My First Telescope Need Advice

In summary, you have a nice scope, but you may need to invest in a higher power eyepiece or a barlow lens to get the best results.
  • #1
upgrade3
9
0
Hi i am new to this forum so i apologize if I've posted this in the wrong place.
I have brought my first telescope:
http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/telescopes/celestron-skyprodigy-130.html [Broken]
I have a puzzling problem though witch I am sure u guys will know the answer to.
I paid a lot of money for this scope and the clarity is amazing but the size of planets is miniscule Jupiter looks like a tiny orange dot with even smaller specs of light with are 4 of its moons i have seen people with less powerful scopes get much bigger images of planets even Mars and venus were just tiny red and purple colored dots you can only just make out there spherical planets I am using a 9mm lens.
Do i need a better one or is it a case of calibrating the whole scope from camera to mirrors ?
id really appreciate some guidance as I am really frustrated and don't know who to ask not many people where i live know anything about it I am in the uk.
the only thing i can see clearly and very large is the moon id love to see some galaxys but haven't bothered as I am sure i won't be able to at the moment :(
 
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  • #2
generally speaking, you paid for a nice computer guidance and assistance system, with a small telescope attached to it. however, your problem relates directly to the focal length of the optical system of your scope - you have a short focal length whose strengths would be for wide field observing. this is why you are having to use a very short FL eyepiece to achieve enough magnification to see any detail on objects such as jupiter. 4mm eyepieces are notoriously difficult to use due to very limited eye relief.

for planetary observations, you typically would want a long focal length scope where you can utilize longer FL eyepieces with greater eye relief. also, a scope with a larger diameter objective will, by gathering considerably more light, greatly enhance your observing enjoyment.

however, there are many wonderful and interesting things to be learned and seen with the scope you have, and i encourage you to use it's abilities to the fullest. brighter/larger objects such as the moon can be a lifetime of study and visual enjoyment all by themselves. likewise, observations of the sun can be totally fascinating (there are very inexpensive ways to construct a solar filter which allow for safe direct viewing of the sun).
 
  • #3
so ur saying there's no way i can see planets bigger ?
when i ordered it it says its very good for planet observation and even deep space and galaxys I am so confused so i i can't do anything about it il lnever b able to see a galaxy either
 
  • #5
i don't think there is i have a 10yr guarantee to so could always fry the circuits lol but let's just say i can't take it back is there anything i can do ?
 
  • #6
You've got a 5" scope there. That's about average for a beginner scope. Nothing wrong with that.

There are only 2 things you can do to see a larger image:
1] get a higher power eyepiece. Your 9mm is pretty high but you could go higher, to a 4 or so. That would double the size of objects. That would cost you, and I'm not sure it's wise to invest that kind of money in this scope.

2] Use a barlow lens. They are cheap. A 2x or 3x barlow will double or triple the size of object but at the cost of brightness. Frankly, I do not recommend even bothering with a barlow.

I think the thing you need to adjust is your expectations. I have a similar scope and Jupiter resolves to a disc smaller than my pinkie nail at arms length. That's what you should expect. You should be able to make out the darkest bands on Jupiter but the Great Red Eye might or might not be visible depending on how good your observing conditions are.
 
  • #7
upgrade3 said:
i don't think there is i have a 10yr guarantee to so could always fry the circuits lol but let's just say i can't take it back is there anything i can do ?

At best they'll replace it. They won't give you a different one, or give you your money back.
 
  • #8
upgrade3 said:
il lnever b able to see a galaxy either

Well, you actually don't need a scope to see a galaxy, just your eyes. Andromeda is visible to the naked eye. (So is Milky Way for all that matter.) :smile:
 
  • #9
ok thanks for the advice eveyone so what kind of scope I am i looking at buying to see objects bigger? especially planets and galaxys ?

DaveC426913 said:
Well, you actually don't need a scope to see a galaxy, just your eyes. Andromeda is visible to the naked eye. (So is Milky Way for all that matter.) :smile:

yes i kno that but its not the same as seeing it much more clearly through a scope
 
  • #10
Please read the thread that I linked. There are many pages of useful information there, and it would be counterproductive to try to duplicate that info here. If you want to add questions to that thread, they will be preserved so that others can benefit from the advice that you get (the thread is Sticky).
 
  • #11
A 2x barlow should solve most of your planetary viewing issues. An f5 scope is not ideal for planetary viewing, as already noted, but, the wide field views will be much more appreciated when you move on to deep sky objects. A 2x barlow with a 9mm ep will get you to about 150x, compared to the 76x you are currently getting. The practical magnification limit for your scope is about 250x and even that much magnification will rarely be usable save when conditions are outstanding [~ half a dozen times a year in most locations]. Under average conditions, 150x is about the maximum useful magnification with your scope. The plus part of barlowing vs buying a shorter fl eyepiece is eye relief - which is pretty bad in most ep's under about 6mm. The downside of a barlow is you lose some light due to the extra lens elements. Planets are fairly bright though so this should not be much of an issue.
 
  • #12
upgrade3 said:
ok thanks for the advice eveyone so what kind of scope I am i looking at buying to see objects bigger? especially planets and galaxys ?

Unfortunately I think you have too high of an expectation for viewing astronomical objects. Your view of Jupiter is about average from an amateur telescope. Currently Jupiter is nearing conjunction, which means that it is nearing the same part of the sky as the Sun is in. In a month or two it will be on the opposite side of the Sun as Earth is and will not be visible. This means that we are currently much further away from it than we were back in October when Jupiter was at opposition, which means that it is opposite the Sun in the sky, and hence at it's closest approach to Earth. The result is that Jupiter appears smaller and dimmer now than it does at opposition. But don't worry, in about 6 months Jupiter will be bigger and brighter and will be approaching opposition again. You're bound to get some good views even with your scope. I'd personally recommend getting a 2x barlow just so that you don't have to pear through the 9x with it's much smaller eye relief.

Also, if you want to view galaxies then realize that you are BARELY going to be able to make any of them out with any size amateur scope that doesn't cost several thousand dollars. And at best they will look like fuzzy objects. Your view will also vary greatly depending on how much light pollution is at your observation site. If you near a large city then the only things you will be able to see clearly will be the Moon and Planets, and a few of the brightest deep sky objects, such as Andromeda and a few star clusters.

Also, do you know how a telescope works? Such as how to determine the magnification a setup will give you?
 
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  • #13
turbo said:
Please read the thread that I linked. There are many pages of useful information there, and it would be counterproductive to try to duplicate that info here. If you want to add questions to that thread, they will be preserved so that others can benefit from the advice that you get (the thread is Sticky).

I Will read through this in the morning when my mind is fresh thanks for the link.

Chronos said:
A 2x barlow should solve most of your planetary viewing issues. An f5 scope is not ideal for planetary viewing, as already noted, but, the wide field views will be much more appreciated when you move on to deep sky objects. A 2x barlow with a 9mm ep will get you to about 150x, compared to the 76x you are currently getting. The practical magnification limit for your scope is about 250x and even that much magnification will rarely be usable save when conditions are outstanding [~ half a dozen times a year in most locations]. Under average conditions, 150x is about the maximum useful magnification with your scope. The plus part of barlowing vs buying a shorter fl eyepiece is eye relief - which is pretty bad in most ep's under about 6mm. The downside of a barlow is you lose some light due to the extra lens elements. Planets are fairly bright though so this should not be much of an issue.

Right i will try a 2x Barlow lens then but i don't understand why they say its very good for planetary veiwing and deep sky objects if you check the website i linked in my first post it clearly states its capable of seeing many thing it has apparently over 4000 objects programmed into its database, surely celestron couldn't lie about all this ?? also out of curiosity who would u guys say is the best manufacturer of telescopes ?

Drakkith said:
Unfortunately I think you have too high of an expectation for viewing astronomical objects. Your view of Jupiter is about average from an amateur telescope. Currently Jupiter is nearing conjunction, which means that it is nearing the same part of the sky as the Sun is in. In a month or two it will be on the opposite side of the Sun as Earth is and will not be visible. This means that we are currently much further away from it than we were back in October when Jupiter was at opposition, which means that it is opposite the Sun in the sky, and hence at it's closest approach to Earth. The result is that Jupiter appears smaller and dimmer now than it does at opposition. But don't worry, in about 6 months Jupiter will be bigger and brighter and will be approaching opposition again. You're bound to get some good views even with your scope. I'd personally recommend getting a 2x barlow just so that you don't have to pear through the 9x with it's much smaller eye relief.

Also, if you want to view galaxies then realize that you are BARELY going to be able to make any of them out with any size amateur scope that doesn't cost several thousand dollars. And at best they will look like fuzzy objects. Your view will also vary greatly depending on how much light pollution is at your observation site. If you near a large city then the only things you will be able to see clearly will be the Moon and Planets, and a few of the brightest deep sky objects, such as Andromeda and a few star clusters.

Also, do you know how a telescope works? Such as how to determine the magnification a setup will give you?

thanks for all the info and i understand that telescopes work by how much light they intake and how long the tube is and how wide determine different aspects of what you can view but I am still very new to this I've always loved astrology but I am new to using a telescope and its very complicated the first time round nobody i kno knows a thing about them and there's no shops near me so i can't go in and ask anybody, its very frustrating you guys have helped more than anyone so far, id also like to find what accessories i can buy for my telescope without ordering from celestron website obviously i could get them cheaper from amazon or ebay trouble is i have no idea where to look for lenses and filters that could fit my telescope? if someone could explain in detail lenses and all aspects of a telescope that would greatly help me furthermore i would greatly appreciate it.
 
  • #14
upgrade3 said:
it clearly states its capable of seeing many thing it has apparently over 4000 objects programmed into its database, surely celestron couldn't lie about all this ??
And it certainly can. But being able to point to over 4000 coordinates in the night sky is not saying anything about what you can expect to see. You'll see them but you won't get Hubble-like images. I think you may have had your expectations set a little high by marketing. (a lesson equally applicable to Cosmo and Victoria Secret ads, and for very similar reasons :wink:).
 
  • #15
Celestron is a highly regarded telescope OEM and their products are generally very good. They are not, however, the best source for accessories, which tend to be overpriced [you pay for the name]. There are numerous after market sources for accessories and many of these products have excellent value. Antares is one that comes to mind, but, there are many. There are also forums where accessories are discussed in great detail by experienced amateurs and able to answer most any question you can imagine - e.g., cloudy nights.
 
  • #16
DaveC426913 said:
And it certainly can. But being able to point to over 4000 coordinates in the night sky is not saying anything about what you can expect to see. You'll see them but you won't get Hubble-like images. I think you may have had your expectations set a little high by marketing. (a lesson equally applicable to Cosmo and Victoria Secret ads, and for very similar reasons :wink:).

Of course i won't see Hubble-like images I am not completely stupid but id of thought you would be able to see things a little better than I am currently seeing them.
For example there are videos on youtube with smaller cheaper scopes than mine where planets are viewed much bigger than I am seeing them.

Chronos said:
Celestron is a highly regarded telescope OEM and their products are generally very good. They are not, however, the best source for accessories, which tend to be overpriced [you pay for the name]. There are numerous after market sources for accessories and many of these products have excellent value. Antares is one that comes to mind, but, there are many. There are also forums where accessories are discussed in great detail by experienced amateurs and able to answer most any question you can imagine - e.g., cloudy nights.

Yeah i saw a filter and lens kit for about £150 on amazon! so i can but different branded lenses and accessories and they will fit my scope ? if so can u point me to the right place cause i don't fancy paying ridiculous amounts if i can get them cheaper thanks. How will i kno if they will fit my scope ?
 
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  • #17
It's time to dial down the commercial ads and expectations, and get some expert guidance. If you bought a $700 scope without visiting some clubs and star-parties first, I can't really help you. You should have done your homework and peered through enough star-party-scopes to figure out what you wanted, and what you could afford.

Best of luck in future purchases.
 
  • #18
turbo said:
It's time to dial down the commercial ads and expectations, and get some expert guidance. If you bought a $700 scope without visiting some clubs and star-parties first, I can't really help you. You should have done your homework and peered through enough star-party-scopes to figure out what you wanted, and what you could afford.

Best of luck in future purchases.

yeah so where can i get expert guidance ?
 
  • #19
upgrade3 said:
Of course i won't see Hubble-like images I am not completely stupid but id of thought you would be able to see things a little better than I am currently seeing them.
I wasn't meaning to suggest anything of the sort.:redface:
 
  • #20
upgrade3 said:
yeah so where can i get expert guidance ?

turbo has got the best answer: you want to join a local star gazing club.
 
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  • #21
DaveC426913 said:
While a little brusque in his response, turbo has got the best answer: you want to join a local star gazing club.

just joined one that has access to a 24inch dobsonian in a huge controlled rotating building so I am looking forward to using that ill try to ask them some questions on my next visit i did ask one guy but his answer blew my head off this is y id prefer to learn at my own pace so i can gain an understanding on my own.
 
  • #22
upgrade3 said:
just joined one that has access to a 24inch dobsonian in a huge controlled rotating building so I am looking forward to using that ill try to ask them some questions on my next visit i did ask one guy but his answer blew my head off this is y id prefer to learn at my own pace so i can gain an understanding on my own.
Well, I think you've encountered the pitfall of what happens when attempting to gain an understanding on your own.

What did he tell you? And almost as important: what did you ask him?Sidenote: board policy requires attention to grammar, punctuation and spelling.
In the interest of conveying ideas as clearly as possible, posts are required to show reasonable attention to written English communication standards. This includes the use of proper grammatical structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. SMS messaging shorthand, such as using "u" for "you", is not acceptable.
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=414380
 
  • #23
upgrade3 said:
just joined one that has access to a 24inch dobsonian in a huge controlled rotating building so I am looking forward to using that ill try to ask them some questions on my next visit i did ask one guy but his answer blew my head off this is y id prefer to learn at my own pace so i can gain an understanding on my own.

I would do just what you're doing... find help online like you are getting here. You've learned that planets are small using small focal length telescopes, a 2X or 3X Barlow is your best option at this point and that you can't fully trust advertising literature. You have a very good telescope package for your first scope! It's small enough to grab and go... even if you want to get out to some dark sites, and you don't have any serious issues finding about 4000 objects if they are in your sky. Rejoice! Buy a[/PLAIN] [Broken] good 2.5X Barlow and brag to your friends about all the fun you're having.
 
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  • #24
For people in some locations, grab-and-go is a nice option. Decent small refractors and moderate-sized Newtonians can get you a long way. People with less-demanding storage and transportation issues can step up the aperture to a nice Dob' for less money than much smaller driven scopes cost.

This morning my wife "gave" my unused Celestron Comet-Catcher (Schmidt-Newtonian) and Velbon video tripod to a co-worker. He wanted it for his daughter and wanted to pay for it, so I told her to accept $40 - no more. He's not well-off financially, and he wanted a basic instrument so that he and his daughter could learn their way around the night sky. I sure didn't want him shopping at WalMart.
 
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  • #25
upgrade3 said:
For example there are videos on youtube with smaller cheaper scopes than mine where planets are viewed much bigger than I am seeing them.

That isn't necessarily because your telescope is poor. The amount of magnification is the result of the focal length of the telescope divided by the focal length of the eyepiece(that number in mm on the eyepiece). If you have a very short focal length then you need a very small focal length eyepiece to get a high zoom. Using your 9mm eyepiece in your scope which has a focal length of 650mm gives you a magnification of 72x. I guarantee you that getting a 2x barlow will solve your magnification issue. This will bump your magnification up to 144x. Realize that you will NOT see the planets clearly at high magnification. Not only is your scope itself limited, but the atmosphere itself will greatly reduce the clarity of the planet. If you stare at it you will notice a "shimmering" or "wavering" of the details on the planet. If you keep staring and get some experience you can see "between" the times of bad seeing (when the wavering is bad) and for a second or two you can make out much more detail as the atmosphere is steady for a moment.

Yeah i saw a filter and lens kit for about £150 on amazon! so i can but different branded lenses and accessories and they will fit my scope ? if so can u point me to the right place cause i don't fancy paying ridiculous amounts if i can get them cheaper thanks. How will i kno if they will fit my scope ?

I have this set of eyepieces and filters I bought and they work well enough for me: http://www.telescopes.com/telescope...and-filter-kits/125ineyepieceandfilterkit.cfm

Unfortunately telescope accessories are rarely cheap, and if they are they are probably not very well made. I'd recommend hitting up www.astromart.com or going to the classified section of www.cloudynights.com and trying to find a good used set for a decent price. Your telescope should fit all 1.25 inch (1.25") eyepieces, so you shouldn't have an issue if you stick to eyepieces of that size. There are several different types of eyepieces, from the standard Plossl Eyepieces that come in the set I linked, to wide-field Nagler's that cost a hundred or more for one eyepiece. A search on google can explain the different types, or you can hit up the forums at www.cloudynights.com for a wealth of information on all things related to astronomy.
 
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  • #26
Aside from possibly a moon filter, I wouldn't even bother with filters. Don't even consider a solar filter for an eyepiece. That is russian roulette. Owl astronomomy has a large selection of good quality, inexpensive eyepieces. They also are currently selling a Meade barlow for $10 and have higher quality ED barlows for about $20. They also do a great job explaining the various properties of oculars.
 
  • #27
Chronos said:
Aside from possibly a moon filter, I wouldn't even bother with filters. Don't even consider a solar filter for an eyepiece. That is russian roulette. Owl astronomomy has a large selection of good quality, inexpensive eyepieces. They also are currently selling a Meade barlow for $10 and have higher quality ED barlows for about $20. They also do a great job explaining the various properties of oculars.

I admit I use my filters much less than I thought I would. But then again I am primarily using my telescope for astrophotography, not for visual work.
 
  • #28
DaveC426913 said:
Well, I think you've encountered the pitfall of what happens when attempting to gain an understanding on your own.

What did he tell you? And almost as important: what did you ask him?

Sidenote: board policy requires attention to grammar, punctuation and spelling.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=414380

I asked what size lens i should use to clearly see planets and instead of saying a size i got a HUGE answer which i admit puzzled me as i am new to telescopes and I am learning how the different types work.

I apologize i am a 21 year old, I am used to texting and sending fast messages while I am at work most of my messages on here were sent from work which is why i have to try and type very fast, but ill be typing correctly from now on.

Drakkith said:
That isn't necessarily because your telescope is poor. The amount of magnification is the result of the focal length of the telescope divided by the focal length of the eyepiece(that number in mm on the eyepiece). If you have a very short focal length then you need a very small focal length eyepiece to get a high zoom. Using your 9mm eyepiece in your scope which has a focal length of 650mm gives you a magnification of 72x. I guarantee you that getting a 2x barlow will solve your magnification issue. This will bump your magnification up to 144x. Realize that you will NOT see the planets clearly at high magnification. Not only is your scope itself limited, but the atmosphere itself will greatly reduce the clarity of the planet. If you stare at it you will notice a "shimmering" or "wavering" of the details on the planet. If you keep staring and get some experience you can see "between" the times of bad seeing (when the wavering is bad) and for a second or two you can make out much more detail as the atmosphere is steady for a moment.
I have this set of eyepieces and filters I bought and they work well enough for me: http://www.telescopes.com/telescope...and-filter-kits/125ineyepieceandfilterkit.cfm

Unfortunately telescope accessories are rarely cheap, and if they are they are probably not very well made. I'd recommend hitting up www.astromart.com or going to the classified section of www.cloudynights.com and trying to find a good used set for a decent price. Your telescope should fit all 1.25 inch (1.25") eyepieces, so you shouldn't have an issue if you stick to eyepieces of that size. There are several different types of eyepieces, from the standard Plossl Eyepieces that come in the set I linked, to wide-field Nagler's that cost a hundred or more for one eyepiece. A search on google can explain the different types, or you can hit up the forums at www.cloudynights.com for a wealth of information on all things related to astronomy.

Thank you so much for all the info and sites ill check them all after work tomorrow and ill definitely be getting a barlow.

Drakkith said:
I admit I use my filters much less than I thought I would. But then again I am primarily using my telescope for astrophotography, not for visual work.

After i have learned a substantial amount about telescopes i plan to do some astrophotography.
One of my friends is a photographer and i spoke with him about it, he then purchased a mount (I believe he called it a T2 Mount) for his Nikon camera and we tested it with the scope on his rooftop, problem is the way he did it there was no lens in between so I am assuming it was mounted wrong? I remember thinking at the time surely you need a lens in the scope so the camera looks into it. Am i right in thinking the camera mount connects to the barlow and the barlow to the lens ?
what would be the correct procedure for my scope ?
 
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  • #29
upgrade3 said:
After i have learned a substantial amount about telescopes i plan to do some astrophotography.
One of my friends is a photographer and i spoke with him about it, he then purchased a mount (I believe he called it a T2 Mount) for his Nikon camera and we tested it with the scope on his rooftop, problem is the way he did it there was no lens in between so I am assuming it was mounted wrong? I remember thinking at the time surely you need a lens in the scope so the camera looks into it. Am i right in thinking the camera mount connects to the barlow and the barlow to the lens ?

Depends. I do my astrophotography at "prime focus", not with an eyepiece or lens attached. This just means that the telescope itself focuses the light onto the camera sensor. The telescope IS the lens for the camera in this setup. (In reality a camera lens IS a telescope. Both serve the exact same purpose. Light gathering and focusing.)

what would be the correct procedure for my scope ?

This depends on your camera. You can convert a standard DSLR camera into a prime focus astrophotography camera or you can buy specialized astrophotography CCD cameras. The former is usually much cheaper but produces slightly worse pictures for the same amount of exposure times as a specialized one. (I'm sure that sentence is arguable and many would have pages of comments on the whole subject of DSLR vs CCD)

Another method is mounting a camera (with lens installed) up to an eyepiece and doing it that way. That is less common to my knowledge, but it can work pretty well. Astrophotography is a huge area with lots to learn before one can really start to produce "quality" images. (Depending on your definition of what "quality" is) I've been doing it for about 10 months and have just gotten to the point where I think I'm getting decent pictures.

Cloudynights.com will have plenty of information as will any sites you find in a google search for "astrophotography". My best advice if you want to get into it is to start small at low magnification. Everything else other than planetary requires much more expensive mounts and other items than you currently have. My newest mount costs $1400 just by itself and my camera cost $1000 used. (Boy was it used...)
 
  • #30
Prime focus [using the primary mirror without any other lens in the way] is definitely the best way to start astrophotography. Eyepiece projection is difficult, even for experienced astrophotographers, and you will definitely need to upgrade your mount at that point. And by that point you will be craving more aperature. Its a viscious cycle. You will never be satisfied until you are pier mounted in your own personal observatory, and you will still be thinking about a bigger scope. It is most important to milk everything you can get out of your present scope before worrying about an upgrade. Getting a barlow should be your first priority. That is the least expensive and biggest bang for the buck right now.
 
  • #31
My wife's co-worker looked up the Comet-Catcher on the Internet the night she gave it to him and he wanted to give it back because she didn't charge him enough money. When he got it home, his little girl hugged the tripod and wanted to go right out and use it when it got dark. He told her that she'd have to wait because he needed to order an eyepiece or two and she said "But Daddy, I hate to wait!" Good feelings! Her first telescope experience will be a decent one.

No WalMart 60mm/"500X" refractors for her. I bought that CC because I wanted something grab-and-go for deep-sky stuff even though we lived in a relatively light-polluted area. Her father grew up in a densely populated region of Indiana and never saw the night sky properly until he moved here to central Maine, so the 'scope will be just as fun for him as for his little girl.

The moral of the story: Hunt down some experienced amateur astronomers and indicate your willingness to buy a telescope. You might find that you get a hell of a deal, especially if the owner likes you and you have kid(s) involved. I didn't need the money, and putting a nice little 'scope on a lawn sale will get you nothing, so the nominal charge was just enough to make him feel OK about taking a 'scope and tripod initially, so his little girl could see some faint stuff from their driveway, and perhaps graduate to something better when he's got enough money saved up.
 

1. What type of telescope is best for beginners?

There are two main types of telescopes: refracting and reflecting. Refracting telescopes use lenses to gather and focus light, while reflecting telescopes use mirrors. For beginners, a refracting telescope is generally recommended as they are easier to set up and use.

2. What is the ideal aperture size for a first telescope?

The aperture size, or the diameter of the telescope's main lens or mirror, is an important factor in determining a telescope's light-gathering ability. For a beginner, an aperture of 70-80mm is sufficient for viewing the moon, planets, and some deep-sky objects. However, a larger aperture will provide better image quality and the ability to see more distant objects.

3. How important is the mount of a telescope?

The mount is crucial for a telescope's stability and ease of use. A sturdy mount is necessary to keep the telescope steady and allow for smooth movement. For beginners, a simple alt-azimuth mount (which moves up and down and left to right) is recommended. A motorized mount can also be helpful for tracking objects in the sky.

4. Are there any accessories that are essential for a first telescope?

While not essential, there are a few accessories that can enhance a beginner's telescope experience. A red light flashlight is useful for preserving night vision while observing. A star chart or planetarium app can help identify objects in the sky. A Barlow lens can also be helpful for magnifying the telescope's view.

5. How can I learn to use my first telescope?

The best way to learn how to use your first telescope is to read the instruction manual and practice setting it up and using it during the day. Once you are comfortable with the basic functions, try observing the moon and planets at night. There are also many online resources and books available for beginners to learn about astronomy and telescope use.

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