Telescopes

So your kids have been crying and pulling your clothes begging for you to get them a telescope. The question is, can you trust your children to handle such a delicate, intricate piece of equipment? Maybe they want to be astronauts or astronomers one day, and there is a telescope perfect to suit their unquenchable thirst to explore.

The Vixen Space Eye is an excellent family-friendly telescope that has brought people of all ages together through its power to make the distant stars light up in its lenses. Let’s explore how the Space Eye has earned its reputation.

Assembly and Parts

One of the reasons behind the Vixen’s family-friendly nature is its weight. At a comfortable scale of 6 pounds (minus the tripod), the Space Eye is the lightest telescope on the market. This makes it easier for younger children to carry it around without close adult supervision. Nevertheless, you’ll want to be careful considering the telescope and its optics are still pricey.

Be careful, however—just because the telescope is light doesn’t mean it isn’t easy to tip over by accident if bumped or hit.

Eyepiece

The Space Eye is constructed with a single 50mm eyepiece which makes it suitable for entry point magnification. It also comes equipped with a slow motion 5×20 finder scope for an easier time tracking objects as they move across the sky. People with telescopes that are not equipped with finder scopes might experience their object “skipping” as they view it.

This is a refracting telescope, which according to our guide, means that it makes use of a primary lens as its objective. The maximum magnification of the Space Eye is 100x the original. This gives it a noticeable punch to its viewing power but not on the level of the Astromaster, the next step up.

The Space Eye can come equipped with a 51x magnification and additional 70mm, 20mm, and 4mmm eyepieces depending on the customer. You are likely to pay extra for these modifications.

Mount

To be able to look up into the night sky in the first place requires a particular type of mount. The Space Eye makes use of an altazimuth (alt-azimuth) mount that allows it to objects on the vertical and horizontal axis.

Overall

Prices vary on the Space Eye, but one thing you can count on with this telescope is reliability. It doesn’t have the most powerful optics in the world, but it will give you a good first impression of the stars. For its unbeatable low price, the Space Eye is fun for not just one user, but the entire family.

For a beginner, it can be hard to determine what type of telescope to purchase. There are telescopes designed for easy handling by children, but you’re probably looking to take a step further into the more advanced and sophisticated telescopes. If this is the case, then Celestron has constructed a reflector telescope called the AstroMaster 114 EQ specifically for your needs.

The AstroMaster makes use of an easy, no tool assembly process so buyers can have an easier and quicker time putting the main components together. This telescope is collectively known as a beginner’s telescope. It would make sense that the Celestron is easy to use, but it’s also a powerful instrument in its right.

Eye Piece

Depending on the seller, the AstroMaster will come with two eyepieces—10mm and 20mm. The 10mm is a 100x magnification eyepiece while the 20mm is a 50x magnification. This will be helpful in clearing up blurry images of objects near and far.

All in all, the eyepieces of this telescope pack a powerful punch, with many reviewers able to see planets such as Saturn and clear views of the moon’s many craters. Compared to most stars and galaxies, the local planets in our solar system are relatively easy to see, so don’t be afraid to test the Astromaster’s magnification to see what otherworldly views you can discover.

Star Pointer

The star pointer is not all too different from a handheld laser pointer. It attaches to the telescope and fires a laser into the sky to match what you are looking at. If you want to see something during the day, the color of the laser can sometimes be interchangeable, but Celestron’s is primarily red.

Object Database

Purchasing the AstroMaster will also provide you with the SkyX – First Light Edition database. The software has over 10,000-night sky objects stored on star maps(which you can also print) and a variety of HD images that you can look at.

Cool Features

If you’re willing to spend a little more, you can upgrade the AstroMaster to accomplish even more feats.

Have you ever thought about tracking the movement of an object across the sky? It may look like all those stars and planets in the heavens are standing still, but in reality, they are moving at a rapid pace. If you look away from your telescope for a few minutes or even adjust the settings slightly, whatever you were viewing could be miles away in a different part of the sky.

The AstroMaster solves this problem by offering a motor drive that locks on to a particular object of your choosing and tracks its movement across the sky. Even further, the telescope itself automatically adjusts for the curvature and spin of the Earth during the night.

Overall

For the price, the AstroMaster is one of the best telescopes on the market, and it is a worthwhile investment. It also comes equipped with the tripod necessary to maneuver the telescope across a wide range of space. If you’ve outgrown your child’s telescope but aren’t quite ready to make a huge leap into stargazing, the AstroMaster is the right choice for you.

When you set out to purchase a telescope, ask yourself, what do you want to see? Do you want to be able to see planets and bright, pulsing stars? Maybe you want to be able to view objects but aren’t keen on purchasing the most advanced telescope on the market.

Telescope manufacturers construct different telescopes according to the user’s needs. Some are specialized in astrophotography—taking pictures of the various objects in the night sky. Others are simple and easily assembled for children to get the most out of them.

In this guide, we will explore what you will want to look for in a good telescope when you decide to purchase one for the first time. We only wish we could provide you with the power of the Hubble Space Telescope in your hands. But with this guide, you’ll be looking at the most affordable and accessible options.

For further information on the individual and more accurate parts of different telescopes, check out our guide here.

What to Look for When Purchasing a Telescope

There are some different features that you should consider when seeking to buy a telescope. However, some things could deter you from buying one as well. For instance, some telescopes and their ads talk only about the power of the telescope. Even though power can be a major feature, which you will learn shortly, generally, a telescope that has a large power ad is on the lower end of quality.

As we mentioned earlier, different telescopes are built for specific purposes; you make sure you’re looking at one that suits your needs. However, there are basic features that most telescopes will have.

Aperture

The aperture of a telescope can refer to one of two things: the objective mirror of a reflector or the objective lens of a refractor. This is the part that gives a telescope “power”. The aperture is required to let the light into the scope, and therefore, this is why it is important to look at. For most amateurs, you want a refractor around 2.4 inches to 3.1 inches and a reflector around 4.5 inches to 6 inches.

Price

With this aspect, one saying comes to mind, “You get what you pay for.” This saying is particularly the case when purchasing a telescope. There are a lot of different telescopes on the market, and some of them are more expensive than others. To tell the truth, the average astronomer does not need an extremely expensive telescope. They can observe what they want to see without spending all of the excess money. However, if you are interested in higher end astronomy, you will not be able to witness it with a lower price ranged telescope.

Mount

This part is a lot more important than most people might think. The mount connects the cylindrical object that is the telescope to the tripod. You will be able to choose between one of two types of mounts: an equatorial mount or an altazimuth mount. An equatorial mount is designed to look at the sky while the altazimuth mount is designed more like a camera tripod and can be adjusted up and down & back and forth.

Refractor/Reflector

When light first enters a telescope, it hits the objective, which promptly redirects the light to the appropriate lens. Most telescopes will vary between refracting and reflecting lenses. A refracting telescope makes use of an actual lens called the primary lens as its objective. A reflecting telescope uses one or more curved lens to focus light in different directions to produce the highest quality image.

1. Reflecting Telescope-Primary Mirror
2. Refracting Telescope-Primary Lens

This is the part that holds the pieces that allow the light to come through, which lets you view the stars. Refractors come in different sizes, and they have two different lenses.

Focal Length

The focal length of the entire telescope is the total distance between the primary lens (or mirror) and the focal point of the eyepieces (where all light rays meet). With telescopes and indeed most optics, their ability to gather light everything and focus it towards your eye is everything.

• Not all light rays approach the objective at a straight line, most are curved or bent and need to be redirected towards the eyepiece. However, these bent light rays will not hit the same focal point as the straight facing light rays do. They will hit different focal points that are parallel to the main one.
  • Where all these focal points are lined up is called the focal plane and it is here where all possible light is focused to your eye.

How does this pertain to you? Before you purchase a telescope, you’ll probably have to do a little math and determine what you want to be able to see.

Eye Relief

You probably don’t hear too much about eye relief unless you wear glasses. Eye relief is commonly known as the distance between the outermost lens (the one closest to your eye) and the pupil of your eye that absorbs the light running through the various optics of the telescope.

You’ll probably be placing your eye up close and personal with the eyepiece, but those with glasses or contact lenses will have a more difficult time with eyepieces with short eye relief. Those with glasses or contacts should look into orthoscopic eyepieces which provide a narrow and focused view uninhibited by short eye relief.

Eyepieces

Eyepieces are some of the most delicate pieces of telescopes, and it’s important you know what eyepiece you’re handling before you buy them. For this reason, we recommend you try them out in person at a store, club, or university open to the public.

For most telescopes, you only need one eyepiece, but some telescopes will have two or three to make it easier to view different aspects of the stars. For most beginners, the eyepiece is around 25mm. This is large enough to let you see what you wish to, but not too large to distort the images that you find.

• Don’t be fooled by telescopes advertising “high power” and “high magnification”. In the end, your first telescope purchase will depend on what you want to see and how you want to see it. A “high-powered” telescope may have such powerful magnification that you can’t see what you’re looking at because it’s too bright.
  • Having an eyepiece at a “low-power” will give you a greater field of view. That is—you have a wider field to look at more than one object. This is where you can decide to swap out for a higher magnification lens. Don’t settle for just one eyepiece that is either low or high power. Having more than one is usually the norm.

When we talk about eyepieces, the term magnification often comes up as well. This is because the magnification is directly related to the focal length of the entire telescope, and the focal length of the eyepiece. To get magnification, divide the focal length by the focal length of the eyepiece you are currently using.

• If a focal length is 2500 and the eyepiece is 25, then the magnification 100x (the “x” usually symbolizes magnification).

The smallest known eyepiece available to consumers is around 2.5mm while the largest extends beyond 60mm. Different combinations of focal lengths and focal lengths of eyepieces will yield you different sights and perhaps better quality views of the same celestial object.

• Millimeters stand for the length of eyepieces by their diameter.

Tips and Advice

Not all telescopes are going to have the desired specifications. Before you purchase your first telescope, test its magnification and limits before looking into replacement or more powerful lenses. Since a telescope’s optics are extremely sensitive, you should handle every piece with the utmost care. We don’t want your hard earned money to go down the drain because one of the lenses has a big, dirty finger print on it!

One of the great wonders in life is the sky. At night, when the sun has gone down and all the lights are turned off, we can stare up at this massive expanse of black with millions of tiny little dots in it, and we’re reminded just how small we are on a tiny little planet in the midst of a huge universe. So much of it is visible with just the naked eye. It’s quite enjoyable to lay on the lawn and look up at all the stars blanketing the sky, but it’s another feeling altogether to be able to experience them much closer through the lens of a telescope.

Buying Your First Telescope

A good home telescope doesn’t have to be expensive. There is a wide array available out there for any budget and any experience level, whether you’re looking to spend less than $50 or over $1000. As with everything, do your research and find the telescope that’s right for you and your personal situation. Amazon has hundreds of options to choose from, ranging from small and easy to use to massively complex monstrosities. Make sure you read the reviews before you buy, both good and bad. They will typically tell your more than the description will.

Setting Up Your Telescope

Once you’ve purchased your new telescope, you will need to assemble it. Follow the instructions provided carefully. Do not rush. Make sure everything is put together exactly how it is supposed to be. A mistake in assembly could result in an inaccurate or completely unusable telescope. Once you have it together, now it’s time to test it. Don’t try your first test at night. Night objects, such as the stars and moon, are harder to focus on and move due to the earth’s rotation. Try it out during the day and pick a stable object, such as a tree. Focus on the tree and practice using your adjustments.

A Note On Power

When first starting out with telescopes, many people assume that more power means a better telescope. This isn’t true. Ignore the claims of the ‘Barlow’ lens allowing 500x magnification. While it’s true, it will also give you a blurry image. Imagine blowing up your favorite photograph. The larger you make it, the blurrier it becomes, right? This is what happens with the telescope. Take note of what size your reflector is and multiply that by 50. That is the max power you should use. For example, if you have a 6-inch reflector, the most power you should use is 300. The image will be smaller, but clearer. In fact, a good rule of thumb is to use half of the max to achieve the best image.

Test It Out

As you focus on your tree or other stable object, play around with your adjustments. See what they all do, what effect they have when you twist one way versus the other. Now is the time to really figure out the ins and outs of your particular scope. If you have one of the more popular home telescopes, read the reviews on Amazon. Often, reviews will post advice or things they learned in their reviews. Search for your telescope on a search engine. In all likelihood, someone has posted a guide out there that you can use to fine tune your own viewing. There are numerous resources you can make use of. Don’t be afraid to look for them.

Get Some Guides

While many telescopes will come with a basic star map, it would be best to get one of your own. There are numerous books out there that will give you a full overview of what to look for and what you will see when you look through your telescope. Find one that will give you a good idea of what you can see from where you are and give good instructions on how to locate each constellation.

Find The Right Spot

Finding the right place to set up your telescope is key. Sometimes your options are limited, such as to a back deck or rooftop terrace, but if you can, do a little testing and see where you get the clearest night view. You want someplace that’s dark without a lot of ambient light. If you are stuck on the deck, turn off the lights inside the house. If you can remove yourself to a dark area, that is going to be the most effective for you. Also keep in mind the height of your telescope. Some are designed to be set on railings or tables. You don’t want to be using a miniature telescope and have to lay on the ground for hours if you find that uncomfortable.

Start Exploring

Now that you’re all set up, it’s time to start your journey through space. The easiest object to find is usually the moon. It’s the biggest and brightest. But it’s also one of the most interesting. With a telescope, you can see amazing detail on the moon. Did you know that the moon reflects the Earth? If you look closely, you can see a negative image of the Earth on the moon, due to the way the Sun reflects off the oceans. Other easy to see objects are the other planets in our solar system, especially Jupiter and its moons, Mars, and Saturn. Some constellations are easily recognizable, including the Big and Little Dippers and Orion’s Belt. The Milky Way is a stunning cluster of beauty that shouldn’t be missed. Pull out your guide and see what you can find.

Owning a telescope can be a rewarding experience if you take the time to set it up right and learn how to use it before trying to explore the night sky. With a little patience, a lot of interest, and a good guide book, you’ll be discovering the wonders of the universe in no time at all.

Telescopes have the ability to see objects from hundreds of thousands of miles away in space, but how do they work? Truth is, telescopes come in many shapes and sizes, and they range from the little plastic tube that you can buy at the toy store for $2 to the Hubble Space Telescope. On the middle end of the spectrum, you have amateur telescopes that fit in the middle, and while they are not as powerful as the Hubble, they can still accomplish incredible things like read the writing on a dime from more than 150 feet away. When it comes to the amateur telescopes of today, you have two types: a refractor telescope and a reflector telescope.

The Two Telescopes

Instead of using lenses, the reflector telescope uses mirrors while the refractor telescope uses glass lenses. They both accomplish the same thing, but they do it in different ways. To understand what makes telescopes work, first, let’s look at why you cannot see far away. For example, why can’t you read a dime from 150 feet away without a telescope? The answer is that the object does not take up enough space on your eye screen. To give an analogy, it is like how digital cameras couldn’t see the writing on a dime because it does not cover enough pixels on your retinal sensor.

Using a bigger eye, you can collect light from the object and create a bright image that will magnify the image to stretch it over more pixels on the retina. This is what lets you see further away.

The Objective Lens and the Eyepiece Lens

The objective lenses, also known as the primary mirror, will collect light from distant objects and bring the light to a point of focus. On the other hand, you have the eyepiece lens, and this takes bright light from the objective lens, and it focuses the objective lens. In other words, it spreads out and magnifies the primary mirror. Telescopes operate using the same principle that you find with a magnifying glass. In essence, the idea behind it is to collect as much light as possible to form images inside the telescope, and the light magnifies it like a glass that takes up the space on your retina.

The Ability to Collect Light

Your telescope’s light collecting capabilities relate directly to the diameter of the lens or mirror that is known as the aperture or objective lens. The aperture gathers light, and the larger your aperture, the more light that your telescope can collect and bring into focus. The more light that you have, the brighter the final image will be. How does a telescope magnify things? A telescope’s ability to magnify images will depend on the lenses and the combinations that are used. The eyepiece will perform a magnification, and that magnification can achieved with almost all telescopes.

Why Can’t the Eye See Objects at a Distance?

While human eyes do have the ability to see for long distances, most of it will appear to be a tiny point in the sky. For example, humans can see the Andromeda Galaxy, which is more than 2.5 million light years away, but even in a massive galaxy like Andromeda, it appears as a tiny point in the sky to the naked eye. As an object gets further away, the harder will be to see, but that is why telescopes have proven an invaluable tool for exploring the known universe.

Will a Bigger Lens Yield a Bigger Image?

If you want to make a distant object appear bigger and brighter, you want to collect more light. You can create a brighter image so that it takes up more space on your retina. In fact, the big lens of telescopes will collect more light than what the naked eye has the ability to collect, and this focuses the light to a point from inside the telescope. Your telescope’s ability to collect light will largely depend on the objective lens, which will gather and focus the light from a narrow portion of the sky. The performance of your telescope will depend almost entirely on the size of your objective lens, which is why you should look for a telescope with a larger objective lens.

Refracting telescopes have sometimes been seen as inferior. If you have ever watched light bend through a prism, then you know where the problem comes in at with a refracting telescope: the lens. As light passes through the glass, it will slow down, and while lenses have the shape to bend light, the amount of bending will depend on the wavelength. Understanding this, however, you can make an informed decision on the best choice for a telescope. Reflecting telescopes can be much larger, and they look deeper into space because of the design.