What Type Of Telescope To Buy
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The first type of telescope ever designed was a refractor, designed by an eyeglass maker in the Netherlands in 1608. Soon after, Galileo improved on this refracting telescope design and applied its uses to astronomy.
The three main types of telescopes are refracting telescopes, reflecting telescopes, and catadioptric telescopes. There are many variations and hybrid designs for each type.
I consider a Dobsonian Reflector to be the best telescope type for a beginner due to its combination of ease-of-use, function, and affordability. For astrophotography purposes, a compact apochromatic refractor is best.
The focal length determines your field of view and will impact how far you will be able to see through your telescope and aperture will determine how much light you will capture and the level of detail.
These two factors will create a unique viewing experience based on the type of experience you are looking for. Below are the three main types of telescopes, including the advantages, disadvantages, and a few examples of each type of telescope that I have experience with.
As an astrophotographer first, visual astronomer second, I understand the confusion that some folks have about choosing their first telescope. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all telescope for great visual observations, and practical astrophotography too.
A refractor telescope has a glass objective lens as the main focusing unit to collect light at the front of a long tube. This lens is usually made up of two or more lens elements where light is bent (or refracted), as it passes through the tube, to produce a clear image and reduce distortion.
Modern refractor/refracting telescopes come in two styles: achromatic and apochromatic. Each of these styles is designed to reduce chromatic aberration (i.e. color fringing or color distortion/dispersion) differently, which is a common problem in lenses (i.e. refractors) when colors are refracted/bent incorrectly.
Such telescopes contain elements of fluorite or special, extra-low dispersion (ED) glass in the objective and produce a very crisp image that is virtually free of chromatic aberration. Due to the special materials needed in the fabrication, apochromatic refractors are usually more expensive than telescopes of other types with a comparable aperture.
Although you have to deal with chromatic aberration, refractor telescopes can be more reliable. After the initial alignment, their optical system is more resistant to misalignment than that of a reflector telescope.
They are usually much smaller and portable than other types of telescopes too. This means that you will not require a large equatorial telescope mount as you would for some of the larger telescope types.
These downsides can be mitigated by using a high-quality apochromatic refractor telescope, which is designed to reduce chromatic aberration. Additionally, a field flattener can help to improve the final image quality.
Unlike a refractor, a reflector telescope uses mirrors (that bend inward) to reflect light that has traveled down a tube, into a secondary mirror near the top of the tube directing light into the eyepiece.
A reflector telescope is said to be the best value for your money, as they offer the most aperture for your dollar. For example, a 6-inch diameter refractor telescope can cost up to 10X as much as a 6-inch Newtonian reflector.
A Newtonian reflector includes a curved, dish-shaped primary mirror to collect light at the bottom of the telescope. At the top of the telescope, a small diagonal secondary mirror directs the light from the primary mirror to the eyepiece, found on the side of the telescope.
The objective mirror on a reflector is supported along the back end of the telescope so the mirrors can be made very large. Compared to a refractor of the same size, a reflector telescope is cheaper to make and can therefore be cheaper to purchase.
I consider a Dobsonian mount design to be the best telescope for beginners. It offers a large aperture with plenty of light-gathering ability, a practical format for viewing, and an affordable price tag.
The process of collimating a reflector telescope involves precisely aligning the mirrors in the telescope using specialized, simple tools. A laser collimator is a handy tool to consider purchasing if you own a reflector telescope.
The secondary mirror in a Ritchey Chretién is held up by four struts (spider vanes), just like a Newtonian telescope. This creates diffraction spikes in the bright stars of an astrophoto, which most agree adds to the appeal of the image.
The image below shows an 11-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a native focal length of 2800mm at F/10. Thanks to its large aperture and long focal length (high magnification), this is the telescope I use to photograph planets in impressive detail.
These telescopes are great for lunar and planetary viewing, as well as terrestrial daytime use. The slower focal ratios of this type of telescope mean less light is reaching the eyepiece (or your camera) than some of the fast focal ratio telescopes out there.
If deep-sky astrophotography is your goal, choosing the right telescope will come down to the types of objects you wish to shoot. I have put together a list of 10 of the best astrophotography telescopes available, all with example images I have taken with them myself.
The majority of the deep-sky astrophotography I have taken were using apochromatic refractor telescopes. The camera was threaded directly onto the focuser drawtube of the optical tube assembly (prime focus), utilizing the native focal length of the instrument.
With that being said, many seasoned amateur astronomers will recommend having a dedicated telescope for visual astronomy (one that is easy to transport and offers comfortable views), and one that is strictly used for astrophotography purposes.
When you have your new telescope, the first time you set it up should be indoors during the day. That will allow you to gather all the pieces, read the directions, and solve any problems in a warm and well-lit environment. When you bring it outside, check that the spotting scope is properly aligned with your main telescope, otherwise finding anything in the sky will be frustrating. It can be helpful to have an experienced person walk you through that step.
Refractor Telescopes utilize specially designed lenses to focus incoming light into an image for you to see with your eye or capture with a telescope camera. They are usually long relative to their overall size, as light must flow in a straight path through the telescope tube to the eyepiece or camera. The larger the lenses in a refracting telescope, the longer the optical tube has to be to bring the image into focus. The length and size of the lens of a refractor, combined with the fact that large lenses can be difficult and expensive for glassmakers to manufacture with high quality and accuracy, means that larger refractors can get rather expensive. Most refractors available for purchase tend to be smaller than other types of telescopes, making refractors one of the most portable types of telescopes on the market.
If you want a high degree of flexibility in what you observe, a Schmidt-Cassegrain or other compound type of telescope will give you a lot of options for how to target your viewing and imaging experience.
While weighing their benefits and considerations and keeping your budget in mind, you should be able to choose a scope that will help you get the most enjoyment you can out of the night sky. Our blog on how to use telescopes for beginners includes a step-by-step guide to learn more about telescopes!
Looking to buy a telescope, but aren't sure which one to get In this guide, we dive into the pros & cons of all the popular consumer telescope designs, including the various types of refractors, reflectors, and catadioptrics out there. If you're not sure what those terms mean yet, don't worry! Just head to our blog post titled The Basic Telescope Types before reading more, and you'll be in good shape. When you're ready to begin, read on below to find the type of telescope you're curious about. If you're looking for more personalized guidance, our expert team is always standing by ready to help you find the perfect telescope. Click the button below to get in touch!
Refractors, much like camera lenses, use a series of glass lens elements to bring an image into focus. Light enters through the front lens element, is refracted (bent) into focus by other lens elements, and exits through the rear of the telescope and into an eyepiece or camera. Refractors are the simplest and most lightweight telescope design. Cheap refractors are often poorly made and can suffer from heavy chromatic aberration, otherwise known as color fringing, where bright objects like stars and planets can have colored halos around them. High-quality refractors, on the other hand, can provide some of the best views and images of any telescope design, but are the most expensive to produce. A small, widefield refractor is the best choice for those looking to begin astrophotography beyond a camera lens.
An achromatic doublet is the most affordable and simplest kind of telescope. These are some of the most common telescopes, and just about all beginner refractor telescopes will be an achromatic doublet design. By definition, an achromatic doublet uses two lenses to partially correct for chromatic aberration, or color fringing. The two lenses can allow both red and blue light to reach the focal plane at the same time, but green and magenta light arrive separately, making for colored halos around brighter stars, planets, and the moon. This makes for less-than-ideal viewing and imaging, but still plenty good enough for most beginners. An apochromatic telescope will provide much better views and images. In addition, doublets will generally have a longer focal ratio than higher-end refractors like triplets, which translates to more zoom but means some dim objects like galaxies may be too faint to spot. However, achromatic doublets can be a solid starting point for amateurs looking to enter the hobby as they are the most inexpensive kind of telescope. 59ce067264