Astronomy is a fascinating hobby, and when you own your own telescope, astronomy takes on a new meaning. Suddenly you get to see the craters on our Moon. You get to see the rings of Saturn, and so much more. As you read this article, you will discover: * Astronomy Basics * Buying Your First Telescope * Getting The Most Out Of Astronomy * Astronomy Basics We live on a planet called Earth. Earth is illuminated by a star - called our Sun. Earth is a planet which has several neighbors. Most of these can be seen in a telescope, for example, Jupiter and Saturn. Even though you don’t need a telescope to get started in astronomy, it can help a lot. There is more to astronomy than simply planets. There are galaxies, other stars, and even nebula and other objects. * Buying Your First Telescope To get the most out of astronomy, you will want to buy a telescope. Buying your first telescope is always fun. You get to explore things which were there all the time, but perhaps didn’t realize such beautiful worlds in there own right. A good telescope can be purchased for a few hundred dollars. These telescopes can help you see
the best in the universe, and all from your own backyard! There are many places to buy a telescope from, though finding retail stores that sell these great instruments is not always possible. I have found buying online to be the best way to go. Telescopes come in two main varieties. The first is the reflecting telescopes, and the other is refracting telescopes. With reflecting telescopes, you will find that they utilize a mirror, and are much wider than what most think a telescope is. With refracting telescopes, they are a long thin tube that allows a much easier way to work with. Refracting telescopes are the type of telescope we often think of as a telescope. It was designed by Galileo and not only is it much easier to operate; it lasts longer, because everything is enclosed. The only downside is that they can get expensive for larger sizes, so reflecting telescopes are almost always the best way to go when wanting a larger sized telescope. One point that is of great delight is that telescopes have different versions today. No longer do you need to be an expert navigator of the heavens. Telescope companies such as Meade, Celestron and Orion have GoTo computerized telescopes that are very easy to operate. * Getting The Most Out Of Astronomy To get the most out of astronomy, I can recommend a few items. Though they are not absolutely essential, I feel they are. The reason is simple. Most people buy a telescope, and point it up to the heavens. First they look at the Moon, then a planet, and zoom at whatever object is in the sky. I know I have done it! However, this is not the best way, as soon boredom kicks in. A star atlas, allows you to know where to point. A good practical astronomy book is an absolute must in my opinion because it can help you go from beginner to intermediate telescope user.
