supplement to the Book the Backyard Astronomer’s guide
![The Best Beginner Telescopes (under $1,000)
While we were able to pack a lot of information and advice into Chapter 3 on buying
telescopes, a question we get is: “What telescope do you recommend for beginners?”
© 2009 by Alan Dyer and Terence Dickinson
The basic models of entry-level telescopes haven’t changed too dramatically over the years. As we describe in Chapter 3, good beginner scopes include:
• 70mm to 100mm (2.7- to 4-inch) refractors
• 100mm to 200mm (4- to 8-inch) reflectors
90mm to 150mm (3.7- to 6-inch) catadioptric or compound telescopes
[The numbers refer to the aperture of the lens or mirror that gathers the light — generally the bigger the better. We won’t go into all the pros and cons here — that’s what you buy our book for!]
What does change are specific models. So here are beginner telescopes we can recommend on the North American market as of mid-2009. All are under $1,000; most under $500. This is not an exhaustive listing of every decent beginner scope, but a listing of models we like and can recommend. Prices are in U.S. dollars, of May 2009. Let’s start with scopes for kids ...
Suggested Telescopes for Young Astronomers ($50 to $300)
Our Top Recommendation: The Dobsonian ($280 to $550)
The Classic Reflector ($250 to $650)
The Classic Refractor ($175 to $750)
Adding “Go To” Capability ($400 to $1,100)
So those are our picks for “Best Beginner Telescopes” ... as of November 2009.
Chapter 3 of The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide provides much more information on how to make a buying decision — the factors to weigh, terminology explained, and specs to look for. Here we are simply providing a rundown on current entry-level telescopes we recommend, at the same time updating the book with information about newer models.
If you can, we suggest purchasing your telescope from a local telescope store, or on-line or via mail order from a dealer who advertises in one of the major astronomy magazines. All will have knowledgeable staff willing to assist you in your purchase.
NOTE: Most photos were gleaned from manufacturers’ and dealers’ websites.
AS A FINAL NOTE: To complement your new telescope, don’t forget a magazine like SkyNews, Astronomy, Sky and Telescope or The Sky at Night to provide a current star chart and locations of the planets. Or else, how will you find things?](The_Best_Beginner_Telescopes_files/shapeimage_2.png)
The Galileoscope™ is a high-quality, low-cost telescope kit developed for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 by a team of leading astronomers, optical engineers, and science educators. No matter where you live, with this easy-to-assemble, 50-mm (2-inch) diameter, 25- to 50-power achromatic refractor, you can see the celestial wonders that Galileo Galilei first glimpsed 400 years ago. These include lunar craters and mountains, four moons circling Jupiter, the phases of Venus, Saturn’s rings, and countless stars invisible to the unaided eye. The Galileoscope costs just US$15 each plus shipping for 1 to 99 units, or US$12.50 each plus shipping for 100 or more.
