refractor telescope

Taking A Look At The Refracting Telescope

It's true that Galileo is accredited with the conception of the refracting telescope in the the early part of the 17th century, reference should also be afforded to three eye doctors whose contribution assisted him develop the theory of refraction for his telescope. Refracting telescopes are sporting only two essential elements : a convex lens named the objective lens, and a concave lenswhich serves as part of the eyepiece.

The convex lens is situated at the skyward end of the telescope and functions to refract or curve the lightwaves that enter the telescope and turn it into a single beam of light. Theprojected image you are looking at shows up in reverse on the concave lens, turns the image around. Refraction telescopes allow the observer to see very clear and bright and clear images.

The refracting telescope devised by Galileo is utilized nowadays by many individuals but the drawback is the small field of view which it affords. A well known refracting telescope is the one in California at the Chabot Space and Science Center. The center actually has two refracting telescopes — an eight-inch refracting telescope and a 21-inch refracting telescope. Refracting Telescopes are quite basic telescopes and therefore it is true thatspherical aberrations can occur. One way these aberrations are dealt with is by employing a pair of lenses (a convex and a flat lens) to create an achromatic lens.

Refracting Telescopes and Color

One of the most noted limitations with a refracting telescope is the breakup of light that comes about when the light is bent. When this happens, it is referred to as a chromatic aberration and it can be remedied with the use of an achromatic lens.

A key concern with sizeable refracting telescopes is getting the lens large enough without any imperfections being picked up as light goes through the lens. There are 41-inch lenses but they are unusable. Refracting telescopes are generally not used by professional astronomers due to the issue of getting all the light to focus in on one place at the same time.

Refracting telescopes are often the first choice among novice astronomers and are utilized at observation towers in all countries of the world. It is a good telescope selection for novices due to the lens being enclosed which generates an image that will appears with more stability and have less movement than is sometimes the case with reflecting telescopes in which the process of reflecting light from the first mirror to the second and then the eye piece can cause a shaky visual image.

a refracting telescope

If your children are fascinated by the moon, stars, and planets, consider buying them a child telescope. We are not talking about a toy or a pirate's plastic telescope, but a real quality telescope designed specifically for novice star gazers. Now it is important to choose a telescope that allows for optimal viewing of celestial bodies while providing a clear magnified view of your targeted celestial bodies. This allows the beginner to enter the amazing world of astronomy and take an important step in better understanding their universe .

What Type of Beginner Telescope Should You Consider?

With fewer moving parts and a simplistic, well-crafted design, the refracting telescope design has been highly recommended by some experts as one of the best beginner telescopes. Others believe that an easy-to-use refracting telescope is the better telescope for novices. In making your decision, a good source of information is the telescope reviews found on many online telescope websites. But, whatever your choice, select the model that is tailored for new telescope users and one that can be set-up quickly and can be aligned and operates easily.

While a beginner telescope cannot offer custom or state of the art optics, ones from reputable manufacturers are generally quite satisfactory. A word of warning though — It is generally best to avoid "department store" telescopes. These are generally of lower quality and designed for mass production at the expense of quality.

Why You Should Start with a Beginner Telescope

The reasons we suggest that you start on a smaller scale is that you want to avoid the frustration of attempting to use an advance telescope without training and experience. A beginner telescope will afford you with a great number of opportunities to view the stars and planets while you learn the basics of stargazing. Prices for a beginner telescope can be as low as $200 or as high as $2,500, but we would suggest that you look for telescopes in the $300 to $600 price range.

So if your novice astronomer is ready to start on their journey to the stars, take a "right" at the Sea of Tranquility and fly yourself into deep space by visiting the Crab Nebula. Its really easier than you think, thanks to the strong magnification , precision optics and simple operating controls of the beginner telescope .

Before you go out and buy a telescope, or even if you have already bought one, there are a few things that all amateur astronomers need in their tool-kit. I'm not going to talk about eyepieces, diagonals, and stuff like that. But the type of stuff that will make your life a lot easier both at your observing site, as well as planning an observing run.

First purchase should  be a red flashlight. It takes a long time for your eyes to become fully dark adapted, which allows you to see fainter detail so you don't want to ruin that with harsh white light. So pick up a red flashlight. They are available from many retailers both on-line and off.

A table and chair are next on the list. I picked up a nice little folding chair and table from a dollar store and they are great. The table you buy should be solid enough that it won't fall over especially if you have a laptop on it. I use my table whether or not I have the PC with me as I will set my sky charts on it to find my next target.

Speaking of sky charts that is the next thing up. It doesn't matter if you have a goto scope or not (I have both goto and non-goto) you want some form of charts and a planisphere. You want to be able plan out your observing session ahead of time and this is where these really are indispensable. And if you just want to do a quick little run with binoculars a planisphere is a great little tool.

Speaking of which, binoculars. Even if you buy or have already bought a telescope, binoculars are great to have with you. Binoculars are great for sweeping star fields and taking in big open clusters for example. In fact they are better on some objects, like the Pleiades and the Double Cluster, than a scope. And if you don't have the time to set up your telescope, they are the ultimate in grab-and-go. All experience observes have a pair, heck I own 2.

Get a subscription to an astronomy magazine or two. Ones I highly recommend are: Sky and Telescope and Astronomy Magazine. They both contain top notch observing tips, equipment reviews, breaking news and more.

Books. There are many excellent astronomy books on the market but, in my personal opinion, three really stand out for the wealth of information they provide to the beginning amateur astronomer. They are Turn Left at Orion, The Backyard Astronomers Guide, and Nightwatch.

Great information in all.

As I said earlier you want sky charts even if you have a goto scope. Sky Atlas 2000 has twenty-six charts which cover the entire sky. They show 81,312 single, multiple, and variable stars of magnitude 8.5 and brighter and 2,700 deep-sky objects. Comes with an acetate coordinate-grid overlay for measuring angular distances. Stars are black on white background, while deep-sky objects are color-coded by type for quick identification. Also has a dew-proof cover. There are others, but this is a beauty.

Insect repellent. This may seem trivial, and maybe doesn`t hold true where you live, but you will be able to observe much better without worrying about being eaten alive by mosquitos. I always make sure I have enough repellent with me.

Join a local astronomy club. You can find like minded people, check out equipment, ask question, attend viewing sessions and star parties and more. Some even loan out equipment. And if you don't have one near-by maybe join as a member at large. Even though I don't live in Canada anymore I am still a member of the RASC.

Oh one more thing, always dress for colder temperatures than are actually expected. You will be standing still and will feel colder. I will go into cold weather observing in another article. Clear Skies.

Here is a quick little tip for all you budding amateur astronomers out there, which you can use to amaze your friends with your knowledge of the heavens with.

If you (or one of your friends) are wondering whether the moon is waxing (getting bigger towards full moon) or waning (going towards new, just remember this little trick.

If the lit side is towards the right it forms a D, right. So just think of the word Debut (beginning, or opening in French). So the moon is growing towards full.

If the lit side is to the left it forms a C. So just think of the word Close, the moon is closing towards new.

Cool trick huh?