There is nothing better than the night sky! But even better is having everything brought hundreds of times closer to you so that you can see it in all its glory. Using a telescope it all becomes possible.

One thing that should be noted straight out the gate, is that with telescopes you get what you pay for, if you want anything decent then you are going to need a decent budget, maybe $400 upwards to start. Many people will start with a cheaper scope but the fact is that the smaller less expensive models just simply don’t deliver. A cheaper model is very likely to offer distorted images that will ruin the viewing experience.

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We would recommend that you start looking at a price range of around four to eight hundred dollars and consider a 60mm refractor telescope if you are just getting started, you will be impressed with what you’ll be able to see. Over and above that price point you can start to look at higher quality and high tech telescopes that are motorized or even computer controlled so they can track stars and constellations.

Magnification – This is something that’s easy to get hung up on, many people want to go for the biggest magnification they can but this isn’t always the best option. There is still a lot to be seen with a smaller magnification of say 32. The image will be of good quality and still allow you to see the moon and some good detail, plus some of the other planets like Saturn and Jupiter. 50x really should be your lowest consideration as this will offer some superb detail plus a very clear, stable viewing experience.

Once you get into 100x + you will be seeing a lot more detail, but it’s important to remember that with a basic telescope the more magnification, the dimmer the image gets and possibly you will even experience fuzziness due to atmospheric turbulence. Higher magnifications will pick up the warm air as it rises into the atmosphere later at night, this causes blurring of the images that come through the telescopes lens. Whilst magnification is important, it’s not everything when it comes to the lower end of the scale.

Refractor or Reflector?

A reflector scope uses a primary mirror and a secondary mirror to bounce the light that comes through the lens. It’s a very simple concept and therefore cheaper to buy. A 4.5″ reflector would be considered a good ‘starting’ scope.

A refractor scope however works on a different principle and the light is sent straight to the eye piece where the image is then seen by the human eye, these telescopes are actually sealed tubes. 60mm would be a good lens size to go for with the refractor telescope, you will be able to pick one of these up for a reasonable price.

When it comes to actually purchasing your telescope you are better off looking at a specialised online or high street store. There are some great discounts available online but make sure you know exactly what you’re getting.