because it was junk.
Now there are a lot of people who have had a great deal of fun and started a lifelong hobby with a 60mm or 90mm department store telescope so I don't want to say they are always useless but I will say that for very little more money (and sometimes for even less) you can have a telescope with far better quality optics. The problem for most of us isn't that we buy junk on purpose its that we don't have a local telescope store where we can go shop and compare. If it weren't for the department stores we would never see a telescope. Compounding the problem are the ads in the astronomy magazines which often make affordable equipment look way out of reach for the average beginner. Take heart, you do not have to spend a vast fortune to get started in telescope astronomy - that comes later (ha). What you need is some knowledge before you buy. That is my hope for this page.
Different Types of Telescopes
What most of us think of when we picture a telescope is a little eyepiece low on one end of a long tube and a big lens pointed skyward on the other end. This is a refractor telescope. There are many excellent refractors available today. They are reported to be good for planet viewing. This is the type scope I had planned to get when I started looking. When I attended some local star parties I noticed I didn't see many of these scopes. Why not? Because most of us do not want to look just at planets or the moon, we want to see deep space objects (DSO's) like nebula and galaxies.
I am sure some refractor owner will be offended by this but I am only repeating what I have been told. After deciding to get quality optics, the most important thing to look for is light gathering ability. This is not as important for viewing the Moon or Saturn because they are bright. But dim objects like nebula beg for bigger scopes to see them. Refractors are relatively small because big lenses are expensive.
Another common type telescope is the reflector. This has a mirror in the bottom end of the tube and the eyepiece mounted in the side near the top of the tube. The mirror serves the same purpose as the big lens in the refractor but the mirror is usually lots bigger so it gathers more light. The reflectors come in a couple varieties. Those mounted on tripods are called Newtonian reflectors and those mounted on a simple frame that turns like a lazy susan are called Dobsonians. Most of the beginning members of the local astronomy group had one or the other of this type of telescope. Hmmmm. More on this later.
The more experienced stargazers generally used catadioptric telescopes. This is a combination of the reflector and refractor. It uses lenses and mirrors. This reduces the length of the tube considerably. The eyepiece is located at the bottom of the tube like a refractor. This is also the type scope used mostly by amateurs for astrophotography purposes, something they tell me beginners should not even attempt unless they want to get really frustrated in a hurry. The most common type of catadioptric telescope is called a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope or SCT for short.
Seeing the SCT is what the majority of advanced stargazers were using, I decided I had to have one. Then I saw the price tag. Wow! For the size telescope they were using prepare to start at $2000. I started looking for alternatives. What I found was that the reason most newcomers use a reflector scope is because they are much less expensive. What is most recommended for beginners is a Dobsonian telescope or Dob for short.
Dobsonian The Choice For Me
As I mentioned earlier what makes a Dob a Dob is that the reflector's optical tube assembly (OTA) is mounted on a very simple base. Most telescopes are mounted on some sort of tripod. Good tripods are expensive. Dob bases are cheap and easy to make so you can put your money into optics instead of tripods.
What is the down side to a dobsonian? Many expensive scopes have what is known as GOTO which means you punch some figures into a keypad and the motors on the tripod swing the scope around until it points right at the object you selected. That's cool, but it requires time and skill to align the tripod correctly before you can start using it each observing session and it costs a lot of money for a quality GOTO system. You aren't going to get GOTO on a Dob unless you pay big bucks for an aftermarket system. Now there are Dobs with computer systems available for them. These are not GOTO. They will not turn the scope for you but they will tell you were to manually turn it. Of course this adds expense (maybe $200). It also takes time to align a non-motorized computer scope. The basic Dob sets up very quick but you have to find the objects yourself which some say is half the fun anyway.
Once you locate the object you wish to observe you face the next challenge. Objects move in the sky a lot faster than you would suspect. That means you have to constantly move the scope to keep it centered in the eyepiece. On the motorized systems once they are set up correctly they handle this for you. Not with a Dob. You have to grab hold of it with one hand and physically move it. At first this is a real challenge but you quickly get the hang of it.
Ok those are the shortcomings of a Dobsonian, now for the plus side. Because a Dob is as basic as a telescope can get they cost a lot less than the other types of telescopes. You can get a Dob for a fourth the cost of a SCT for the same size scope. That means you can buy more scope for your money. Dobsonians are easy to learn to use. Dobs with good optics also offer great views of the night sky. So to me the combination of quality optics, ease of use, and low intitial investment make the Dob the perfect choice for a first scope.
When I started looking at Dobs I was told to go for as big a light bucket as I could afford but there is more to consider than just size. Where are you going to keep it? Where are you going to use it? How will you get it there? There is no point buying a 12" scope if you can't lift it or put it in your car, unless you can permanently set it up in your backyard. I found many recommendations for 6", 8", and 10" scopes. The most common seemed to be the 8". Then I started price shopping. Lot's of variation there, depending on the name on the box, where it was manufactured, and what came with it. The name on the box is the least important to me. The quality inside the box now that is what counts.
Thumbing through Astronomy magazine I ran across an ad for Hardin Optical's 12" Deep Space Hunter. It was hundreds of dollars less than the other scopes of the same size I had seen listed. Remembering the adage that anytime something sounds to good to be true it probably is, I was skeptical. Went to their web page to check it out. There I discovered the Deep Space Hunter also came in 6", 8", and 10" versions. The 8" scope is what I had decided upon. It was less expensive than the competitors scopes. Did a web search for reviews. Almost unanimously the DSH was loved by its owners. The one negative review I found led me to believe the author wasn't going to be satisfied with anything he owned. You know the type.
When I ordered it online I expected it to be on back order and take forever to get - especially since it was late November with Christmas just around the corner. I got an order received confirmation in a day. A shipping confirmation within another day along with a tracking number telling when the shipment would arrive. The UPS truck pulled in to my drive just when it was supposed to. I couldn't have asked for better service. The scope came in two boxes and the base was not assembled (duh), however the instructions were clear enough. I'll add a review of our first outing with it later. (Done see Our First Night Out )
**update - Hardin Optical got out of the amateur telescope business. So the Deep Space Hunter lives no more. That is a real shame. The however to this story is that there are many other options available. You just need to do a little research.
No matter what scope you pick out I do suggest you look for reviews of the particular model you are interested in by searching the web before buying. Don't go just by the manufacturer's review - like they are going to tell you it isn't any good. Go look for comments by people who use them. Then ask around for the best deal. Sometimes the lowest price isn't the best price. Some dealers offer free shipping, which can save you a lot. Some dealers offer more accessories that can be helpful. You will almost certainly have to order it from a store that is no where near your home so ask questions about the dealer from those who buy from them.
Remember in the end the best telescope for you is the one you will actually use.
I hope you found something of interest here. If you did drop me a note.
Clear skies!
Copyright © 2004 by Kevin Sluder
All rights reserved
Latest revision August 2007
Latest revision August 2007