A Telescope Buying Guide
There are a large number of different telescopes on the market today, so it’s not easy picking out your first, or maybe your second telescope. When you are looking for a telescope, it is wise to think about what your particular needs are. Probably the most important question you should ask yourself is what you want to look at. If you for example wish to take a good look at the moon, then it is best seen with certain refractor telescopes. The same applies for those that are into birdwatching. On the other hand if you want to explore the deep sky, and really look far, then you should not buy a refractor telescope. They are at least not your best choice then.
A recommendation for beginners can be to consider a Newtonian reflector telescope, it is a good general telescope. You should know however that these are not any good in daytime situations. A recommended telescope for deep sky observation is the 6"-25" reflector telescope. It has some negative sides though, as it is not a very good overall telescope, and does also not work that well in daytime.
Amateurs probably want a good overall telescope, so a good recommendation for this purpose is the compound telescope. It is one of the best general telescopes that there is, because it uses both lenses and mirrors. Another good reason it is a wise choice is that it performs well for astrophotography. It just makes sense to take photos of the kinds of sights you will be seeing with such a telescope. Especially when many of the sights you will see, will maybe be never seen again ever. Think about how great it is to take pictures of objects in they sky that you can share with your grandkids many years from now.
You should also think about where you will be placing your telescope. If you live in the city, then you will most likely be facing overcoming light pollution. In such cases it is necessary to have a telescope that can handle the job. It is always recommended to have a dark place to observe from though. Again compound telescopes as well as refractors are what you should be looking for. Reflector telescopes will be overwhelmed by the urban light, and ruin your view.
If you happen to live in the suburbs, then your landscape will maybe be polluted with lights as well, but not as much as in the cities. You should worry to much about this kind of light, since this moderate kind of light, can accommodate all types of telescopes equally well. Then there are other things you should consider when deciding on a telescope.
Out on the country the skies can get very dark at night, and if you live here, then you should know a couple of things. To begin with you would think that this is always good for all types of telescopes, however refractors sometimes don’t gather enough light for you to see the objects you want to see. Reflector and compound telescopes will bring the light into your telescope where you want it, and this is a good thing, since you will see a whole lot better.
Finally there are accessories that can greatly help you use your telescope for the purpose you choose. It is recommended to get a star diagonal, because it can help you look at an object high in the sky without making you hold your body in a too uncomfortable position. Then you should consider getting an erecting prism, that can help bring images right side up for you are looking at objects in the daytime, an example here would be birdwatching.
