How to Pick the Perfect Telescope

Keep in mind that a good telescope, whatever its type, will repay you with a lifetime of enjoyment. It can't be used up or worn out. A poor telescope, on the other hand, will wind up unused in the back of a closet after only a few weeks of shaky and frustratingly inadequate views.

Buying a small, inexpensive "beginner's" telescope to see what astronomy is like, before you move up to a "good" scope, is often a guarantee that you'll never buy a good scope. Most inexpensive "department store special" telescopes have dim and blurry plastic optics, with shaky and difficult-to-use mounts. They can easily get you so discouraged at not seeing anything fun that you'll give up on astronomy without ever knowing how many wonders can be seen with a truly good scope.

So be prepared to spend at least $350 to $500 for a telescope – more, if possible. Try to make your first purchase a quality telescope, even if you have to wait a while to buy it. You'll be happier with a well-made telescope – from your very first look and for many years to come.

That being said, we are aware that some people have strict budget limits. Others are looking only for a small scope as a present for their child or grandchild, spouse, or significant other. They are not looking for a serious observing instrument, simply a somewhat grownup version of a toy telescope for an occasional peek at the Moon or planets from the patio on a warm summer's night. For these people, we do have some scopes that are under $350 in the 60mm to 4.5" aperture range that offer very acceptable performance at very economical price points. Amazingly, many of them are fully computerized telescopes that will find, identify, and track celestial objects for you automatically. They are fun for occasional casual peeks at the sky, but they do have their limitations. People usually enjoy astronomy more if their first scope is more than just a bare bones and undersized "starter" scope.

If $350-$500 is more than your budget allows now, and you're looking for a telescope for some serious star-gazing, consider joining an astronomy club and attending their star parties or using their "loaner" scope while you save up for the scope you really want. Don't buy something that's less than you really want, just because it's in your price range now. If you do, sooner or later you'll want something better, and much of your present investment will go to waste if you can't sell the too-small scope you bought "just to get started."

As you start your search for the right telescope, give some thought to whether you only want to experience the skies with your own eyes, or whether you also want to photograph them so you can share with others the sights you've seen. Astrophotography requires an equatorial mount, motor drive, camera adapter, drive corrector, off-axis guider, 35mm camera or CCD imager – things that aren't needed for visual observing. So, if photography intrigues you, plan ahead. Choose a scope that you can use for photography later, even if it costs more now. It will be more cost-effective in the long run to pay a little bit more to get a photo-ready scope now, rather than have to buy a completely different scope later.