|
Hi Skipper,
You right it can be very tricky getting a good quality telescope. There are many things to consider- cost, what you want to observe, ease of use etc. There are two basic types of telescopes the refractor and the reflector. A refractor uses a lens (or lenses) and a reflector uses a mirror to create an image. Refractors are generally harder to make so these tend to be the more expensive than reflectors. Cheaper refractors often suffer other unwanted effects that reflectors generally do not experience. The arguments for each design and all the different factors in buying a telescope are immense so I'll try to distill it a bit here.
I would suggest that, for now, you look into a good quality reflector. My first scope was a reflector. When looking for your telescope you need to make sure that the optics are good, the mount is solid and eyepieces and finderscope are good.
Optically its hard for the untrained eye to tell how good the optics are, though you might be able to see some affects. I would therefore suggest you phone a well established retailer of telescopes. You can easily find them on the internet with an internet search or in the pages of one of the national astronomy magazines. If they are good they will be able to tell you a lot about 'scopes that might suit you and your budget. This is far preferable than buying a cheap, plastic telescope with plastic eyepieces 'off the high-street shelf' which is likely to disappoint you.
One particular design of reflector which is cost effective in terms of a large light gathering mirror and its size, is the Dobsonian. Nowadays you can get a good 8" diameter (that's the size of the mirror) Dob for about £250-300 a 6" is around £100 cheaper. With a Dob you have a very simple design which for the beginner is ideal. It won't have all the whistles and bells of computer driven mounts but armed with a star atlas these instruments are great fun to use. With an 8" mirror the telescope should give good views of nebulae, double stars, the larger planets as well as the craters and mare on the Moon.
Telescope buying is difficult; as I said if you can contact a well established telescope retailer then you are already half way there.
Good luck and clear skies!
Will
Will Gater
|