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Here are brief answers to many questions asked by telescope shoppers. Some of the questions require
complete chapters in many of the excellent books about telescopes. One of the best is the second edition
of "Star Ware" by Phillip S. Harrington, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., ©1998.
What are the differences between terrestrial spotting scopes and astronomical telescopes?
Terrestrial telescopes should be compact, portable and deliver a "correct image" - one that is right-side
up and oriented from left-to-right as we see objects with the unaided eye. Astronomical telescopes must
be longer to accommodate great magnifications and have the large apertures to gather as much light as
possible from objects at enormous distances and often with low light levels. Astronomers do not require
"correct images," so special image-erecting optics are not as important for celestial observation.
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are nonsense for a refracting telescope with a 60-90mm aperture, when useful magnification, even in
excellent telescopes, cannot exceed about 2x per millimeter. Figure it out -- the manufacturer that makes
ridiculous claims about the capabilities of its products is more serious about snagging your money than
telling the truth! What does that indicate about the quality of the instrument?
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these giant beads were increased so they were separated by only 0.8 second-of-arc, the "string of beads"
would change to a band with fuzzy edges. Telescope manufacturers always list the theoretical capability
of resolution. Some meet or exceed that design limit, some do not.
What D o Eyepieces D o?
Besides their affect on magnification, eyepieces impact optical quality. They can increase or decrease
field of view, depth of focus and brightness. Cheap eyepieces can diminish the performance of an
otherwise superb telescope. Very expensive eyepieces can help a good optical system perform at, or even
above the design limit, but they cannot rescue a bad optical system. Most of our telescopes from 60mm
to 203mm all employ interchangeable 1¼" outside diameter Plossl eyepieces of tested, dependable
quality. With few exceptions, cheap telescopes with exaggerated claims of magnification use .965"
eyepieces of inferior quality. Some super-quality apochromatic refractors employ special .965" eyepieces
of superb quality, but they are a rarity.
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corrected apochromatic refractors can produce images that compare in color accuracy, sharpness and
contrast to the best reflectors we have in stock. These fine refractors produce stunning images with
superb contrast, definition and background separation - the same qualities of excellent brand name
telescopes we carry in our online store!
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You can scan the heavens with our astronomical telescopes that are up to 10 times as powerful and
superior in every way to the best instrument Galileo ever used! He achieved his discoveries never
seeing the heavens with more than 30 power. You can have up to 300x true, usable, magnification to use
when and where you wish! Galileo's "cannon" was more than seven-feet long. The very powerful, very
bright telescopes from OpticsPlanet.com
1. Er ect image -- When the magnified image appears just as you see it with the unaided eye, we say,
"the image is correct." Most telescope images are upside down and reversed. An "erect" image is right-
side up, but is flipped, left-to-right, like a mirror-image.
For astronomical use it does not matter which way a space object is oriented, but terrestrial subjects such
as upside-down or reversed birds, buildings, ships, people and animals, are very disconcerting. Most
telescopes require extra optical components to"flip" the images. These "added accessories" cost extra,
add weight, reduce light transmission - and they can accidentally fall off the instrument!
A field instrument that is too heavy to carry comfortably defeats the whole concept of portability. All of
our small telescopes and most spotting scopes are lightweight, very sturdy and perfectly suited for
outdoor use by hikers, hunters, birders and naturalists.
Larger telescopes require larger stands for rewarding viewing. Keep in mind, as you magnify the image,
you also magnify distracting vibration. Budget your purchase to include a sturdy tripod suited for the
telescope to minimize vibrations. (See "Accessories").
Reflector or Refractor?
; Color rendition is therefore superior in reflectors.
; F or a given power of magnification, reflecting telescopes are more compact than refractors
; > eflecting telescopes " give more bang for the buck."
"Light Grasp"
Knowledgeable astronomers value a telescope's " light grasp," or ability to collect light. The telescope
"aperture" -- diameter of the "objective"-- or main lens, determines "light grasp." A 60mm (2-½")
telescope has about 80x the light grasp of a normal human eye, which typically has an aperture of only 6-
7 millimeters. A 150mm telescope gathers nearly 500x the light of a human eye. It is the light grasp of a
telescope that makes dim objects visible to the eye. The dimmer the object you want to see, the more
light grasp you require.
Because light loss increases greatly with distance, astronomical telescopes require larger apertures.
Individual stars are so far away that even the most powerful amateur instruments will show them only as
brilliant points of light. Jupiter's four largest moons and Saturn's rings appear crisp and beautiful at 40x
magnification. Our own moon will reveal considerable detail at 30x magnification.
"Limiting Magnitude"
The higher the magnitude, the dimmer the star. "Limiting magnitude"describes the faintest star that can
be seen with a given telescope under ideal conditions. The unaided human eye can see nothing fainter
than the sixth magnitude. A 60mm aperture can detect stars of just below 11th magnitude and the 150mm
aperture is capable of capturing 12.9 magnitude stars.
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