About Astronomy

There are two types of ideal beginner telescopes: Refractors and Reflectors.  If you're an astronomer who wants to view planets and other solar system objects, a Refractor would be better for you.  Refractors are more fit for planets because they create crisper, sharper images.  Another advantage of most Refractors is that they are easily on a tripod, which typically have a tracking system.  Using this, the telecope will electronically move itself to stay centered on what you're observing.  This also enables a Refractor user to do astrophotography.

If you're an amateur who wants to observe Deep Space Objects, a Reflector would be better for you.  There are several reasons why this is so.  First of all, a Reflector uses mirrors instead of lenses.  In a Refractor, some entering light is eliminated by the lense.  Also, mirrors are typically cheaper than lenses, so for the same price, you can get a larger Reflector than Refractor.

There are two popular styles of bases for Reflectors: Dobsonians mounts, and of course, tripods.  Dobsonian mounted Reflectors tend to be cheaper, more portable, and can hold larger telescopes.  Tripod mounted Reflectors are much more expensive and cannot hold larger telescopes, however they enable you to do astrophotography if you're willing to spend enough.  I say this because if you want to put a 8" Reflector on a stable tripod, you'll be spending at least $1,000, where you'd be spending maybe $400 for one on a Dobsonian mount.

These beginning telescopes will typically cost around $300-$400, depending on the manufacturer and the quality of the optics.

There is a third, less familiar telescope design, known as Catadioptrics.  These are a sort of combination between a Refractor and a Reflector, because they employ both lenses and mirrors.  They look like very short, stubby Reflectors, typically on a tripod.  Like Refractors, most have a tracking system and allow for astrophotography.  The beauty of these telescopes is that they're the best of both worlds, performing well with both deep space and planetray astronomy.  However, due to their high prices (starting at around $1,000) and complication, I would not reccomend them for beginning astronomers.

Pictures of the Celestron Refractor, Celestron Dobsonian, and Meade Cassegrain are from OPTcorp.com.

It's actually simple.  Aperture is the diameter of your telescope's mirror/lens, NOT the diameter of the opening of the tube.  So why is aperture so important?  The larger the aperture, the more light collecting power and magnification.  Since a larger aperture means more light collection, you get a higher resolution, darker image. 

A basic, beginning Refractor size is around 60-100mm.  A common beginning Reflector size is around 6-8 inches. For a Reflector, the maximum magnification your telescope can handle, in theory, is around 50x per inch of aperture.  For a Refractor, it's 100x per inch of aperture.  The reason why a beginning astronomer shouldn't get such a large telescope is because they will get frustrated with the weight and difficulty with setting up.  Also, a beginner shouldn't spend a lot of money on such a large telescope because they may end up not liking astronomy.

The maximum magnification really is not that important, because on most nights the maximum you could possibly crank with ANY telescope is around 250x.  This is due to unstable atmospheric conditions.  On some nights when the atmosphere is stable and there's low humidity, you should be able to get a lot more magnification on the moon and some planets with larger telescopes. 

If a telescope is only advertised in magnification, ignore it.  Many manufacturers know that the average person doesn't know a thing about magnification, so they pretend the telescope has a much higher magnification than it really does.  A good telescope is advertised in the quality of the optics, the visible resolution, and the light-gathering capabilities.

However, magnification is completely irrelevant when observing DSO's.  What is important with DSOs is, once again, the light-collecting power, which comes with aperture. 

There are many Telescope brands, but the most popular are Celestron, Meade, Orion, and Discovery.  Consider all brands when shopping for your telescope.

In my and many other astronomers' opinions, department store refractors are junk.  They're always advertised in magnification and nothing else, their optics are usually poor, and their mounts are cheap and unstable.  If you're going to buy a telescope, you should buy it at that telescope company's website or your local telescope dealer.