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Choosing a telescope?

Ask your self some questions first!

Choosing a telescope can be a daunting task for some people. There are a lot of styles of telescopes that can be set up for even more applications. So choosing a telescope gets easier if you understand what it is you want your telescope to do!

Choosing a telescope involves asking yourself some basic questions.

First question I have to ask you is WHY. Why do you want a telescope? I know you want to look at stuff…LOL ..Believe it or not it is one of the most important questions to ask when choosing a telescope.

You have to understand here that there are only a few basic types of telescopes…(Just like there are only a few basic types of people ..right!)

Imagine, if you will, the reflector and the refractor are the parents of the scope family. And they have about 200 kids! All different sizes with different personalities and they all had a different type of job! Different styles so to speak.

What If Mr. and Mrs Telescope asked you to hire one of their kids to work for you? Choosing a telescope kid to hire would be hard if you didn't have a position for one of them!

You would have to know what you wanted them to do first, before you could even consider interviewing any of the Telescope Family. (I know to some of you think that is silly<G> But if you think about it...it works)

Choosing a telescope is a lot easier if you know what you want to do with your telescope once you get it.

Questions to ask before choosing a telescope     

1. Why do you want your first telescope…
2. Do you want to have a scope you can haul around with you camping?
3. Do you want a telescope that is kid proof?
4. DO YOU WANT TO LEARN ASTRONOMY?
5. Do you want a telescope that will do everything for you? Short of crawling out of the car and setting itself up?
6. What do you want to look at? (the stars! Duh.) I know. But what stars? What kind of stars? How far out there do you want to see?
7. Do you want to take pictures of what you are seeing?
8. How big is your car? Do you have a van or a truck?
9. And HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU WANT TO SPEND on your first telescope?

These are questions that need to be answered before choosing a telescope. Obliviously these may not be the only questions you should ask your self. They are a good start!

Keep these questions in mind while your choosing a telescope or doing research on all the hundreds of styles of scopes available.

With a little knowledge and some research, choosing a telescope will be a much simpler project

Do your research before choosing a telescope

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