Don’s advice to the person considering astronomy as a hobby

Getting started in astronomy can seem very challenging. For those with a little interest in astronomy and not quite sure of which way to go, it may appear that buying a telescopes is the way to get started. This may be a way, unfortunately it is too many times the "usual way," but it isn't always a very good way. Perhaps I could explain. Keep in mind that I try to write with a little humor added but still get the point across.

First of all, what is the purpose of amateur astronomy? How about- finding desired objects in space, identifying them, and enjoying as good of a view as can be afforded. Yup, that "affordable" part can be a little scary. But not necessarily so.

It seems that there are two devastating pitfalls that most people somehow get pulled into:

1. Trying to figure out which big expensive telescope to buy.
2. Buying a "department store" telescope.

And fewer towards:
3. The way to astronomy.

The great scope approach:

Sometimes amateur astronomers are asked which really "good quality scope" is the most bang per buck. Most amateur astronomers of the Ohio Valley Astronomical Society (OVAS) are reluctant to tell people, beginners or not, what to buy in the way of really expensive equipment (or practically any equipment) even if money is no object for the buyer. There are MANY very good reasons for this. Mostly it has to do with what kind of pursuit into astronomy YOU desire, and YOUR personal experience with different scopes. There is no way any of us can judge what your personal experience with various kinds of scopes will or should be. If I was told that a Tele-Vue 102 (being a high quality 4" refractor) was the best scope I could get for the price and went out and bought one, not only would I have put it up for sale after having it for about a month, but I would have probably quit astronomy! Why? In this case it isn't the scope's fault. It's how well I see through a 102 compared to how well I see through a 10" Newtonian. (Not to mention that I would have wasted a heck of a lot of money and may want to lynch whoever told me to buy it.) The comparison goes on and on to 8, 10, 12.5" and 14" Newtonians, Schmidt Cassegrains, Intes 5" Macsotove Cassigrains, and various other brands, diameters, and types of telescopes. Ever heard of any of these? Know what they mean? (Yea right!) Before you buy a scope you should understand what all this means. Learning about the different kinds of scopes and their strengths and weaknesses is NOT the starting point! But when someone is ready to start thinking about that purchase, it should be done after much thought and with as much experience viewing with owners of such equipment as possible.

Observing through scopes isn't the only factor. The way scopes and the mounts they're on feel and handle is also very important! Again, there's no way anyone could make that judgment for you. Personally, I would tend to put the quality of the view above the brand of mount, providing the mount is a good mount. The "mount" is what holds the telescope and allows it to move so as to be aimed at desired objects in space. Nobody wants a good scope on a poor mount. Too much slop, vibration, or jerky moves take away from the purpose of astronomy- to find objects and enjoy the view. Besides, practically any telescope can be mounted on any good mount, but which good mount is also a vital consideration due to how they operate and handle.

How did I get that "experience?" Honestly, I'm not the most experienced member of OVAS by any means. I started in January 2001. I went to OVAS outings and a starparty and LOOKED through various scopes. I still do. This is THE best way for YOU to decide what kind of scope YOU really want.

Some folks know a little about good quality scopes and may be in the process of making a decision about which to buy. Perhaps they have been reading Sky & Telescope® or Astronomy® magazine and have formed some thoughts on what they might want. They may want to know about the companies or how the companies handle problems, what kind of problems (if any-- yes there is) are characteristic in particular brands, and just how easy/difficult the scope is to use. There is no better way to find out than to talk face to face with an owner of whichever telescope you're interested in. Honestly, YOU will not know what kind of scope YOU want until you try several and of different types and brands and mounts. (That's just the way getting experience is.)

Speaking of magazines, remember, adds are adds and magazine companies have to sell them without editing to stay in business. Equipment review articles can be more helpful.

Of course, $$$ has a lot to do with it also. It could be possible for you to buy a Meade 10" LX200 ($$$$$) and later on discover that you would much rather have bought an 8" Dobsonian (Dob.) ($$$) due to the ease of setting up the Dob., difference in weight- the Dob being MUCH lighter, and even the quality of the view. By the way, a Dob. is a Newtonian on a very easy to use and inexpensive mount. Not saying anything bad about the quality of the view through a Meade 10" Schmidt Cassigrain (SCT), but that could actually turn out to be the case. Considering an 8" SCT, compared to an 8" Newtonian, the Newtonian may very well win the optical contest! That's still YOUR judgment to make. Clear as mud? Just wait.

The ever so popular less expensive department store telescope approach:

Now many folks realize that finding a needle in their back yard is easier than finding a distant galaxy with a telescope. Therefore, some optical companies mass produce small telescopes, that you see especially around Christmas time, that have computerized pointing systems that track celestial objects and usually have bright, colorful photographs on the box. This computerized pointing system is generally referred to as "goto" in astronomy since you simply select the item you want to view off the menu and the computerized mount mechanically points the telescope at, or "goes to," the object you selected. All you have to do is put an eyepiece in and look as it tracks the object across the sky. Sounds like the neatest thing since sliced bread and electric toasters, doesn't it?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having or wanting a goto scope, especially if you can afford the computer, and have looked through several to know what you can and can't see, but you can usually get more viewing pleasure per dollar out of a larger diameter Dob. than you can out of a smaller scope with goto. About ALL department store scopes are WAY TOO SMALL (goto or not) for any but a passing fancy of an interest in astronomy. They are only about 2" or 3" in diameter- way too small for most people to see dim and distant space objects. Even better 3" and 4" refractors that costs much more can't produce views that larger diameter telescopes can. (I know, some of you experienced 4 & 5" refractor folks may disagree a little, but look at the cost of your refractors! I'll not mention what I can and can't see through those.) Unfortunately, it is entirely possible to buy a small diameter scope, especially a department store scope, with computer goto that can point at anything in the sky, and track it, that you can't see through the scope! That's right! This is due to the small diameter of the objective and the relative brightness (darkness) of the desired viewing object. The larger the diameter of the objective, the more light can get in and can be directed towards your eye. Sort of like water in pipes. Bigger pipes can pass more water easier than little pipes.

And what about all the colorful images? Well, they're photographs made with very expensive telescopes either in observatories or even with the Hubble Space telescope that is in orbit! OK, OK so some might be made with the manufactures telescopes, but not the ones like are in the box- they use the larger, more expensive ones I spoke of earlier. Hey, these telescope companies have to make money somehow. Fact is, human eyes can't see many colors in nebulae at all. They are way too far away and are way too dim to stimulate the color receptors in our eyes, not even in big expensive amateur scopes. (If you are now wondering why we even bother with all the expense to see black and white deep sky objects, you may want to consider something like backpacking or photography for a hobby.) Photographic film and electronic cameras can "soak up" light during long time exposures to bring out the color after a bunch of computer graphic jazz is used to stack up images. Our eyes simply can't. So nebulae looks like, well - gray smoke. Go look up the word nebula in the dictionary sometime. But you can see a little color on planets and some bright stars.

Then there's the numbers game. 200x, 300x, 500x, 600x? Would you believe that most really great amateur telescopes don't do well at all at 250-300x due to atmospheric interference? Would you also believe that the best views of the furthest objects are usually in the less than 250x range? Would you also believe that on the best nights that increasing the magnification causes the view of the object to get dimmer? That's another reason it is usually considered better to have a larger diameter telescope than a smaller one. Would you believe that most viewing is done between 50X to 150x? It's amazing what people WILL believe!

Now you see why many people buying small goto scopes forget about the fascinating hobby of astronomy after a few weeks? Really sad... The wrong equipment, no matter how expensive, inexpensive, or seemingly convenient, will kill even the best interest of the most well meaning beginner.

My hard handed advice is, stay away from any/all department store and hobby/science/camera shop telescopes if you have any serious interest in astronomy at all.

See the OVAS website www.ovas.org and look for the links on "So you want to buy a telescope". is the link.

The way:

Mostly, my advice is to not buy any telescope at all. Sounds really strange to most folks, but that's exactly how I got started in astronomy. So how does one get started in astronomy?

Believe it or not, it isn't all that expensive nor complicated. All you really need is:

1. A good planisphere. $10.00-20.00
2. A cheap, dim red flashlight. $8.00 or less if you cover the lens of one you already have with red cellophane or other red material. Many flash lights come with a red lens and that's all you need.
3. A good place to view. If you live in a city, or in a bottom between two hills, go to a higher, open, less light polluted place so that you can see the sky. I live in Flatwoods KY and there is moderate light pollution. In some ways, light pollution can actually help "hide" the dimmer stars so you can learn the brighter stars in the main constellations easier. Otherwise, lights block out the sky and make it difficult to see anything at all.

Some may add a cheap pair of binoculars that you probably have laying around the house anyway. A reclining lawn chair isn't bad either. The more comfortable you are, the easier it is to learn and enjoy viewing the sky. You should have seen the look on my neighbor's face when I asked to borrow their reclining lawn chair in January!

Learning the sky is THE way to get started in astronomy. It's probably much easier that you think. This first enjoyable step is the very foundation that all subsequent viewing will be built on. How can anyone expect to accurately aim their telescope at the Orion Nebula if they can't recognize the constellation Orion? Or know when it comes up and what time of year it is visible? Even the big, expensive goto scopes have to be aimed at known stars to accurately orient them so they will find -- anything else!

Thou shalt learn the sky. (Hear that celestial music? Oh well...) Or at least learn how to identify constellations with the aid of a planisphere and sky charts. After this step, sky charts will be very easy to use.

It's fun to learn with others too. Can you get to Huntington for meetings? Do you live close enough to join us for viewing? I am sure we could show you a lot of things that you could try before spending more money, especially a LOT more money. OVAS encourages anyone with an interest in astronomy to come and see for yourself what it's all about. Check our website! See when our meetings are!

That's about as good advice as you will ever get for astronomy. (So I'm not winning the humility award today.) There is no amount of typing or talking any of us can do that will greatly help you decide on a scope and mount or what to do with it. All you will get is everyone telling you how well WE like our scopes which does nothing to help YOU with how well YOU like our scopes.

Just to be sure, I'm not trying to talk you into or out of anything- except for coming to our meetings and asking questions and looking at our stuff. And knowing OVAS members as well as I do, NONE of us will give much different advice either, but you may get "variations on a theme." Hope to see you at a meeting.

Don Kemper
Amateur astronomer and OVAS member.

This public service message brought to you by The Dark Sky Gang of the Ohio Valley Astronomical Society.