Telescopes

There are four basic considerations when it comes to astronomy equipment - type of scope - type of mount - finder scope - eye piece This section describes the types of telescopes (not loads of detail... lots available on the web) and some considerations from my experiences and from conversations with other Amateur Astronomers. In this section you will find out about the different types of telescopes without a preference for any vendor. We do not sell equipment as part of our club but members in our club and within NB may have equipment for sale if you are looking to get started. When I started with astronomy I was asked... what do you want to look at... because that will help you choose. Of course day 1 of astronomy I did not know what I was interested in looking at... this is part of the value the club and social gatherings will provide. An opportunity to find out what other people observe and why... and perhaps even have the opportunity to go out and observe with them as a mentoring opportunity or to just visually see why they may be interested in different aspects of astronomy. What every astronomer will tell you though... buy the biggest aperature you can afford... and that you will use. My 10" scope is about 7ft tall and 140lbs... it is not a grab and go scope so it would not be good for a beginner nor someone passionate about observing on the fly. I have another scope which is completely manual and 6" and maybe 30lbs... it is my quick outreach scope although it will never provide the views nor tracking of my 10" scope. If you do not use it... it is useless... buy something as large as you can afford or want to invest in the hobby and something you can transport. You can put your telescope in an observatory and they have come down in price and most people build their own as they are not much more complex than a normal garden shed... this will extend your observing hours and provide an improved location for your scope and for bigger scopes.... but does not always enable the social aspect and additional wow factor of sharing your views with friends and peers... unless you are hosting the events! In this section we will discuss the 3 main types of scopes, Refractors, Reflectors, and 'compound scopes' (SCT/CAT). See tha Frequently Asked Questions section for more common questions. As I receive questions I will add them to the FAQ section and may need to add addiitonal organization as content is added.