© Galloway Astronomy Centre 2016      All images are copyright – M Alexander unless otherwise stated

As well as being bought by the user many telescopes are bought as a present by a  partner or family member. With all good intentions they person often knows little about  them and makers of some telescopes take advantage by claiming their telescopes provide  absurdly high magnification, such as "525x" or "675x" and with boxes illustrated with  unobtainable images.   It sounds and looks good, however, this is a sure sign of a poor quality telescope. They  can often be found in Department Stores or Supermarkets.  If you already have a telescope like the one on the right all is not lost.  There are some easy modifications which will help improve it. Click HERE for the  page The main purpose of a telescope is NOT to magnify, but to gather faint light into the eye.  Therefore, the larger the lens or mirror of the telescope (known as aperture) the better  the view will be. But there is much more to choosing a telescope than this. It is not possible to give you a complete guide in just one web page - this is why we run a 2 hour course on the subject, but here we will point out the important things you need to know.

Three points are 1) The child is looking at the wrong end. This is a Newtonian Reflector you view through  the side. 2) The tube cover is still fitted on the front 3) It is a poor telescope for many reasons

Introduction Buying the right telescope need not be a gamble. Take  advantage of my years of experience and possibly save  yourself hundred of pounds by ensuring you buy the right  telescope first time. That way you will get many nights of  enjoyment not ones of frustration. A principle aim of the the Galloway Astronomy Centre has  always been to give the beginner help to get a good start in  the hobby. We carry that same principle into selling  telescopes. Since the GAC opened I have given advice on  telescopes to many guests which lead us to become a dealer  for Skywatcher telescopes. We have a unique offer for you - stay at the Centre and under our beautiful dark skies  and try out examples of popular beginner telescopes such as the Skymax 127 Maksutov  or Explorer-130P with Synscan™ AZ Goto. I have been observing the wonders of the night sky for over 40 years and in that time I  have used many different types of telescope. I am impressed with Skywatcher telescopes as throughout the comprehensive range they consistently offer very good quality at  competitive prices. At the end of 2013 we were approached by Celestron to become their only Scottish  specialist dealer. They also produced very good telescopes many with unique features. It is important to remember that even though we are a dealer, this does not mean I can  only give advice on Skywatcher or Celestron telescopes. If another manufacturer best fits your needs I’m happy to say so. For first class service and advice please phone or e-mail we are only too pleased to talk  through your requirements.  A Guide to Buying a Telescope    (Apologies that it is long, but it’s stuff should  know) 

If you cannot see at least three things wrong in this image you definitely need my help. See bottom of page for answers.

Naming of Parts  A telescope has 4 main parts -A poor mount even with a  good telescope will wobble too much Telescope - often called Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) -  Refractor, Reflector or Catadioptric Mount - there are two main types Alt Az or Equatorial Finderscope (or Red Dot Finder) used to locate the object you want to look at. Eyepieces, these ultimately effect how large the object looks. ALL four items are important. 

A poor mount even with a good telescope will wobble too much to be of use. Cheap small  aperture telescopes are simply not worth buying. If you have less than £175 to spend  then the best advice is to buy a good quality pair of 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars and a star  chart (we can advise on or supply these). Use the time you take to save more money by  learning more about the night sky.  Often misunderstood by new buyers is that the planets are very small and need at least  120 to 150 times magnification to give reasonable views. However, Galaxies, Star  Clusters or Nebulae are much larger and often viewed at 50 to 150 times magnification.  One telescope may not be able to achieve both these things. What is There to See?  Most beginners start out looking at the Moon and brighter planets  (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus). For these objects the focal length of the telescope is most critical to allow sufficient  magnification of the image.  Later the beginner starts to look for star clusters, gas clouds  (called nebula) and galaxies collectively known as Deep Sky  Objects (DSOs) scattered across the sky. Too late they discover  their scope's lens or mirror is too small to show these well. For  these objects the aperture of the telescope is most critical. Light Pollution  If you want to see Deep Sky Objects and you live in or close to a large town or city  consider either a larger aperture telescope or a portable one (so you can take it away  from the lights). The Moon or planets are less effected by light pollution. Next - The Basics

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enquiries@gallowayastro.com

Tel: 01988 500594

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© Galloway Astronomy Centre 2016 All images are copyright – M Alexander unless otherwise stated

As well as being bought by the user many telescopes are bought  as a present by a partner or family member. With all good  intentions they person often knows little about them and makers  of some telescopes take advantage by claiming their telescopes  provide absurdly high magnification, such as "525x" or "675x"  and with boxes illustrated with unobtainable images.   It sounds and looks good, however, this is a sure sign of a poor  quality telescope. They can often be found in Department Stores  or Supermarkets.  If you already have a telescope like the one on the right all  is not lost.  There are some easy modifications which will help improve  it. Click HERE for the page  The main purpose of a telescope is NOT to magnify, but to gather  faint light into the eye. Therefore, the larger the lens or mirror of  the telescope (known as aperture) the better the view will be. But there is much more to choosing a telescope than this. It is not possible to give you a complete guide in just one web page - this is why we run a 2 hour course on the subject, but here we will point out the important things you need to know.

Three points are 1) The child is looking at the wrong end. This is a Newtonian  Reflector you view through the side. 2) The tube cover is still fitted on the front 3) It is a poor telescope for many reasons

Introduction Buying the right telescope need not be  a gamble. Take advantage of my years  of experience and possibly save  yourself hundred of pounds by  ensuring you buy the right telescope  first time. That way you will get many  nights of enjoyment not ones of  frustration. A principle aim of the the Galloway  Astronomy Centre has always been to  give the beginner help to get a good  start in the hobby. We carry that same  principle into selling telescopes. Since  the GAC opened I have given advice on  telescopes to many guests which lead  us to become a dealer for Skywatcher  telescopes. We have a unique offer for you - stay at the Centre and under  our beautiful dark skies and try out examples of popular beginner  telescopes such as the Skymax 127 Maksutov or Explorer-130P  with Synscan™ AZ Goto. I have been observing the wonders of the night sky for over 40  years and in that time I have used many different types of  telescope. I am impressed with Skywatcher telescopes as throughout the comprehensive range they consistently offer very  good quality at competitive prices. At the end of 2013 we were approached by Celestron to become  their only Scottish specialist dealer. They also produced very good telescopes many with unique features. It is important to remember that even though we are a dealer,  this does not mean I can only give advice on Skywatcher or  Celestron telescopes. If another manufacturer best fits your  needs I’m happy to say so. For first class service and advice please phone or e-mail we are  only too pleased to talk through your requirements.  A Guide to Buying a Telescope    (Apologies that it is long,  but it’s stuff should know) 

If you cannot see at least three things wrong in this image you definitely need my help. See bottom of page for answers.

Naming of Parts  A telescope has 4 main parts -A poor  mount even with a good telescope will  wobble too much Telescope - often called Optical Tube  Assembly (OTA) - Refractor, Reflector or  Catadioptric Mount - there are two main types Alt Az or  Equatorial  Finderscope (or Red Dot Finder) used to  locate the object you want to look at. Eyepieces, these ultimately effect how large  the object looks. ALL four items are important. 

A poor mount even with a good telescope will wobble too much to  be of use. Cheap small aperture telescopes are simply not worth  buying. If you have less than £175 to spend then the best advice  is to buy a good quality pair of 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars and a  star chart (we can advise on or supply these). Use the time you  take to save more money by learning more about the night sky.  Often misunderstood by new buyers is that the planets are very  small and need at least 120 to 150 times magnification to give  reasonable views. However, Galaxies, Star Clusters or Nebulae  are much larger and often viewed at 50 to 150 times  magnification. One telescope may not be able to achieve both  these things. What is There to See?  Most beginners start out looking at the Moon  and brighter planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter,  Saturn, Uranus). For these objects the focal  length of the telescope is most critical to allow sufficient magnification of the image.  Later the beginner starts to look for star  clusters, gas clouds (called nebula) and  galaxies collectively known as Deep Sky  Objects (DSOs) scattered across the sky. Too  late they discover their scope's lens or mirror  is too small to show these well. For these  objects the aperture of the telescope is most  critical. Light Pollution  If you want to see Deep Sky Objects and you live in or close to a  large town or city consider either a larger aperture telescope or a  portable one (so you can take it away from the lights). The Moon  or planets are less effected by light pollution. Next - The Basics

Tel: 01988 500594

enquiries@gallowayastro.com