Telescopes Can Be a Great Educational Hobby


Jun 05, 2021

Telescopes are a great hobby for people who love to explore the world and learn about space. This article will discuss everything you need to know to find the best telescope for your needs. There are many types of telescopes. Some are for beginners, while others are designed to be used by more advanced astronomers and scientists. The telescope you buy will depend on your level of expertise.

Some people choose to purchase a kit that includes all the components needed to set up their telescope right out of the box. These kits usually consist of everything from a tripod base to the eyepiece and mount. This article will discuss what telescopes do, how they work, and what types of telescopes there are. Finally, we will give our recommendations for beginner-friendly telescopes!

What Type of Telescopes Are There?

There are several types of telescopes available. You should choose a telescope based on your desired usage and how much money you are willing to invest into it.

  • Reflector Telescope: This type of telescope uses a curved mirror to gather and reflect light. These are the most common telescopes, but they can be bulky for small apartments or houses.
  • Catadioptric Reflecting Telescope: These use both lenses and mirrors to collect light from an object in space. They may not provide as high-quality images as other types, but because they're so compact, these are often what beginner astronomers start with--and they don't require much maintenance!
  • Aperture Masked Newtonian Telescope: This is another configuration that combines mirrors and lenses into one unit. The shape looks like two spheres stacked on top of each other; the larger, curved bottom sphere houses the light-gathering telescope lens.

There are several forms of telescope beyond as well. These include: 

  • Refracting telescopes (the kind used by Galileo) - Refracting telescopes are typically what we think of when we imagine a telescope, with an eyepiece on one side and the lens at the other.
  • Reflecting telescopes (like Newton's) - These are made up of two mirrors reflecting light and making it possible to see images even in dimmer conditions. Reflectors can be bigger than refractors because they have more room inside for lenses or mirror segments while still being easier to build.
  • Radio waves (sometimes called "radio scopes") - Radio wave telescopes are antennas that collect radio waves from space. They are best for studying the cool stuff in outer space like black holes, quasars, and galaxies.
  • Infrared light telescopes (sometimes called "infrascopes") - Infrared light telescopes can see dim objects such as red dwarf stars or even brown dwarfs - which is surprising since they don't emit much visible light at all!

What Can You See With A Telescope?

Telescopes are great for viewing planets, stars, and galaxies from Earth. Many telescopes allow you to see images of heavenly objects using radio waves or radar technology to help identify the type of matter in space. You can also see galaxies and nebulae, which are large clouds of gas that emit light from their stars. Some instruments allow you to see things like infrared light, which the human eye can't see.

The moon is one of the easiest celestial objects to view with a telescope because it is so close. Some people even use telescopes for viewing sunsets and other natural events like tsunamis, lightning storms, or volcanic eruptions on Earth. Scientists can also use telescopes in space to observe things like stars being born or dying, galaxies colliding, gamma-ray bursts from some of the most distant parts of the universe, and planets orbiting other stars (called "exoplanets").

What Are The Best Telescopes For Beginners?

If you are a beginner, it can be helpful to purchase a telescope that is made for beginners or one with an included instructional DVD. These telescopes usually have large mirrors, which allow more light in than other scopes do. This makes them easier to use because they require less effort on the part of the user to see things in space clearly.

  • The Newtonian Reflector Telescope - This telescope is the most common and one of the cheapest, but it's also a little more difficult to use because you have to focus manually.
  • The Dobsonian Telescope - This is an inexpensive telescope with easy-to-use features that come in handy for beginners. It has good optics, which means images look better than telescopes on the same level in price. The design allows for easy transport, so you can take this scope anywhere without worrying about breaking anything during transit!
  • Orion SkyQuest XT12i IntelliScope Truss Tube Dobsonian - This 12-inch mirror system gives clear pictures of planets and other deep sky objects without buying a more expensive model that comes with computerized features such as tracking and automatic object location.

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