Christmas and Telescopes - How to avoid a bad experience

Buying a First Telescope

Many children develop a curiosity for space and that usually leads to wanting a telescope to look up "there".  And here's where one of the biggest tragedies occurs.... a scope that is too cheap!   No, I am not advocating very expensive telescopes for children.   But there is a breaking point between getting a "junk" scope and getting something actually useful.

When I was 9, I was reading everything I could about space, the planets, galaxies, etc.  I couldn't get enough.  And for Christmas I got a telescope.   A little refractor.   Unfortunately it was so shaky and the eyepieces were so bad that it was hard to get even a decent view of the moon.  I thought telescopes were not for me and it was 30 years before I got another one.

And here is the biggest point of this blog.  If you get a telescope that is too cheap, it's worse than getting no telescope at all!   Really!  A pair of binoculars would be better (10x50, 8x42 or even 7x35's).  A wobbly telescope that is very hard to use will discourage budding astronomers.

The easiest bit of advice is do not buy a telescope from a department store or toy store.  They build them to a price point just to sell them.  On the box they will tout very high magnifications like 600x which are not practical in a scope that size.  The optics are horrible, the mount is not good enough.  If you look on craiglist, you will see tons of these scopes recycled back into the market.

What will you see?

The second big bit of advise is to set your expectations accordingly.   All of the objects to look at in a telescope are very far away.  Even the planets, our closest neighbors, are far away.  Only the moon is somewhat close.  Most any telescope will give good "wow" views of the moon.

The Hubble Telescope images available on the web have set people's expectations high.  No amateur telescope comes close to what you will find.  For example, the Orion Nebula:

Orion Nebula - Hubble Telescope

Orion Nebula - Amateur Telescope

The Orion Nebula is one of the most stunning objects in the sky besides the planets.   But if you think you will see the left picture in a telescope then you will be sorely disappointed.

The planets are similar.  Size is important in telescopes.  Distance is also important.   Here's 3 different images of Jupiter:

Jupiter taken from orbit around the planet (showing the shadow of a moon as well)

Jupiter in a smaller telescope (also showing the 4 moons)

Jupiter in a large amateur telescope

It's a striking difference!   Saturn is very similar:

Saturn from the Voyager 2 spacecraft

Saturn through an average amateur telescope

So what is the point?   That's often the question that arises.
 Even though the view is not as spectacular, there's something about seeing things with your own eyes that no photo, no matter how stunning, can replace.  My wife and I first looked at Saturn in a little Meade 4.5" reflector telescope.   It looked just like the picture I posted above.   But yet it didn't seem real.  It felt like someone had just pasted a picture on the end of the scope.  Seeing it for real was just something you can't quite put into words.  Even now, in both our 11" telescope and even now in our 18" telescope, nothing beats the awe of that first look!

The other part of looking through a telescope is not only viewing what you are looking at, but imaging and thinking about what you are actually seeing.  Learn about the objects and imagine what is actually out there.   Billions of stars in the galaxies, millions of stars in the clusters, new stars being born in the nebula, and the remains of dead stars in the planetary nebula.  Engaging the rest of the brain seems to be key in enjoying astronomy.

On many of the galaxies you will see, the light that is hitting your eye was generated when the dinosaurs were still walking on the earth.  And if you look up some Quasars you can see light that was formed around the same time as our own solar system was formed.

What to buy?

So if you made it this far, then you still want to buy something.  So what do you buy?  There are 2 main routes you can go, either with a computerized telescope (it finds objects for you) or a manual telescope (where you learn to point it).  Both have strengths and weaknesses and there is a trade-off with going one for the other.

For the most part, aperture (the size of the telescope's main lens or mirror) is king.  The bigger the aperture, the more detail and the brighter things will appear.  Of course the scope also gets heavier and more expensive, so finding a balance that works for you is key.

Computerized Telescope

This is a subcategory of telescope where you do some initial setup of the telescope to align the scope's computer with the night sky.  After doing the alignment you can punch in desired objects into a controller and the scope will move to the object itself and then you can just look.

Pros

• Once aligned, it's easy to find objects via the computer.  You can see a lot of objects in one night and most provide a "tour" of the best objects for that night.
• Will track the object once you find it, so it stays in the eyepiece view until you move to the next object, which also helps when using it with multiple people as you don't have to keep realigning the scope for the next person
• Can easier use higher magnifications (due to tracking above)

Cons

• Less aperture for the same money (you have to pay for the computer as well as the telescope)
• Needs batteries or power cords
• Initial alignment can be frustrating.  First several nights you will need a lot of time just to align it.  Plan on 30-90 minutes.  If using with children, then you should do the first alignment on your own and only bring them out when it is aligned (or at least have something else for them to do while you are aligning).  Once you get it down, complete setup and alignment will probably only take under 10 mins.
• If you go too cheap, the tracking motors will "wobble" so the view shakes a bit
• You don't learn the sky as much.  Beyond learning the first few alignment stars, you'll probably just punch stuff into the computer and watch it "do it's thing" and then look through the eyepiece.

Manual Telescope

For this subcategory of telescopes, the user is responsible for pointing the scope and keeping it aligned on the object.  The telescope and mount are usually fairly simple and robust and have very little to break.   You can either get the same size scope cheaper, or get a larger telescope for the same money.

Pros

• Larger aperture for the same money spent, or cheaper for the same aperture vs computerized scope
• No power needed, so can take anywhere (camping is great!)
• Less complex, so less to go wrong (they last decades)
• You learn the night sky very well by navigating to objects on your own

Cons

• Finding objects is up to you.   So the first few nights you can spend most of your time not seeing anything.  There are a few things that are very easy to find for new people (Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Orion Nebula) but beyond that it'll take a bit of knowledge and time.  Finding stuff you haven't seen before will take longer than some you visit often.
• No tracking -  you just got it lined up and you see it!   Now the next person wants to see it, but wait, it's already slipping out of view.  You have to adjust it again and then hand it back over.   And if someone bumps the scope significantly, you have to start all over!

Recommendations (as of Feb 2015)

Under $200

Choices here are very limited.  If you want a computerized scope you are probably out of luck.   At Christmas Costco in the past has had a Celestron 102mm  (4") scope on a marginal go-to mount for $199.   I'm not sure if they still do or not.  It works well enough to be usable.

For a manual scope you can get the Astronomers Without Borders scope for $199.  It is a 130mm (5") scope on a table-top mount.  If you don't have a sturdy table to put it on, you'll need a tripod as well.

Most others you don't want to touch.  They will provide more frustration than anything else.

Craigslist - Often you can pick up one of the scopes in the next category for under $200.   There are many Christmas presents that are left unused after the first few uses and later go up to be sold.  It can save you a lot of money if you know what you are looking for.  But you need to check them over and make sure the optics (lenses and mirrors) look good and that the computer (if it has one) works properly.

$200-$500

Celestron Nexstar 4SE - this one just squeezes under the $500 mark.  It has the computer and is small and portable.   

Orion XT6 - manual scope but with 6" aperture.  Small and portable and a great size for children too.  At around $300 leaves more room for eyepieces (more on that later).

Orion Starblast 6i - tabletop scope with a "push to" computer.  This helps you push the scope to the right place, but you actually move the scope yourself.  This also means no tracking.  But 6" of aperture with computer help just squeezes in under $500.

Orion XT8 - manual scope with 8" of aperture.   Still small enough to move around easily for most adults.  You can see a LOT with this telescope and it's still well under the $500 mark.

Apertura AD8 - Similar to the XT8 above, but with better mechanical workings.   At just over $500 it's really in the next category, but I'll squeeze it in here.  Many prefer this to the Orion XT8.  The Orion XT8 Plus is similar in upgrades and also similar in price.

$500-$1000

Celestron Nexstar 6SE - bigger brother to the 4SE above.   It grabs double the light of the 4SE so you can see a lot more.   A great little scope and a common family scope.

Orion XT8i - push to computerized version of the XT8 above.   For many a great compromise between aperture and computer help.  At under $700 it's a lot of scope for the money.

Orion XT8g - A goto version of the XT8i.  This one is full goto and has tracking as well.   At just over $1000 it too is just out of this category, but is a better fit here.  This scope is bigger and heavier than the Nexstar 8SE (below) but cheaper as well.

Orion XT10, XT10i, Apertura AD10, AD12 - Larger dobson telescopes that can go even deeper.  They start getting heavier as they get bigger though!

$1000+

Celestron Nexstar 8SE - the biggest of the SE series and at $1200 it's a serious scope.  For many this is a "lifetime" scope as you can see a lot, yet it's still fairly portable and easy to carry/set up.

Celestron Evolution Series (6, 8 or 9.25" sizes) - newer cousins to the SE series, this adds some neat features like built-in battery, wifi control (so you can control it with your smartphone!) and more robust motors/tracking.

Orion XT12i, XT10g, XT12g,  -   These dobsonian telescopes get big and they can see lots of detail and "go deep" (see dimmer objects).  But they also get heavy and more expensive.  If you're really serious about viewing things it can be very worthwhile, but probably not good as a starter scope.  Often times people use a dolly or other wheeled setups to move them in and out.

Wait!   Leave some money in your budget!

There are always a few things that people forget about when they buy just the scope and then later have more expenses they didn't plan on.

Eyepieces

The biggest upgrade after getting a scope is getting a better eyepiece.  The eyepieces that come with some scopes range from downright horrible to just usable.  Some of the eyepiece designs still sold with telescopes were invented in the 1600's (yes, when telescopes were first pointed at the stars!).

There are many factors and stats to look into on eyepieces.  And if you search you will find tons of information about them.   But one of the easiest ways to show the difference in a cheap eyepiece vs an upgrade one is with some pictures:

Now look at the size of this lens!

Look where your eye goes!

These are both 9mm eyepieces.  But the one on the left has a tiny opening for your eye.   It is a struggle to get lined up in just the right spot to see through it.   But the one on the right has a nice large area to get your eye lined up with and an eyecup that helps guide you to the same spot.   One other thing less obvious is that you have to have your eye really close to the eyepiece on the left and that can be very uncomfortable.

An eyepiece kit may look handy and at around $125 they are a decent value.  But I rarely see anyone who stays happy with the kit and usually moves on.  It's usually better to buy 1 or 2 "better" eyepieces for the same price.  For example 2 of the Agena Starguider eyepieces is about the same price as a kit, but they are much higher quality and will probably stick around in your eyepiece set for a long time.

Other things to buy

Batteries/Power - If you have a computerized telescope, you may need to buy batteries, a rechargeable battery pack, or a power cord you can plug in to the wall.

A Planisphere -  this is an easy way to see what stars and constellations are up for the time of year.  Useful for aligning a computerized telescope or orienting yourself on star charts if using a manual telescope.

A Star Atlas - If manually moving your telescope, or even for knowing what to look at with a computerized scope, a star atlas gives you a more detailed view of the sky.  The Pocket Sky Atlas is a relatively cheap atlas that is detailed enough for the new astronomer without being too detailed to be overwhelming.  Also these days you can get a great sky atlas for your smart phone.   Sky Safari is a great tool and comes in 3 "sizes".  I'd recommend the Plus version ($15) as it has plenty to keep you busy for a long time.  It's available for both iPhone and Android.

Red Light - a little red light is used for reading star charts, changing eyepieces, setting up, etc to help preserve your night vision.  You want all "white lights" turned off so your eyes adjust to the night sky.  They become much much more sensitive after about 30 mins, but even a second of bright light can destroy that and you have to start all over again waiting 30 mins.

Finders Scopes - If manually moving your telescope you may want a better finder scope.  This is a small scope which helps you point the bigger scope where you want it.   A Telrad is a pointing device that is very handy.   You may also want a RACI finderscope, which basically means when you look through it the view will match the same pattern as when you look directly at it with your eyes and when you look in the star charts.

Observing chair - If you are comfortable, it is easier to see in the eyepiece.  Bending over or contorting to reach the eyepiece means your eye won't be steady, which makes it harder to get a clear view.   Using a chair to steady yourself helps a lot.  You need an adjustable chair for most scopes as the eyepiece moves as the scope moves.   Choice range from the simple "drummer's throne" to a dedicated astronomy chair, with prices in a wide range as well.  There are also plans for making your own if you have a decent DIY streak.

Books - You can read a lot on the web these days, but sometimes it's easier to read through a book.  There are several good books for newbies:

• Turn Left at Orion
• NightWatch
• The Backyard Astronomer's Guide

Final Thoughts

Buying a telescope is a big decision and a lot of thought can go into getting the best scope that works for you.   Cloudy Nights is a website with a beginner forum that can help answer any of your questions and help you choose the right scope for you and your family.  Hopefully this helped you make a better decision (even if that is not to buy a telescope yet!) and prevents some of the frustration new buyers face.