How to Choose a Telescope for Beginners

This is an exciting time to become an amateur astronomer. Never have novice stargazers been
presented with such a vast array of telescopes and accessories to pursue their hobby. Naturally,
this brings the burden of choice: the bewildering variety makes it hard for an uninformed
consumer to make the right decision on what type of telescope to buy.

Whether you're seriously considering buying your first telescope or just daydreaming about it,
this guide will help you narrow your options. First we'll explore the types of telescopes available,
and then we'll discuss their key features the size of the primary lens or mirror, type of mount,
portability, computerization, and accessories. We'll also look at the tradeoffs, because every
instrument has its advantages and disadvantages.

Before you buy anything, you must determine what's important to you. What do you most want
to look at? How dark is your sky? How experienced an observer are you? How much to you want
to spend? What storage space do you have, and how much weight do you want to carry? Answer
these key questions, familiarize yourself with what's on the market, and you'll be well on your
way to choosing a telescope that will satisfy you for many years to come.

Before examining the different telescopes available, it's worth knowing the basics of how they
work.

Aperture: A Telescope's Most Important Specification

The most important aspect of any telescope is its aperture, the diameter of its main optical
component, which can be either a lens or a mirror. A scope's aperture determines both its light-
gathering ability (how bright the image appears) and its resolving power (how sharp the image
appears). When learning how to choose a telescope, knowing all you can about the aperture is
crucial to your ability to see the night sky.

What does this mean? The bigger the aperture the better. With a 6-inch telescope you can discern
craters on the Moon as small as about a mile across half the size of those visible in a 3-inch
scope (under the same conditions using the same magnification). The same two instruments
turned toward a faint galaxy on a moonless night would tell an even more dramatic story.
Because the surface area of a 6-inch mirror is four times that of a 3-inch mirror, it collects four
times as much light, meaning the galaxy would appear four times brighter. (Astronomically
speaking, that's 1.5 magnitudes brighter.)

Magnification Isn't Everything

It may surprise you, but a telescope's aperture is not what determines its magnification
("power"). When seeing a telescope for the first time, a novice will usually ask, "How much does
it magnify?" The answer is, "Any amount you want." Any telescope can provide an almost
infinite range of magnifications, depending on the eyepiece you put into its eye end.
But don't get the idea that super-high powers will do you any good. Two main factors limit the
power that shows a decent view with a given instrument: aperture (again) and the atmospheric
conditions.

Only so much detail exists in the image created by a telescope's main mirror or lens, so you must
find the optimum magnification to see this detail without spreading out the target's precious
light too much, making a dim object too dim to see or turning a bright object into just a big blur.

This is why observers generally use low powers for looking at faint things like galaxies and
nebulae, and no more than medium-high powers for bright things like the Moon and planets. Just
as enlarging a photograph too much will simply show you the grain in the film or the pixels on
the chip, so too will excess magnification just make your target blurry.

How much power is too much? There's a simple rule to find the top useful magnification: 50
times your telescope's aperture in inches, or twice its aperture in millimeters. And that's if the
scope has perfect optics and the night air happens to be unusually steady.

This means that a high-quality 4-inch (100-mm) scope should not be pushed beyond about 200x.
To put this in perspective, even a small instrument that has good optics will show you Saturn's
rings or the principal cloud belts on Jupiter, since these can be seen at a magnification of 75x. On
the other hand, if you see a small, 60-mm department-store telescope scope labeled as delivering
"300 power!!!", you'll know it's advertising hype and you should wisely look elsewhere.

Calculating Magnification
Now you know the maximum practical power for any given instrument. But how do you get it?
What do those little numbers on the eyepieces tell you about the magnification they give?

Every scope has a focal length, which is effectively the distance from the primary lens or mirror
to the image it forms. (This is not always the same as the length of the tube, since, as we'll see
later, some telescopes optically "fold" the light path internally.) Focal length is the large number
you'll often see printed or engraved on the front or back of the scope, usually between about 400
and 3,000 millimeters depending on the scope's aperture and type.

Eyepieces have focal lengths too 25mm or 10mm, for example. Simply divide the focal length
of the scope by that of the eyepiece; that's the magnification. For instance a 1,000-mm focal
length scope, used with a 25-mm eyepiece, delivers 1,000 / 25 = 40 power (or 40x).

Why Does the Moon Look Fuzzy?

Even the best telescope will give fuzzy views on nights of poor atmospheric 'seeing'. This lunar
image shows the Altai Scarp mountain range leading to the 90-km-diameter crater Piccolomini
(lower right). It's a frame in a short GIF movie (102k) you can run by clicking the image,
showing how turbulent air ripples and distorts the view, blurring fine detail.
Adrian Ashford
Even with the best telescope, you'll notice that you can discern finer lunar or planetary detail on
some nights than on others. Sometimes the sharpness of the view even changes from one second
to the next. At high power, you'll see that planets and stars shimmer and blur on most nights. The
fault lies not with the scope but with Earth's turbulent atmosphere, and sometimes with very
local conditions such as warm air rising from a nearby asphalt driveway that soaked up solar heat
all day. Astronomers refer to turbulent nights as having bad "seeing."

Large apertures allow observers to pick out faint objects and fine detail on the Moon and planets,
but regardless of aperture, the better the seeing, the more you can see. Since steady air is so
important, large telescopes even those in the 10-inch-plus category are often limited to
250x or 300x on all but the very steadiest nights.

Any experienced observer will tell you that with practice, you'll see more detail in an image
not only because your eye gets better trained, but because the longer you look, the better your
chance of catching a few moments of unusually steady atmospheric seeing.

Is Bigger Always Better?

So why go for a telescope larger than 10-inch aperture if the sky conditions will limit you? Large
apertures are most often chosen by observers who want to gather as much light as possible for
viewing dim things: galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. These so-called "deep-sky" objects are
generally viewed at much lower powers than the Moon or planets, so the quality of the
atmospheric seeing is less of an issue. Also, larger aperture generally leads to shorter exposure
times for those interested in astrophotography, especially when combined with a short focal
length.

But even if a large instrument is within your budget, there's the question of portability. A really
large amateur scope requires either a permanent observatory so you never have to move it, or
willing buddies to help you lift and assemble it for each observing session, then take it down
afterward. Clearly, there's a tradeoff between convenience and performance - and everyone will
have his or her own definition of what is "portable." It's easy to succumb to "aperture fever," in
which you're seized by a compulsion to buy the largest telescope you can. The sad fact is that the
leviathan is all too often consigned to the basement or closet, being too heavy and unwieldy for
regular use. Remember, the telescope that you use most often is the one that will actually show
you the most.

Pay close attention to the weight of the scope you're considering buying, usually listed in the
small print. Get a barbell or a log that weighs this much on your bathroom scale. Carry the log
around with you. Carry it back and forth from where you'll store the telescope to where you'll use
it. Are there stairs along the way? How often will you want to do this at the end of a long day?

Types of Telescopes
Having gained an appreciation of a few important optical principles governing a telescope's
performance, and the tradeoff between performance and portability, we can now explore the
different types of telescopes available.

You'll be forgiven for thinking there's an infinite variety from the ads in the astronomical press.
Yet for all their varied shapes and sizes, types of telescopes can be divided into three classes:
refractors, reflectors, and catadioptrics.

Types of Telescopes: Refractors

A cross-section of a modern short-tube refracting telescope. Most refractors have tube lengths
between 8 and 12 times their aperture, which can make them unwieldy. However, lunar and
planetary observers favor the high-contrast images such instruments provide.
SkyWatch / Gregg Dinderman.
A refractor is the stereotype of how a telescope is supposed to look a long, gleaming tube
with a large lens in front and an eyepiece at the back. The front lens (the objective) focuses light
to form an image in the back. The eyepiece is a little magnifying glass with which you look at
the image.

High-quality refractors are often sought out by lunar and planetary observers who value their
crisp, high-contrast images that can take high magnification. In fact, when well made a refractor
can provide the finest images attainable with a given aperture.
Another advantage of the refractor is that it's generally more rugged than other types of scopes,
because its lenses are less likely to come out of alignment. For this reason refractors are well
suited to those who wish to have a "pick up and go" instrument or who have no desire to tinker
with the optics.

But these nice features come at a price. A really fine large objective lens is a work of art that
requires special glass and individual hand-crafting. For this reason, refractors are the most
expensive instruments of any given aperture.

Also, in their commonly encountered forms, refractor tube lengths can be unwieldy. A 4-inch
refractor can be 4 feet or more long. And since the eyepiece is at the lower end of the tube, a tall
tripod is required if you expect to observe objects overhead. Such a tripod has to be very solidly
built to prevent wobbles at high powers, so it may be heavy or unwieldy, not to mention
expensive. For deep-sky observers a refractor may not have enough light grasp for viewing faint
objects, and the fields of view may be narrow. Modern optical design has led to shorter, more
manageable refractors, but at a correspondingly higher cost.

Types of Telescopes: Reflectors

A cross-section of a typical Newtonian, the most common reflecting telescope. Dollar for dollar,
a reflector is the best-value scope you can buy. Occasional cleaning and realignment of the optics
may lessen its appeal to some users.
SkyWatch / Gregg Dinderman.
The second type of telescope, the reflector, uses a mirror to gather and focus light. Its most
common form is the Newtonian reflector (invented by Isaac Newton), with a specially curved
concave (dish-shaped) primary mirror in the bottom end of the telescope. Near the top a small,
diagonal secondary mirror directs the light from the primary to the side of the tube, where it's
met by a conveniently placed eyepiece.

If you want the most aperture for your money, the reflector is the scope for you. When well made
and maintained, a reflector can provide sharp, contrasty images of all manner of celestial objects
at a small fraction of the cost of an equal-aperture refractor.

The tube of a Newtonian is considerably more manageable, too. Its length is rarely more than
eight times the diameter of the primary mirror, and frequently less. This means an 8-inch
Newtonian can be housed in a tube hardly over 4 feet long, fitting in the back seat of a small car
for transportation to dark, rural skies. Combine this with the Newtonian's generally low center of
gravity well below the eyepiece, and you end up with an instrument on a compact, stable
mounting that presents the eyepiece at a convenient height for just about any sky orientation.

And there's another benefit. A reflector is, by and large, the only type of telescope that shows you
a "correct-reading" image rather than a mirror image. This is especially important when you're
trying to compare what you see in the eyepiece to what's on a star map.

A variant of the Newtonian telescope known as the Dobsonian, shown here, has become
extremely popular thanks to its low cost, ease of use, and portability.
SkyWatch / Craig Michael Utter
For the best value of all, much consideration should be given to a particular type of reflector
known as the Dobsonian. This is a Newtonian on a very simple, very rugged mount. These
extremely popular instruments are available in apertures from 4 inches to more than 30 inches
and represent the ultimate in observer convenience for casual viewing.

Like all reflectors (there are other types, but we'll skip them because they're rarely encountered
in amateur hands), a Newtonian will require occasional maintenance. Unlike a refractor's solidly
mounted lens, a reflector's mirrors can get out of alignment and hence will need periodic
collimation (adjustment) to ensure peak performance, particularly if the telescope is moved
frequently. This is no big deal once you get the hang of it, and the mirrors of the average
Newtonian may not require tweaking for months at a time. But for those not mechanically
inclined, having to collimate a Newtonian reflector even occasionally may be frustrating.

The reflector's open tube means that dust and dirt are more likely to accumulate on the optical
surfaces even if you're careful to cover the tube in storage, and this will mean occasional
cleaning. Also, the aluminized surfaces of a reflector's mirrors may need to be sent off for
recoating every 10 or 20 years more frequently if you live in a badly air-polluted urban area
or by the sea.
Types of Telescopes: The Best of Both Worlds

A cross-section of a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Roughly midway in price between

Newtonians and refractors, catadioptrics are both compact and easy to upgrade owing to a wide
range of accessories. Click the image to see one popular variant, the Maksutov-Cassegrain.
SkyWatch / Gregg Dinderman.
Then there's the third type of telescope, the catadioptric or compound telescope. These were
invented in the 1930s out of a desire to marry the best characteristics of refractors and reflectors:
they employ both lenses and mirrors to form an image. The greatest appeal of these instruments
is that, in their commonly encountered forms (the Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov-
Cassegrain), they are very compact. Their tubes are just two to three times as long as wide, an
arrangement allowed by "optical folding" of the light. The smaller tube can use a lighter and thus
more manageable mounting. The upshot is that you can obtain a large-aperture, long-focus
telescope that's very transportable.

But here too there are caveats. Like the Newtonian, the Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope needs
occasional optical collimation that lessens its appeal to those disinclined to tinker. Their fields of
view can be rather narrow, too. In terms of cost, aperture for aperture, the catadioptric lies
midway between the reflector and the refractor. Like a Newtonian, the popular forms of
compound telescopes have a secondary mirror in the light path of the instrument, and this
slightly degrades performance for critical lunar and planetary observations. Even so, when well
made, a Schmidt-Cassegrain or Maksutov will deliver very fine images of a wide variety of
celestial objects.

In common with refractors, the tubes of catadioptrics are sealed so that dirt and dust are largely
excluded a big plus for an instrument that you're going to take out into the country. But if you
live in an area where dew occurs (which is almost everywhere), some sort of collar or extension
to prevent misting of the exposed corrector plate at the front of the tube is a must.

In practice, many people seeking a highly versatile, very portable (for the aperture) scope that
can be used for all sky subjects and for astrophotography will tend to opt for some form of
compound instrument. Scopes of this type also tend to be the most highly "technologized," with
many options such as computerized pointing and photographic adaptations. In short, they're
excellent general-purpose scopes that can use a wide variety of accessories.
Types of Telescope Mounts

The mount of a Dobsonian, as illustrated here, is a prime axample of an alt-azimuth, or 'alt-az'

scope. The tube moves up-and-down (in altitude) and left-to-right (in azimuth). Other alt-az
mounts may have slow-motion controls to permit easy tracking at high powers.
Sky & Telescope / Chuck Baker
The best telescope in the world is useless unless it's on a solid, stable, smoothly-working mount,
one that permits it to be directed to the desired part of the sky and to follow a celestial object
smoothly and precisely as the Earth turns beneath it.

In realistic terms, a "stable" mount is one that, when you're using a moderate to high power, will
not vibrate for more than a second or so after you rap the tube. In particular, the view can't
wiggle so much when you hold the focus knob that you can't see when you've found the sharpest
focus. And when you let go, the aim must not jump to one side. This completely eliminates the
typical "department-store" semi-toy telescope from consideration.

While there are variations on a theme, you'll encounter two types of mount: altitude-azimuth (or
"alt-az") and equatorial.

An alt-az mount operates like a tripod's pan-and-tilt head, moving the scope up-down (in
altitude) and left-right (in azimuth). Equatorial mounts also possess two axes, but they're tilted so
that one can be aligned with the rotational axis of the Earth.

If you're intending to use a small telescope for casual sky viewing or daytime use (say,
birdwatching), you'll find the alt-az mount preferable. Well engineered mounts of this type will
have finely threaded slow-motion controls that enable the scope to be moved smoothly by tiny
amounts, especially important when you're using high powers. The value of such refinements
will be all too apparent when you are tracking a star or planet at high magnification.

The Dobsonian is a form of alt-az mount. Inexpensive materials such as particleboard and Teflon
figure in its construction, resulting in a low-cost, low-center-of-gravity mount that (ideally)
glides smoothly about both axes with fingertip control. A Newtonian reflector mounted in this
fashion is not only extremely easy to set up and intuitive to use, but very good value, too.
An equatorial mount makes the tracking of celestial objects easier as the Earth turns. Once
correctly set up, the scope need only be turned about one axis to follow an object across the sky
and a drive motor can do this automatically. An equatorial is mandatory for most
astrophotography.
Sky & Telescope / Chuck Baker
For a telescope intended for astronomy, and for which photography is a future prospect,
consideration should be given to some form of equatorial mount that automatically counteracts
Earth's rotation. It's far easier to track a celestial object with a scope mounted this way, since you
need only concern yourself with turning the scope about one axis not two simultaneously, as
in the alt-az. When an equatorial mount is properly set up, turning the slow-motion control of its
polar axis is all that's required to keep an object in view.

More sophisticated mounts, including modern high-tech alt-az mounts, have built-in electric
motor drives to do this, freeing you to concentrate on observing.

So is one type of mount better than the other? Not really, since each has its strengths. For the
casual observer who wants a highly portable scope that can be quickly set up in a variety of
locations, an alt-az is preferable especially a Dobsonian. An equatorial, while virtually
mandatory for most forms of astrophotography and critical observations of the Moon and planets
at high power, needs to have its polar axis aligned with the rotational axis of the Earth. While
polar alignment is not particularly difficult and becomes routine with practice, it can take a little
time at the start of your observing session if you want to do it really precisely (necessary for
photography but not for just looking).

Go To Telescopes
Go To telescopes have a built-in computer and database to make finding objects simple. . . in
theory. The downside is that most designs require you to perform an alignment procedure each
time you use it, so you still need to know your naked-eye stars.
Sky & Telescope / Craig Michael Utter
Currently in vogue are the computer-controlled Go To scopes appearing on the market in various
guises. These have mounts that are controlled either by a built-in computer or remotely by an
external PC. This allows you to direct the scope to any object in the computer's database.

At first glance these "Go To" units would appear to be the answer to a novice's dream, since they
ostensibly take the hard work out of finding elusive objects like faint galaxies, star clusters, and
asteroids. "Hey," you might think, "I don't have to learn the sky!"

But it's not quite like that.

There's no denying that when well engineered (read expensive), these robotic scopes are great
fun to use, as they almost magically slew across the sky in search of whatever you've keyed in,
zeroing in on the target to be presented in the eyepiece. But this technology is only beginning to
mature to the point where these scopes will automatically orient themselves when you take them
outside and switch them on. Almost all Go To systems will ask you to enter the geographical
location of your viewing site (or the nearest city) and the date and time at the beginning of each
observing session. This lets the onboard computer calculate the positions of any celestial objects
you may care to look at. Often you'll also have to level the telescope's tube, point it north (or
south in the Southern Hemisphere), and then launch into an alignment procedure that uses two
bright stars (which you must know by name) to synchronize the telescope's coordinate system
with that of the sky.

It's true that this setup routine is easily mastered with practice. But it does take time. And for
someone completely unfamiliar with the sky, the vast majority of the current batch of robotic
scopes have the potential to be very frustrating at first. Still, some help is on the way. The newest
crop of Go To scopes include their own Global Positioning System devices to at least tell you
(and the telescope) exactly where you are and what time it is, making setup a little easier.

Then there's the question of how accurately the mechanical parts actually point the telescope
where the electronics think it's pointing. At astronomical magnifications, there is no room here
for even very tiny errors meaning any costcutting in the mechanical design and
manufacturing. A cheaply made Go To scope won't work, no matter how fancy the electronics
are.
Here's one last thing to keep in mind: the money spent on a Go To scope's electronic mount could
be invested in a traditionally mounted scope of larger aperture.

Finders

Some form of low-power, wide-field-of-view finderscope needs to be mounted on your main

telescope, to help you point it where you want. Look for optical finders (top) that have front
lenses (objectives) larger than 1 inch (25 mm). Or, if you prefer, opt for a reflex sight that
projects a red dot or bullseye onto the sky. A reflex sight limits you to naked-eye targets with no
magnification, but you can still star-hop to fainter targets.
SkyWatch / Craig Michael Utter
When used at medium to high power, a telescope shows you only a tiny little bit of sky. This
make pointing at a target a frustrating process unless the scope has a finder.

As the name suggests, a finder assists you in locating celestial objects. All but the smallest
scopes need one. Most common is a miniature telescope attached by a bracket near the eyepiece
of the main scope. It has a low magnification and hence a wide field of view, and is equipped
with crosshairs like a gunsight. Once you align it correctly with the main scope, centering an
object in the crosshairs gets it into the main telescope's view.

You need a reasonably big, high-quality finderscope. Look for one that has an aperture (front
lens) larger than an inch (25mm) and appears well-made. Dinky, nearly worthless finders are all
too common on cheap telescopes.

A popular alternative is the reflex sight, which projects a point or ring(s) of light on the
background sky when you look from behind. Many people prefer this intuitively simple option,
but you're limited to naked-eye objects because this type of finder has no magnification and no
more light-gathering aperture than the pupil of your eyeball. You can, however, still "star-hop"
from naked-eye targets to deep-sky objects using the main scope at its lowest power &#151 if
you have sufficiently detailed sky maps.

Can I Photograph What I See?

Recording what you see, either on film or digitally, can be a rewarding experience. A quality
telescope on a driven equatorial mount, a guide scope, and a camera will get you started in
astrophotography. And taking a photo is only half the fun. Image-processing software lets you
enhance your picture to bring out things in it that may otherwise escape the eye.
Courtesy Alan Dyer
Assuming you've bought a new scope, it's almost inevitable that you'll wish to use it to capture
the beauty of a planetary image on film or to emulate the marvelous gallery of deep-sky
photographs that grace magazines such as Sky & Telescope. In principle there's no reason why
you shouldn't be able to, given the necessary equipment, inclination, and time. But it's wise to get
used to operating your new scope visually, and learning your way around the sky, before
embarking on the astrophotographic adventure.

Photography of the heavens can be incredibly rewarding, but it's as much an art as a science. The
learning curve can be steep, the equipment can get expensive, and getting it right can consume a
lot of time. While any telescope will permit you to shoot the Moon, for just about everything else
you'll need a scope on a very rigid, well-engineered, and precisely driven mount.

Everything Has Its Price

While it may be tempting, resist the urge to buy the cheapest telescope available. Most of these
are poor quality optically, mechanically, or both, and will disappoint. If you've a budget of less
than $200, consider good binoculars instead.
That said, quality instruments can sometimes be obtained secondhand that an experienced
member of your local astronomy club may be willing to check out on your behalf. Or have you
considered building one yourself? If you're gifted with your hands and enjoy working in wood,
it's possible to buy the optics and make a top-quality Dobsonian reflector yourself. Again,
members of your local club may help.

Even if you have lots of money to spend, don't buy the largest, most expensive telescope you can
find just yet. Start smaller and more manageable. If you're just learning to identify the
constellations, many of the advanced features of a really expensive instrument aren't likely to be
any use to you. And remember not to get something too heavy to set up, take down, and store.

And, remember you need more than glass and metal. Be sure to save some of your budget for
additional eyepieces to expand the scope's magnification range, a very detailed sky atlas
(essential!) and good guidebooks, and any number of other accessories particularly if you
have astrophotography in mind.

Last Thoughts

Whoever you are and wherever you live, there's a telescope just right for you. One of the rewards
of amateur astronomy is sharing the universe with others through your scope and you're never
too young to start!
Sky & Telescope / Craig Michael Utter
So, is there a perfect telescope out there waiting for you? Actually, there is it's the one you'll
use most often!

An optically superb but massive refractor will be effectively useless if you can't carry it outside,
and the largest Dobsonian will not show you the faintest galaxies if the only place you can use it
is a light-polluted parking lot in a city.
Consider carefully what you feel to be your primary observing interest, where you're likely to be
able to observe, and what is "portable" to you when learning how to choose a telescope.
Weightlifting is good for you, but not everyone enjoys it.

Contact your local astronomy club, which may have observing nights when you can try various
scopes and chat with their owners. Don't be shy. Your local club wouldn't have put itself in our
database unless they wanted you to call. A telescope is a big investment for most people, and the
universe is not going away. So take your time to choose your telescope. Use binoculars to get
familiar with using star charts and guidebooks to ferret out faint, difficult wonders. Doing this
will develop exactly the knowledge and skills that you'll need to use a telescope well. When you
do buy, you'll then be more likely to make a decision you're really happy with, and you'll possess
an effective key to unlocking a lifetime of cosmic wonders.

It's a clear night what are you waiting for?