For all people who are fond of observing the night sky, it is a good idea to have a good telescope. This observation device has different characteristics that must be adjusted to each one. There are thousands of variables to take into account and many models in the markets at different prices. Therefore, here we are going to teach you how to choose a telescope attending to all the characteristics that you must take into account and the main objective for which you are going to use it.
In this article we are going to tell you how to choose a telescope in relation to the quality and price you need.
How to choose a telescope according to your budget
The first thing to consider is the budget. It's the most important factor. It is useless if you have more knowledge about sky observation, astronomy, etc. If you don't have enough money to buy a high quality telescope. We are going to try to divide the different telescopes that can help us according to the different budgets that we can count on.
Telescopes of 200 euros or less
It's rare that we can find a decent telescope below this price. You have to think that if we buy such a basic telescope and discover that you are passionate about astronomy, you will immediately want to buy something better and these 200 that will have been of little use. Instead, if you save and buy something better, you can take advantage of it for much longer and get more out of your investment.
Keep in mind that this price is not enough to be able to have a good complete telescope that has a tripod and mount. They usually have pretty bad optics or an unstable mount. These are fundamental aspects in order to guarantee a good observation of the sky. We recommend good binoculars but it takes much more time to start is to visualize some of the most important stars.
Telescopes up to 500 euros
Crashing a somewhat more reasonable budget. It is a budget band that It can give us both good joys and great disappointments. In these quantities we cannot find some pretty good materials and some very bad things. This is the reason why you have to know how to choose well. In this price range we can find perfect telescopes to start in astronomy that are quite stable and with a large aperture. They are usually easy to handle, although they do not have a motor. They are not valid for astrophotography and are somewhat heavy.
We can also find some pretty decent ones as long as we bet on azimuth mounts and quality telescopes.
Telescopes up to 800 euros
It is one of the most convenient budgets for those who are new to astronomy. We are moving in a price range in which we can find several equipment of quite quality. Given the growing variety of models, the decision will depend more on our tastes, interests and preferences. It is a price range that is still somewhat risky for which we can find some very good equipment but others that do not adapt to what we are looking for.
Telescopes from 1000 euros
This is where a universe of possibilities opens up. We can find high quality mounts that allow us to have several telescopes that we can use in a single mount. Even to be able to start the world of astrophotography with greater comfort.. We can also find some telescopes that can be operated with the mobile and that leaves us with our mouths open.
How to choose a telescope according to observation time
One of the fundamental aspects to learn how to choose a telescope is the time that you will be able to dedicate to observing the sky. If you are going to make short and sporadic observations, it is not worth investing too much time. On the other hand, if you are going to spend long nights of observation if it is better that you have a good telescope. Being willing to spend several hours observing is not the same thing as making some quick observations from home in a nearby place to see the main stars.
Let's suppose that we are dedicating two hours to this hobby. There is no point in having a telescope with too many parts that have an equatorial mount or that take a long time to acclimatize. These telescopes are quite complex and need to be put into the station since it has many parts. Therefore, we are going to take too long to disassemble and disassemble them since in the end we are not going to enjoy the observation enough.
If we are going to observe for less time, we have to start that time more. It is best to have a handheld telescope that has an altazimuth mount. In this sense, the Dobson brand are the biggest winners in this arena.
How to choose a telescope based on your observation
Keep in mind if you like traditional observation or digital technology. There are those who prefer to live astronomy in a traditional way just like the great astronomers of the past did. In this case, with a manual telescope and some celestial charts we can spend years observing the sky. There are those who prefer to rely on technology and prefer the idea of operating the telescope from a mobile phone and viewing the images on the computer.
We can find objects in the sky manually or make the telescope do all the work for us. The problem with technology is that it can be a treacherous element. Its use can make us somewhat more comfortable and make us not learn the sky or not know how to handle a telescope by ourselves. On the other hand, a manual telescope can make things a bit more difficult at first, but it must be recognized that finding a galaxy of light years by oneself usually generates a great pleasant happiness and self-realization.
Both combinations are accepted but difficult to combine in the same team. We will have to choose one or the other. If the budget we have is not too high, we will have no choice but to use a manual telescope. If our budget is larger, we can already opt for more comfort.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about how to choose a telescope.