Its Christmas Morning, Junior runs down stairs and finds a telescope under the tree. He is mad about astronomy and cant wait for it to get dark so he can see all those things he has read about.
Night falls, its crystal clear, perfect. Junior sets up his telescope, turns it towards the moon expecting to be amazed but all he sees is a blur of colours and not a crater in sight. Junior then tries a star or a planet, again nothing to see. “I want a drum kit” says Junior. Junior has now lost his interest in astronomy, all because Mommy and Daddy, bought a telescope without knowing the facts, which are:
A decent tripod is essential for any telescope, and is as important as the telescope itself.
Generally telescopes should only be bought from reputable dealers and expect to pay anything from €200 upwards. There are exceptions. In the past some of the German chain stores offered beginner telescopes as “specials”. Some of these scopes were excellent value for money and were an ideal introduction to Astronomy. If such scopes arise again, Kery Astronomy club will have details and an educated opinion on our website. If your budget does not stretch to a telescope, then a pair of binoculars make an excellent substitute, some would say in fact that binoculars are equal to or better than a beginners telescope. I tend to agree.
Binoculars are an excellent introduction to the night sky. If your are buying binoculars, opt for a pair of 10X50’s. This means a magnification of 10 with a front lens of 50mm diameter. 10X50’s are without doubt the most useful pair of binoculars for astronomy.