Buying your First Time Telescope

By Stars & Astronomy On September 9th, 2010

When looking up at the sky, there comes a time when our thirst to see the stars in there full splendour rather then little dots becomes more than a desire. With hundreds of millions of objects in the sky to see, a planet telescope can really bring the universe to life. Your first experience in buying your first astronomical telescope is likely to determine your future with seeing space. I say this as there is much hype from the cheap telescope manufacturers telling you that you will see millions of miles away. There is loads of hype and I hope this article here about buying your first astronomical telescope will help you have a great lifelong interest and participation with astronomy and using your first telescope.

Two points that you must bear in mind before buying your first astronomical telescope:

1. Remember the pictures on the planet telescopes box are taken by a professional astro-photographer with very expensive equipment.

2. When viewing object in space, they will be in various shades of black and white. This happens with all planet telescopes. The colour is only seen in long exposure photography of the object.

Think of the planet telescope box for your first astronomical telescope as the pictures from fast food restaurants. The picture looks amazing in the picture, but the result is less than imagined. This can deter people thinking that planet telescopes are not what they make out and that they should decide not to buy a first astronomical telescope. This is not the case, after all we still love the fast food. Your first astronomical telescope will still bring you amazing sights which are breathtaking.

One thing to keep in mind is the price and quality factor. In the last part I gave you an example of a fast food chain and the pictures. Now if you purchase your first astronomical telescope for $100 or less, than realize that the quality of your first astronomical telescope will not satisfy your desire to see the universe.

Those first astronomical telescopes selling for less than $100 are great for looking at the moon, but will prove no use for any deep space viewing. The key to having the best first astronomical telescope is to make sure your first astronomical telescope has a strong mount, otherwise the image will shake everywhere, and you will not see much.

The best option is to go for a $200+ planet telescope for your first astronomical telescope. The price determines quality with planet telescopes whether it is your first time planet telescope or you are a seasoned planet telescope user. And the most important parts that need quality is the planet telescope mount, planet telescope lens, and planet telescope mirror.

The main items to look at when buying a planet telescope are the two numbers that will tell you how well it is expected to work. For a good first astronomical telescope, a listing of 20X50 is about average. This means the magnification will equal 20 times what you see with your eyes and the 50 is the width of the length, which is what determines how much light is gathered. The more light the better the image will be visible in the dark and for astronomy, all star gazing is typically done after dark.

A lot of the cheap planet telescopes try to sell you on fancy gadgets. They look good to have on your new first astronomical telescope, but the truth is that these kind of features will be of no use. Consider on a $100 first astronomical telescope that comes with loads of fancy gadgets, most of the money is going on those features. All you need to get started in astronomy with a first astronomical telescope is to make sure more of your money goes on the planet telescope mirror, planet telescope mount, and planet telescope lenses.

Following the above advice will result in you getting the best first astronomical telescope for your home needs. And you will know when you have purchase a good first time planet telescope when you stay with looking at the stars for years to come.

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Astronomical Telescope – Amazing Link to the Stars

By Stars & Astronomy On September 9th, 2010

For most people, telescope is easily associated to the stars, the planets, asteroids, the moon and its craters and the heavens in general. In my case, when I see a even just the simple reflecting telescope (or maybe a telescope observatory or planetarium) I can only quickly think about astronomy and how this optical wonder of a gadget has been a great help in the development and advancement of this amazing science.

What actually are telescopes? The most popular ones are the refracting telescope as well as the reflecting telescope. Scopes are the best device to use if you want to view far away objects. This is made possible via magnification.

How do Refracting and Reflecting Telescope Gadgets Work?

The principal mechanism in which a telescope works is quite simple.  A scope has a double lens; such lenses are where you look through to clearly see distant objects. The first of the lenses receives the light coming from the object and then throws it onto a focal point. The second lens then receives the light from the point, which then is spread out to the retina of the eye and in effect making the distant object viewable.

The first lens which receives light from the distant object is the primary mirror or objective lens. While the second lens that receives light coming from the focal point is the eyepiece.

The efficiency of the reflecting telescope is determined via its capacity to collect light and enlarge the image of the object. More light can be collected as the telescope becomes larger. Image enlargement on the other hand depends on the quality and type of lens combination.

Indeed, you only need to utilize your reflecting telescope when it comes to efficiently scanning and observing the skies and outer space and at the time being at awe with all the amazing stars and heavenly bodies that they offer.

For more articles on reflecting telescope, refractors and other astronomical telescopes, do visit our My Telescope blog.

Writer, Abstractor and Blogger.

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How to Use Telescopes : What a Home Telescope Can See

By Stars & Astronomy On September 8th, 2010

Home telescopes can see many galaxies and star clusters, but images will not be as profound as space telescope images. Find out what a home telescope can reasonably hope to see from an observatory director in this free astronomy video. Expert: Rocky Alvey & Billy Teets Bio: Rocky Alvey is the assistant director of the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory and has been involved in astronomy since 1969. Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge

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Hubble’s Successor: The James Webb Space Telescope

By Stars & Astronomy On September 5th, 2010

Please join us on Facebook for the latest science news and videos: tinyurl.com Science@ESA (Episode 4): Following The Redshift (Part 2) – Hubble’s Successor: The James Webb Space Telescope. In this fourth episode of the Science@ESA vodcast series Rebecca Barnes will identify some of the key discoveries achieved with the famous Hubble Space Telescope, look at the concept of redshift, and meet a new telescope that will be used to uncover the early Universe. — Please subscribe to Science & Reason: • www.youtube.com • www.youtube.com • www.youtube.com • www.youtube.com — Named in 2002 in honour of NASA’s administrator during the Apollo programme, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mission is a collaborative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. JWST will address many of the outstanding issues of modern astronomy related to the ‘Early Universe’ and is expected to yield scientific breakthroughs as did its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope. JWST will be a general-purpose observatory with a suite of astronomical infrared-sensitive instruments. Compared to existing or planned observatories, JWST will have the unique advantage of combining superb image quality throughout a wide wavelength range, a wide field of view and unparalleled photon sensitivity due to its 6.5-metre diameter telescope primary mirror. sci.esa.int — The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a planned infrared

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How Newton’s Telescope Changed the World

By Stars & Astronomy On September 5th, 2010

Sir Isaac Newton is often considered as the greatest Astronomer and Mathematician to ever live. There is a lot of validity to this claim. This article looks at his famous reflector telescope and describes some of his discoveries.

A reflector telescope is one that uses a mirror rather than lenses to bend light and magnify images. Reflector telescopes, because they are easier to make and can be made in sizes much larger than refractors, are an invention that changed astronomy and our understanding of the universe.  The largest refractor telescope in the world is forty inches in diameter and reflector telescopes dwarf this in comparison. There are currently several reflector type scopes that are over four hundred inches in diameter.

Why a reflector is better than a refractor

If you are familiar with a prism or a rainbow you can understand why reflectors are superior to refractors. When light passes through glass the different bands (or colors) pass through at different angles and this causes aberrations or problems in the images. This is called chromatic aberration and it gives us distorted views of what we see through a lens.  In the time of Newton glass making and lens making was very primitive and the problems of chromatic aberration were not yet overcome. Today we can make lenses that have almost no chromatic aberration but we can’t make them very large. When a lens gets to be really large it gets very heavy and its own weight will distort the lens and ruin the image.

Newton’s telescope solved these problems. A mirror doesn’t pass light through it. It simply bounces all the light off the surface. There is no chromatic aberration at all. And because you only need to bounce light off the surface you can place the whole mirror on a supporting structure or base which takes a lot of the weight off the mirror. This way you can build much larger mirrors without any distortion.

It is commonly thought that Newton invented the first reflector telescope but it isn’t true. Credit for making the first reflector goes to and Italian Monk, Physicist, and Astronomer named Niccolo Zucchi. He published a book on Optics in the 1650’s and it is this book that inspired Sir Isaac Newton to build his own telescope. Zucchi created his first reflector around 1616 while Newton completed his first (and famous) telescope in 1670.  But while Zucchi did make some new discoveries with his telescope it didn’t work well and was difficult to make and to use.  It was Newton’s telescope that worked really well and that brought the art and science of reflectors into the world of science.

The real genius of Newton’s Telescope

All of that stuff is remarkable but there is something much more important in Newton’s Astronomy and in his telescope.  He didn’t after all, discover moons around Jupiter like Galileo did, or plot the return of a comet like Halley did. But what he did do was tie in Mathematics, Astronomy, and our understanding of the universe using his telescope and his theory of universal gravitation.  He proved mathematically that gravitation was a two way operation and that while the earth pulled on a falling apple so the apple too pulled on the earth.  This was clearly seen, calculated, and confirmed in the motions of heavenly bodies which was refined and made possible by the new science of reflector telescopes which we can credit to Newton.

 Sir Isaac and his telescope carried on with the work of Copernicus and Galileo by furthering our understanding of the universe we live in and helping us to realize there are laws that govern the whole of the universe.  And this rule holds true for falling apples and for planets revolving around stars.

The actual telescope that Newton built still survives today and is in the care of the Royal Society of London. They keep it on display in London and sometimes it travels the world as part of an exhibit.

Want to learn more about telescopes? Visit the Telescope Nerd:
TelescopeNerd.com

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How To Find A Telescope Shop

By Stars & Astronomy On September 4th, 2010

Buying a telescope is one of the best things you can do. A telescope allows you to navigate the heavens. It is a good idea to check out a telescope shop, the question is how do you find them? This article is aimed to help you discover that. Summary of contents: * Why Buy A Telescope From A Telescope Store? * Finding A Telescope Shop * Great Tips To Buying An Astronomical Telescope * Why Buy A Telescope From A Telescope Store? There are several benefits to buying a telescope from a telescope shop. The biggest benefit is that you get to see all the different telescopes available. This is not as good when it is done online, as you only have a picture to go by. Buying from a telescope shop also has the benefit that you can ask a sales representative about astronomy, and which scientific instrument will be serve you. There are many different types, so having an idea of what you want can help. Looking online, there is much information to help, however, a salesperson maybe able to give a unique perspective, as many of them are interested in astronomy. * Finding A Telescope Shop Telescopes are not as popular as groceries! This makes finding these stores a difficult task. It is like searching for a needle in a haystack. There are still many stores dotted around the world. If you are willing to travel, you can go and find a telescope store. The difference is that it depends if you are willing to make the travel. There are several ways to find these telescope shops. Here is a summary, and we will look at them in more detail: * Yellow Pages * Newspapers & Classifieds * Magazines * Online * Yellow Pages The Yellow Pages is one of the first places that it is wise to look into to find telescope stores. The best sections to check are Binoculars & Telescopes section or Photographic Equipment. Depending on the amount of stores within the area covered there may be some details there. * Newspapers & Classifieds Another great way to find telescopes is to look through newspapers and classifieds. In most cases these adverts will be for used models, however, if you are looking for a bargain, this is the best route for success. * Magazines There are a few dedicated magazines that deal with astronomy. Magazines such as Sky & Telescope have many details for stores. Though this is a US based magazine, there are others that deal directly for the country you reside in – in most cases. * Online Buying online is great; the only problem is that you can’t see the telescope. The truth is that researching online can help you find a local store. * Great Tips To Buying An Astronomical Telescope Make sure you look online. Though buying through a store is great, the truth is that great savings can be made online. There is also the benefit that you can find a bigger range. Make sure that you have adequate space for the telescope. They take up more room than what would seem apparent, considering that they need space to move around.

To learn more about astronomy and telescopes visit:
Meade Telescope Sales or learn about buying telescopes. Bliss universe

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Where To Buy Telescope?

By Stars & Astronomy On September 3rd, 2010

The hobby of astronomy is amazing. The question is how do you start and where to buy telescope? Telescope stores are not that popular, so finding one is not is going to be hard. In this article, you will soon discover where to buy telescope. There is a big problem for people interested in astronomy. That is where to buy telescope. Telescopes are not that popular. Though the hobby is marginally big, it is not something that every person in the world gets involved in. Yes, there are many telescope stores and this answers where to buy telescope, however, there are not that many. The search for a store becomes like a pilgrimage. I have been lucky to visit 2 telescope stores, and it was like a pilgrimage! It required hours of travel. For many people this kind of journey is not practical. There is a need for more options, and luckily you need not wonder where to buy telescope, because soon you will know! 1. Where To Buy Telescope From Mail Order Of Course! Mail order has been the boon for the ease of buying. It has enabled purchasing items both big and small from a number of different places, where these items would be hard to find locally. This applies to telescopes. So when you consider where to buy telescope, this can be easily answered by buying through mail order. There are a number of operators and they all can provide the ease of simply making a purchase and in a number of days getting a brand new telescope to enjoy the benefits of backyard astronomy. There are some points to remember, the first is that when you buy, you will not see the product. In most cases, even when buying from advertisements, you will see a 1 line description and the price. This is not a lot to go with. You can’t see the product in person, which limits whether it is the right product for you. The good news is that prices may be much cheaper than if you purchased from a specialized telescope store. Finding these telescope stores can be done through telescope magazines such as Sky & Telescope. If you don’t know much about telescopes, then this may answer where to buy telescope, but it may not answer your most pressing questions of whether it is the right one for you, whether it is good for beginners, or even whether it will fit in the space that you have allocated for it! 2. Where To Buy Telescope From The Internet! Another alternative, which is one I like, is to buy online. I buy almost everything online. The benefits are there, and it is amazing. Consider the price savings, and ease of buying. There is a lot of information online, so if you need assistance, you may not necessarily get direct help, but with all the information, you can easily discover exactly what you need. This will enable you to get the best deal, and the right scientific instrument for your needs. There is a lot of stores online, and with the right guidance, you can find a wider range and a better price than what a telescope store can offer. Also the promptness of delivery makes it more convenient than buying through mail order.

Visit this link and discover where to buy telescopes. Also check out the buy telescopes. www.buytelescope.co.uk

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Spherical Amusements – Stargazer (Hubble Telescope Video)

By Stars & Astronomy On September 3rd, 2010

pictures are copyright of nasa music is copyright of spherical amusements The Hubble Space Telescope (HST; also known colloquially as “the Hubble” or just “Hubble”) is a space telescope that was carried into Earth orbit by the Space Shuttle in April 1990. It is named for American astronomer Edwin Hubble. Although Hubble was not the first space telescope, it is one of the largest and most versatile, and well known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. The HST is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, and is part of NASA’s Great Observatories series, with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.[3] Space telescopes were proposed as early as the 1940s. The Hubble was funded in the 1970s, with a proposed launch in 1983, but the project was beset by technical delays, budget problems, and the Challenger disaster. When finally launched in 1990, scientists found that the main mirror had been ground incorrectly, severely compromising the telescope’s capabilities. However, after a servicing mission in 1993, the telescope was restored to its intended quality. Hubble’s position outside the Earth’s atmosphere allows it to take extremely sharp images with almost no background light. Hubble’s Ultra Deep Field image, for instance, is the most detailed visible-light image of the universe’s most distant objects ever made. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in

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“Telescope Trouble” Part 1

By Stars & Astronomy On September 2nd, 2010

The hydraulic door closer at Corner Gas breaks, so Brent takes Laceys advice and hires the best door guy in the business to fix it. The repairs go well, but when Brent tries to fine tune the new device on his own, he earns the scorn of a true professional. Meanwhile, Wanda goes to great lengths to protect her new telescope and witness astronomical history while Oscar and Emma drive everyone crazy when they borrow an RV and camp in some unusual places.

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Interesting Sights From A Large Telescope Mirror

By Stars & Astronomy On September 1st, 2010

A telescope is an instrument designed to look into faraway places. The first ones were created as far back as the 11th century by Arabian scientists. This era was known as the Golden Age of Islam and the invention of the optical lens that later lead to the development of the first telescope was one of numerous inventions of many other ‘firsts’ by Arab or Muslim Scientists.

Large telescope mirrors only came about much later. These reflectors were designed to reflect light in such a manner as to reveal or highlight shadowed areas. Glass large telescope mirrors (it was silver coated) were replaced by metal mirrors in reflector telescopes only in the mid nineteenth century. At the time it was considered a huge improvement in the quality of the telescope.

Modern Telescopes

Large telescopes have been developed and have tremendously improved over the last few decades. The newest telescopes are only as good as the performance of its reflectors. A reflector is designed to redirect light. Sunlight or starlight is being absorbed and the redirected by the reflector. The main objective for this redirection is to enable the viewer to spot or observe areas that are shadowed or obscured. This makes it ideal for deep space probing.

The further the object, the bigger the reflector. Huge reflectors are currently found in observatories around the globe. To be able to see what is happening in deep space areas, large telescope mirrors have been designed and built into these reflectors. These large telescope mirrors are specially crafted and technically designed to reveal more details about everything out there.

Images observed from the large telescope mirrors are on many occasions breathtaking. Because of reflector telescopes finer details are revealed on the moon as well as distant planets. The enormous amount of nebulas as well as clusters of stars may become easier identifiable. For the amateur astronomer it is relatively easy to build a reflector telescope with a large telescope mirror from scratch. After a sightseeing tour into space will have most amateurs go for bigger and better.

Where are They Found?

The largest and most magnificent telescope that was put into space was of course “The Hubble Telescope”. After an initial flaw in one of its mirrors scientists occasionally go into space to service Hubble. Because of Hubble’s ability to reflect images of deep space a lot more clearly and accurately it has enabled astrophysicists to uncover many breakthroughs.

If you love this article, you will also love another article written by this article’s author on microscope for sale and microscope lens.

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