Refractor Telescopes For The Serious Backyard Astronomer

Refractor Telescopes and Their Benefits

Ever since Galileo first invented the refractor telescope in the early 1600's, human beings have had a thirst to see the stars and planets close up. The first refractor, consisting of a convex objective lens at the base of a tube and a convex eyepiece at the top was actually first introduced in 1608 but perfected by Galileo in 1611. When we look into the night sky with our naked eye, it is hard to believe that just a couple of lenses could allow us to see the features of Jupiter, or the rings of Saturn or the billowing clouds of distant nebula, but it's true. If you love gazing up at the stars then getting a telescope is an investment you can't do without. But which kind of telescope should you buy?

There are basically 2 kinds of telescopes - reflector telescopes and refractor telescopes. As their names suggest, the reflector uses mirrors to reflect incoming light back to the eyepiece, while refractor uses lenses to refract or bend the light towards the eyepiece. In the movies, when you see Captain Ahab of the Moby Dick whip out a tube to look into, this is what a refractor telescope looks like.

This kind of telescope is the most common type of telescope for the amateur astronomer, and they are very good telescopes, but like anything else you might consider buying, there are always pros and cons.

Advantages of Refractors

One of the best features of these telescopes is that there is virtually no maintenance involved because there are no mirrors to clean or keep aligned. Also, it is a closed system so no moisture or dirt can get into the tube. It is one of the most rugged telescope designs and is easily transported. Also this type of telescope is good for daytime viewing such as looking at scenery or for bird watching. These telescopes are also generally lighter and easier to handle per inch of aperture and therefore easier for children to use.

Disadvantages of Refractors

However, these telescopes are by far the most expensive telescopes per inch of aperture. Also, lenses inherently disperse light into colors which will distort the incoming image. This is called chromatic aberration. There are apochromatic lenses that can correct this problem, and with this correction, these telescopes will give a fantastic image, but the price goes up dramatically when these lenses are employed. After about 3 inches of aperture, the price goes up radically as well. All in all, refractor telescopes, while giving an excellent image, may be a bit pricey for the first time, or amateur astronomer.

If you are a serious astronomer, then there is little choice, you must have a refractor telescope with an apochromatic correcting lens. However, if you are just starting out and not sure how serious your backyard habit may become, you might want to consider a less expensive reflector telescope for starters at least.

Cloudy Nights In Amateur Astronomy

It's usually the bane of any serious amateur astronomer. You've selected your prized telescope and put it up in the daytime. You seriously monitor the skies in the daytime and yes, it all looks excellent, the sky is crystal clear. Then the sun sinks and so the temp lowers and all the clouds move in. What happens now?

One of the best aspects of astronomy is understanding the targets you are looking at. Knowing about your object is a lot more than having the capability to show-off to family and buddies with all your deep comprehension of astronomy. It genuinely delivers home the truth of what you are seeing.

Seeing the Andromeda galaxy for the first time might appear to be a blurry smear through the eyepiece, yet it transforms into something much more sensational when you are aware you are basically looking at a whole galaxy including huge amounts of stars comparable to our own Milky Way. Not to mention, you never know, it may currently have human beings looking right back at you within our Milky Way. The sheer enormousness regarding the size that's involved will make your head hurt attempting to make a sense of it all.

Andromeda is about two and a half million light years out, meaning if perhaps you were moving at the full velocity of light it would take you two and 1 / 2 million years to get right there. Amazing when you think that the velocity of light is really 186,000 miles each second or in order to apply it into perspective, should you be moving at the actual full speed associated with light you would move all around planet Earth 7.5 occasions in just one second!

For that reason purchase yourself a decent manual about astronomy, and with a hot beverage revel in understanding about the various wonders in the evening skies. Once the heavens clear and you finally are able to see these delights it can be made a whole lot more satisfying when you are aware what you really are checking out.

What better way to talk about the views you've discovered and the adventures you've acquired than with like-minded souls via the internet. A large number of community forums are super easy to become a member of and warmly welcome novices. You can find an abundance of information on any kind of trouble you might be having with the pastime and can also request the online community for aid if you ever can't identify the answer you were looking for.

There are so many community forums to pick from, so which should you be a part of? Find one near to your location since the topics by the group will be more highly relevant to your learning. And you simply never know you might start brand new durable relationships. Go to a site and spend some time looking at the discussions before you join, make sure it is relevant to you and once you've discovered the most appropriate one don't be self conscious go ahead and prepare an introduction so the community are aware of a little bit about yourself as well as what you should want from your pastime. You don't really need to reveal any private information.

To The Stars

When so many of us are concentrating on the rat race that is going on, we tend to forget to look at the stars above. One night, before my wife and I, along with her sister, were getting ready to leave for Kansas City in the morning, we spent the night out on the trampoline. It was a night that I will never forget because the Milky Way was shining brightly as we could see billions of stars glimmering in the darkness of space. I laid there in wonder and amazement, looking at the beauty and the grandeur of space.

Stargazing has always been a favorite hobby of mine ever since I got my first telescope. I remember one Christmas night, I took my brand new telescope outside and I got to look at a full moon. I saw many craters and all sorts of mountains and valley's on the moon's surface, but it wasn't powerful enough to look into deep space to view the other planets. It was at that moment that I was immediately hooked on astronomy. My wife bought me a bigger telescope a couple of years ago where I was able to test it out at her parent's house out in the field. So, that night, I pointed the telescope at Saturn and I remembered the excitement that I felt as I looked at a celestial body further than the moon.

To get the most out of stargazing, pick a night when the most celestial objects will be in full view. Also make a note of when the next celestial event is going to take place, such as a meteor shower, solar and lunar eclipses, asteroid passing, the International Space Station flyby, etc. This will be a great way to entertain your family and most importantly, it is a great way to spend time with your children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces. Your little ones will always remember this for the rest of their lives. It is also a great way to spend time with your spouse. I still remember that night as my wife and I talked about the Milky Way and the glory of the stars.

If it's just basic stargazing you are going to do during some free time, I recommend buying a smaller telescope to start out with. For the space enthusiast, getting a small telescope may not be enough. I recommend buying a higher power telescope that comes with the accessories that will allow you to take pictures of space objects. Just think of the kind of pictures that you will have in your possession and to be able to share them with your posterity.