Don't let marketing depts. sell you on scope! Part 1
Mar 15 '01
The Bottom Line For space buy the largest aperture telescope you can afford. For terrestrial viewing buy the best optics you can afford.
When I was a kid, I wanted a telescope in the worst way. And that is exactly how I got it, In the worst way. My parents not knowing anything about a telescope, Went to the local toy store and bought me the piece of junk-made-by-child-labor telescope. I was devastated, I was too young to know what was a good telescope was, but I could sure spot a bad one; fuzzy optics, color, fringing, distortion, and much to high of power. In astronomy circles it is known as he hobby killer. If you are getting your first scope. Here are some ( I hope) helpful guidelines:
Figure out what you want to look at. Planets and stars require a different telescope then someone viewing wildlife. I am framing this article more towards the outer space viewer but lots of things will be applicable to both.
Don’t let magnification be the deciding fact in buying a telescope. Magnification is the Least important part of the scope purchase. If lens or reflector quality is bad and the magnification is high you have a coat rack not a telescope. On the other hand, If you have great optics and relatively low magnification you have a great scope that is a joy to use. So what is the most important feature?
Aperture : The size of the opening of the telescope make a huge difference in what you see. For terrestrial viewing this is less critical but still has an effect on resolution of details. But in stargazing aperture is king. Regardless of type of scope a large collecting area will resolve more details but also will cost more bucks.
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