So You Want to Buy a Telescope?

Hi everyone! My name is Helena from ‪@HelenasAstrophotography‬
and over the next month I am working with Kielder Observatory to produce a series of videos on beginner level astronomy to get you excited about the night sky.
Purchasing a telescope can be a really exciting but daunting task! In this video we take you through specifications to look out for when choosing the right scope for your needs as well as recommendations based on our own experiences.
Music:
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
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[@Max_Jordan]

I love your accent 😄

[@kodyeldridge5847]

I could listen to you talk for years. Great info!

[@astroinfinland6680]

You also have to wait a couple of months for the clouds to go away after you get the scope.

[@h2rv]

😂

[@murphle]

I recently got an 8” dobsonian and it’s amazing

[@jeffreyhinzjr.6745]

OK I would like to clarify one thing. Dobsonian is the type of mount used to support the reflector telescope while viewing. You can mount refractors, reflectors, maksutov, and cassegrain style telescopes. Clarity fact form and function are always key words to keep in mind when using and understanding telescopes. And as always thank you for your bright insights and may you all have clear nights.

[@jaya6738]

Simple and well explained. Keep it up!...as well as your telescope to the night sky.

[@kevanhubbard9673]

Funnily enough I have just got back from south west Scotland from where you hail from and my first visit to the Galloway Forest Dark Skies Park.I think that it's the first time I'd seen Uranus naked eye.I used my 2x40 Helios wide field binoculars to locate in the then turned to my eyes and it was just visible.The negative was the local insect population, little black things probably less than a millimetre but they pack a potent bite.So many of them I was actually breathing them in!

[@anonamatron]

I'd think an anus would be absolutely massive through binoculars. I hope it doesn't magnify smell.

[@tonyrojas5139]

You’re the absolute best! Love your vids!! Thanks for all the info and advice and can’t wait to see more amazing videos 🫶

[@abusalamsree]

Very good video with easy explanations. Thanks!

[@austinburns4213]

Great video! I am almost a beginner (last owned scope 45 years ago). Unfortunately, prices have gone up quite a bit due to inflation and industry consolidation, but still, there's something for every budget.

[@decibellone696]

One lesson I learned - astrophotography is expencive. If that your goal, remember unless your rich you going to take a long time to get there. Start with an F10 or close scope So you will enjoy the things a beginner is likley to view with their eyes, and with their friends. You will learn what you like to look at and build skills to look at those objects.

[@siriusufoskywatcher-l2z]

Celestron Nexstar 90GT & Meade Mak are the ones i use they work really good and are areasonable price. No more then 150 used and 250 brand new.

[@niallchurch2679]

Dobsonian is the type of mount used!

[@davidcarver3142]

You are precious! Great info.

[@davidsandy5917]

Many years ago, I remember seeing Saturn using a telescope at the University of Virginia. I was hooked. Where I live today, the seeing is awful. I live on the coastline near big cities. Lots of haze and light pollution. When I retire, I am planning on moving to the mountains and will want to set up a good system for astra-photography.

[@melissakhan5707]

This was great 👍

[@abdulelah9726]

Thanks ❤

[@robertsonsid]

The Celestron X-Cell eyepieces are nice but isn't required to see Jupiter's 2 belts and 4 moons. The Celestron Omni Plossls will work fine for those on a lower budget.

[@davidsandy5917]

A discussion as to how to set up a telescope with a clock drive would be really useful. Even something as close as the moon, drifts out of view if you don't compensate for the Earth's rotation.

[@Georgedabou]

Do you suggest Telescope AC 60/700 AZ-1 for begginers?

[@iSuzane]

So is starmax 127 better than starmax 102? And should one go with AZ Pronto manual or AZ-GTE/AZ-GTI WiFi mount?

[@Asgardt13]

What do you think about Celestron Inspire 100 AZ. Or the other 80AZ and 70AZ of this model? It is recomended for beginners like myself.

[@amarbirk8987]

Always go for bigger aperture,so I'd say inspire 100 as it is 100mm aperture. Look at it as a light bucket,so you want biggest bucket in order to collect more light. You can see dimmer objects (deep space objects) and contrast on planets should be better,in theory. As it is an achromatic refractor, at higher magnifications,you may experience some chromatic obberation(purple fringe around bright objects such as moon as jupiter) but longer the f ratio,the less CO you will have due to longer refractor tube(ota)

[@Asgardt13]

@@amarbirk8987 thank you

[@FabricFolk]

Hello I'm looking at purchasing the Sky watcher classic 200 8" as I cannot afford to go up to the 250 10". I know you recommend getting eye pieces, if you could only get 1 or 2, what would you say are the most important sizes please?

[@CanadaAstro]

I own a telescope named Haggis. It’s a 6”reflector.

[@Joey_mm2youtuberz1234]

yes please

[@montassarbenarfia8953]

300 mm focal and 70 mm diameter of primary mirror is good or not? I found this where I live and i think about buying it

[@geoffreywray4235]

I have a 76 × 700 telescope 🔭 will I be able to see planets in the night sky , thanks

[@paganphil100]

@geoffreywray4235: Yes, you will be able to see Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and probably Mars but they will appear very small......don't expect large NASA-type views. A telescope with a longer focal length (1000mm or more) and wider aperture (102mm or more) would be a lot better though.

[@JD4-70]

I’ve just purchased a skymax 102s, im a complete novice! Hopefully it’s simple and easy to use! I love the content Helena and have subscribed to your personal channel! Keep up the great work! I wish you clear skies!

[@MountainFisher]

Well by now you have seen how good the scope is. I hope some one taught you about not over powering your telescope. Just because it can go to 216x magnification doesn't mean you have to. Seeing conditions for my Skymax are key to what I'll be able to see. I hate looking at Jupiter while it shimmers and wobbles. When it does that your scope may be at a different temperature having just come out of the house and it needs to acclimate to the outside temps until the heat waves stop. Remember at 100x those heat waves are magnified 100x. Even the heat waves from your house if it's really cold might show up. Or the wind may be calm where you are, but the wind up in the stratosphere may be blowing over 300 km/hour or 200 mph. I will look up aircraft weather center, but just looking at the stars with my binoculars to check how much distortion there is will do. I see videos here on KZbin of the Moon and they'll be using a Barlow and the Moon just ripples. The distortion of planets is ridiculous. Always start with a wide angle field of view, fov with low power like 30x to 40x and work your way up. Once you see distortion building up drop down a bit. Best to see a smaller and sharper Jupiter than a rippling, pulsating Jupiter with details moving around.

[@JD4-70]

@@MountainFisher I’ve seen some beautiful objects through my telescope and its pushed me further into the hobby, I now also have a dslr camera and star tracker. Thanks for the great tips! I done a lot of research before hand and decided to stay away from Barlow lenses anyway so I haven’t really ran into any major issues yet.

[@paganphil100]

@JD4-70:I have the same one, its a great little "Mak" 🙂

[@AntonyWood998]

Bruh I went here and saw the Milky Way it was so lucky and soo beautiful the image will stay in my head

[@angeltensey]

If you really wanna go cheap because unsure of if you even want to get into this hobby, its perfectly fine to go for some big brand's 70mm, 700mm focal length refractor (like Sky-Watcher 707). Why? This format of a tube itself is everything a complete novice need: actually capable for it's price, less demanding lens-based scheme, no collimation, quick thermal stabilization, easy to operate, goes with any mount, cheap enough to not regret if you didnt liked the astronomy. Note: avoid fork-type alt-az mounts (AZ1 and AZ2). They are floppy, has bad machining and generally garbage and just hobby killers. I'd recommend to go for EQ2 mount and it's variations and higher from the get go. Equatorial mount will give you a touch of true astronomy experience. In other words: 1) 70/700 refractor is a solid starter for a novice 2) The mount is what makes most of the job. Good mount is a key to pleasant astronomy

[@robertsipes7391]

What has happened to you? You were one of my "go-to's" when I was getting started in this magnificent hobby!

[@fireworxz]

Thanks

[@DimitrisKoutoulas]

Aperture by itself does not convey any notion of how bright will be the objects at the focal plane!! The only parameter that says how bright an object will be at the focal plane is the F-Ratio. Telescopes with the same F-Ratio will form images of the same object with the same brightness. And the details of these images at the focal plane, is determined by the aperture. e.g., If I say:I have a 6 inch telescope and a 12 inch one, which one will form brighter images of M13 cluster at the focal plane? you can't say without asking of for the focal length of each one. So you have to know both aperture and FL to answer. But these two characteristics define the F-Ratio...!

[@anonamatron]

Which kind is best for looking into windows like two or three blocks away?

[@mbarrera.1]

😂😂

[@davidsandy5917]

Looking for the moon of Venus?

[@baneverything5580]

3 or 4 inch refractor.

[@YossufTarek-gq2dz]

😂😂😂😂

[@armandotorres-iy1cw]

Greetings from houston texas. Houston...we have a problem!

[@stuartbolden2142]

Hi Helena … firstly , I’ve followed your channel and really like your videos , but , you described a telescope as an instrument that “magnifies” … it has to be said that a telescope is an instrument that captures light … the magnification comes from the Eyepiece . The dobsonian error I believe was noted by another viewer but it is a good point . Dobsonian related to the base or mount . Named after John Dobson . Sorry I hope you don’t think I’m being pedantic here but the first point raised is really important Keep up the good work

[@irascib1e]

More videos with Helena please!

[@zigglyDev]

No but now I'm somehow interested 🙃

[@skyking9248]

obsessed with your accent lol 😅

[@smbhquasar1527]

hail the dob

[@Theoutdorz]

Man i jus wan look moon

[@refetastro]

If you have the money buy 15” obsession for visual .

[@rosaluks644]

Like for the way you say "telescope"

[@paganphil100]

Maksutov (not "Maxitov").

[@blubard6105]

She is a hot burning star 🌟.

[@franksemi_modular]

Haha "tææelescope" sounds funny when you say it 😅

[@Drteslacoiler]

I subscribed because she is so cute ;)

[@dontfearthereefer5683]

Sweet accent

[@eviled2006]

worst telescope rewires ever!

[@juanluissaladolopez346]

Hello beautiful, cordial greetings from Aguascalientes Aguascalientes México, I would love to meet you, I really like astronomy and optics, especially telescopes, I would like to have a professional one