A Beginners Guide to Telescopes 🔭

If you're into astronomy, you might have already spent hours and hours stargazing at the night sky. Just looking at the dark sky with your naked eyes helps you get familiar with many new concepts. Scientists created a telescope to enhance the stargazing experience and answer unknown questions. A device that enabled them to observe and look at objects that couldn't be seen with the naked eye; by making distant objects closer. 

This was an incredible invention back then and grabbed immense attention. It helped in making the whole astronomy experience much more interesting. In today's world, telescopes are pretty common but also very expensive. This article will teach you all you need to know about telescopes before buying one and also how to use a telescope.

You can learn more here if you want to dive deeper into the world of telescopes and astronomy.

Learn How To Use A Telescope

The purpose of a telescope is to make the invisible things visible and to make the visible things more zoomed and clear. If you have recently started stargazing and are eager to buy a telescope, start with something basic like Skywatcher 707 Telescope. It's not very costly and comes with all the necessary equipment to set it up. 

Using this basic telescope is quite easy; it comes with a variety of specifications. You can start your astronomy observation from your porch, roof, garden, or backyard. Let's take a deeper look at how things work in a telescope to understand how to use a telescope.

Telescope - David Clark Swalm

What Are The Parts Of A Telescope Called?

There are two types of telescopes: a refractor and a reflector. The basic difference in each is the type of objective used to gather light. A refractive telescope uses a glass lens, whereas a reflector telescope uses the mirror as its objective. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a look at some other parts of a telescope.

Lens

There are at least two lenses in each type of telescope. One is used as the objective, and the other as an eyepiece. These are biconcave and are placed according to the size of the telescope.  

Mirrors

Mirrors are a part of every telescope. Their shape may vary depending on the design. In most cases, mirrors are used to enhance image quality. 

Eyepiece

The eyepiece is the most important part of a telescope. It is a part of the ocular lens and is often quite sensitive. The magnificence of any telescope is determined using the eyepiece.  

Structural Support

Good-quality telescopes are often heavy and large. Hence, these telescopes come with structural support, like a tripod, to help keep the telescope stable and increase its efficiency. 

Finderscope

The tiny piece bulging out of the telescope is the finder scope. This helps in calculating the location of the object being viewed in the telescope. 

Telescope set up - David Clark Swalm

How Do I Set Up My Telescope?

Alignment

Adjust the finderscope and eyepiece by using the details in a way that the red spot points directly to the object you want to observe. 

Image Adjustment 

Every telescope shows the image in a different direction. Hence, take your time and adjust the image to the point where it is most comfortable for you to observe. 

Setting It Up 

Place the telescope stand on soft ground for extra stability and in shadow for better results and easier observations.

The above three steps are for beginners to get to know their telescope. After the above steps, find your object and start your astronomy hunt. 

What Is The Furthest Planet You Can See With A Telescope?

A beginner's telescope is usually not very well equipped as its magnification isn't very strong. However, they will help you kickstart your journey. In some cases, it is possible to view planets in the solar system with a beginners telescope and the correct environment., However, with a 50mm telescope, you can view all the planets except Uranus and Neptune. To view the furthest planet Neptune, you will need a 250 to 350-mm telescope. 

Take a Look Up At The Sky

To summarize the discussion, it is fair to say that using a telescope is quite easy and requires some basic knowledge. Modern telescopes in today's world can help you see the farther planets, and with a beginner's telescope, you can also manage to view the moon. 

If you’re a beginner in the astronomy field, check out my blog post specifically for Beginners and Getting Started in Your Backyard