Buying a telescope is not an easy task for a beginner. It all depends on your goals and career in astronomy. There is no perfect fit for all observers in all conditions. You should search the telescope for the functions you need and choose the one that best suits your needs.

Choose the right type.

Refractory telescopes are best suited for observing the moon and significant planets. Refractive telescopes are long and thin and are known for their sharp, detailed, and contrasting images. They collect light through multi-element lenses. A quality small achromatic refractor with a 60-90 mm aperture will suit you if you are just a beginner. The great thing about refractive telescopes is that they are inexpensive, portable, and require little maintenance. A telescope refractor is also useful when observing mainly a city or a local area where the night sky is slightly dirty.

Reflective telescopes are also known as Newtonian telescopes. These telescopes capture light with a concave and curved mirror and show beautiful, high-resolution images with their large aperture. They are suitable for deep space and planetary observation. However, Newton’s telescopes are more fragile and require more maintenance than others. Reflective telescopes are not eligible for observation from Earth because they produce an upside-down image.

Retro reflectors use lenses and mirrors to collect and focus incident light. They are also called composite telescopes. Catadioptric oscilloscopes are considered the most versatile telescopes and offer excellent performance in every respect. They use a large opening in very compact tubes. They show gorgeous images of the moon, planets, and faint deep sky objects when viewed in dark skies away from urban areas. These oscilloscopes are best suited for astrophotography. Compared to the other two, these scopes have a wide range of accessories. A computer can completely control them; you can read the guias telescopicas to learn more.

Factors Affecting Telescope Performance

Aperture: Telescopes collect light from distant objects and focus it to produce images. The ability of a telescope to collect light is an essential characteristic. The viewfinder aperture (mirror or lens diameter) is responsible for managing light. The larger the aperture, the more light accumulates, the more you see.

Telescope Mounts: There are three main mounts for Altazimuth, Dobsonian, or Equatorial telescopes. Altazimuths are mainly recommended for ground-based and casual stargazing. The Dobson mount was primarily intended for easy maneuvering of large reflectors over six inches in size. It is a tall, square mount that sits low to the ground. Equatorial mounts are designed for astronomical observations. These bindings are more expensive and complex than altazimuth bindings. With these types of mounts, users can track or follow the movement of celestial objects across the sky with single-hand control.

Magnification – Magnification should never be a priority when purchasing a telescope. Image quality deteriorates with magnification. Nearly 300X is the maximum magnification for good-quality images. The magnification of a telescope is also known as its power and is adjusted by changing the eyepieces. Ideally, there should be three eyepieces to magnify the viewfinder: low, medium, and high. Lower magnification of 30 to 50 is recommended for observing galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae, as they cover a wide sky area.