10 Telescope Mistakes Beginners Make When Purchasing A Telescope

Buying on Magnification

What is magnification and how does it impact observing through a telescope? Magnification dictates how large an object appears when looking through the telescope. The magnification of a telescope is dependent on two components: the telescope itself and the eyepiece being used to observe. We can find the magnification using the following formula:

telescope focal length/eyepiece focal length = Magnification

Often, cheaper telescopes will boast high magnification. This can seem attractive to beginners because it’s easy to assume the closer something is, the better you can see it. However, it’s not that simple when it comes to telescope optics. While high magnification may seem like it will provide beginners with impressive views of faraway space objects, it actually can negatively impact the observation experience, because small-aperture telescopes do not have the light-gathering power needed for clear and detailed views of those objects. What you end up with are blurry or unintelligible images in the eyepiece that are not only unimpressive but incredibly discouraging to those who want an exciting first foray into astronomy.

Ignoring Mount

When purchasing a telescope, it’s often easiest to focus most on the optics. However, we cannot stress enough that considering the quality and design of the mount your telescope will be attached to is equally important. Mounts serve two important functions: securely holding your telescope and providing a method by which you can point your telescope to the object you want to see.

Cheap telescopes often come with manual, unstable mounts that provide shaky experiences, which can be frustrating when it comes to maintaining the focus of your telescope. The poor-quality of the mount build can cause further issues when it comes to moving or trying to track celestial objects. The safety of your optics is also a concern. With low-quality parts, cheaper mounts are prone to slipping and not staying in place once you’ve attempted to tighten the mount into a certain position.

Expecting Photos

Another common mistake for beginning amateur astronomers is not adjusting expectations. Astronomy is an incredibly rewarding and awe-inspiring hobby. The importance of patience, however, cannot be understated. With beautiful space images taken by NASA or even experienced amateur astronomers, it can be difficult not to expect stunning, colorful images of celestial objects to be visible when you peer through an eyepiece. However, visual observation and astrophotography are different sides of the same coin. Visual astronomy is the view of an object in the specific moment of observation. While closer objects, such as planets and some bright stars, can be seen in muted color, it is important to know that farther, deep-sky objects will appear in black and white due to the anatomy of the human eye.

At night, the human eye engages something called “rod cells.” These cells are ideal for determining the intensity of light, but they cannot detect color. This means the amount of light our eyes can pick up from a deep sky object is enough to see it, though it will be monochrome. There are cases, if you have a large enough aperture telescope that can bring in enough light, you may be able to detect colors when looking through it, such as when viewing the Orion Nebula. However, the colors will likely be very faint.

Focus on Aperture

When purchasing a telescope, we recommend your first requirement be considering the aperture of a telescope. Aperture is the diameter of the primary mirror or lens on the telescope and determines how much light the telescope can gather. This ultimately determines the resolution of an image. The more light entering the telescope, the higher the potential for crisp, clear, and bright views of an object, including fainter, deep-sky objects. Similar to the discussion of the anatomy of the human eye affecting how the color of objects are seen, you can think of the aperture as the “pupil” of the telescope. Pupils will dilate in darker settings; the dilation widens the pupil and lets more light in, allowing the eye to make out more detail.

Aiming for larger aperture telescopes with the ability to support higher magnifications due to their longer focal length and provide clearer views will help prevent disappointment when trying to find and view different night sky objects, such as galaxies, nebulae, and more. Planets, for example, need higher magnification, but without a larger-aperture telescope, the resolution would not be suitable for observation.

Cheaper telescopes often do not have the necessary aperture to support great observations. So, if you are planning to make an investment in a telescope, it is best to start with something that, while it may be more expensive, will provide you with clearer, more detailed views and the increased likelihood of using it over and over again. The investment, in that case, will likely seem much more worth it in the end, especially since it will be a rewarding way to enter the astronomy community. Check out our Best Telescopes for Beginners to find the telescope that best fits your astronomy goals!

Buy Stable Mounts

The quality of your mount is just as important as the quality of your optics. There are two main components you need in order to have a successful observation session: a high-quality mount and a high-quality tripod. Much like investing in a larger aperture telescope, the stability of a higher-quality mount setup is imperative to have observations free of shaking, vibrations, and the inability to focus or lock your telescope into place.

Let’s take a look at the two main types of mounts. The first design is an equatorial mount. This mount head allows you to move the telescope to track the motion of celestial objects in the same manner in which they move across the sky. The second common type of mount design is known as alt-azimuth or alt-az. These mounts provide a basic movement of up or down and left or right. While you can still track objects with this design, the tracking is not as smooth.

High-quality mounts don’t necessarily have to be very expensive either. A very accessible and sturdy mount type is the Dobsonian base. Utilizing an alt-azimuth, rocker-box design and paired with Newtonian reflectors, this telescope mount can work for larger reflectors or the more portable table-top reflectors.

If you are looking for something a bit more high-tech, you can even take your mount experience a step further and look into computerized GoTo or Push-To mounts. These are great for those looking for an automated way to locate and track objects in the night sky. Some even come with exciting educational features, such as information on the objects you are looking to view. Both alt-azimuth and equatorial mounts are available in GoTo configurations.

Ultimately, settling for an unstable and low-quality mount because of the appealing price tag is likely to leave you frustrated with the performance or possibly worried for the safety of your optics. Looking into higher-quality mounts that are known for their performance and stability are a great way to ensure you have a great time under the stars while your optics stay safe.

Set Expectations

Expectations are incredibly important to address when starting out in the astronomy hobby. Beginner telescopes can be great and rewarding, but you want to make sure you know what kind of images you may see when first starting out. Recognizing the limitations of a beginner’s telescope is a great way to appreciate what you can see, such as the stunning details of the Moon, views of planets like Jupiter or Venus, and even black and white visuals of faraway galaxies and nebulae.

When looking for a telescope to purchase, start by setting goals. What do you want to see? Do you want to travel with your telescopes? Do you eventually want to do astrophotography? Just like almost all other hobbies, there is a process to growing, and patience is key. Learn and grow with your gear, but make sure you know where you’re starting. For more information on finding gear that can best meet your goals, check out our Telescope Buying Guide for Beginners, which covers everything from your telescope to recommended accessories!

While it’s important to adjust expectations at first, it does not mean you can’t one day capture similar stunning views to the ones you’ve seen. Astrophotography is often the next step for amateur astronomers who have mastered visual astronomy. From there, you can begin adding astronomy dedicated cameras, filters, and other special gear to your telescope collection and explore another aspect of what the astronomy hobby has to offer. We are here to help guide you on your celestial journey, from the starting point and beyond!