So, You Want to Buy a Telescope

Around this time of year, we get lots of questions in the planetarium about buying a telescope. Often, the question is asked by someone who has a budding space geek in their life. Unfortunately, many telescopes available at big box stores may not be the best choice for a beginner. Read on for some advice before purchasing your first telescope!

A star wheel is a very helpful tool for finding your way through the night sky. As you become more familiar with constellations, you can use the stars to locate galaxies, nebula, star clusters, and other deep sky objects. This Planisphere is available in the Museum Store for $14.95, and versions can also be found online.

First off, if you are looking for a gift for an astronomy buff, a telescope is probably not the first item you should buy. Before one can successfully use a telescope to study deep sky objects, you really need to be able to find your way through the night sky. Learning how to locate stars in constellations will allow you to find the faint objects nearby. A star wheel is a excellent tool for finding constellations, and will never go out of date. Star wheels are available at the Peoria Riverfront Museum store, and online. For more help in finding constellations, I recommend the book The Stars: A New Way to See Them by H.A. Ray, and The Total Skywatcher's Manual by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Frequent trips to the planetarium to see Stars Over Peoria would help too. We teach classes in our museum school about constellations and how to find them as well.

Binoculars are a great way to start observing the night sky in greater detail. Image source

When you know how to find constellations, you will be prepared to find specific areas of the night sky, which is essential for finding deep sky objects. To see more than you can with just your eyes, a nice pair of binoculars is a good first tool. Binoculars are easy to use, and travel well. Anything from 7x35 to 10x50 binoculars will allow a stargazer to zoom in on the Moon, find the open star cluster of the Pleiades, bright galaxies like Andromeda, and large nebulae like Orion. When observing with binoculars, it is helpful to be sitting in a chair or laying on your back, or to be in a position that is easy to keep your elbows propped on something to keep your hands steady. Once you get skilled with observing with binoculars, you will be able to use them to find a deep sky object, and then use a telescope for observing in greater detail. 

Northmoor Observatory. Image Credit: GG Nature Photo

Before buying a telescope, it is a good idea to talk to people who use and own telescopes already. Most communities have an Astronomical Society, whose members are enthusiastic observers and happy to show off their scopes. The Peoria Astronomical Society meets on the first Wednesday of every month from October through May, in the Dome Planetarium. Meetings are free and open to the public, and the members would be happy to answer questions you might have. Joining a star party is also a great way to see scopes in action and decide which one might be good for you. The Peoria Astronomical Society has Northmoor Observatory open every clear Saturday night in the summer. Come to a meeting and learn more!

Planetarium staff being goofy with an 8 inch dobsonian telescope.

If you are ready to buy a telescope today, or are planning on getting one for a holiday gift, my final advice is to not buy one from a big box store. This article from Sky and Telescope has good information about the different types of telescopes and how they work, as well as advice on which kinds to start with. This article goes into greater detail if you really want to dig in.

You can always learn what's up in the night sky and the latest news from space at the Dome Planetarium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for daily updates. 

Star Wars themed Pub Night in the Planetarium? Yes, please!