Telescopes 101 -- from TaxiMarket eBay's #1 Telescope Dealer

Buying a telescope is easy! Especially when you have help.  If you want to learn a little about telescopes and space, this "Telescopes 101" guide should get your mind grounded before you start exploring the stars.  So let's learn. . . .

Telescopes make space objects look brighter

That's basically it, and it's the most important thing about telescopes.  Telescopes gather light from space,and blast it into your eyes so you can get a fabulous, astonishing look at star clusters, dual-star systems, distant galaxies, and details of the Moon or Saturn's rings in ways you can never see with the naked eye because the objects are too small and way to dark.

Telescopes make space objects look bigger too

Yes, telescopes magnify objects, that's true.  But magnification is really not that important.  Just a little bit of magnification is enough to see all kinds of great space stuff.  But boosting light gathering power is where it's at in buying a telescope  The more light you can suck down from the sky, the more you'll see.  Don't worry about magnification, just all telescopes have enough of that -- go for the light gathering power.

Bigger is better

At least in telescopes, that's true.  The bigger the main opening of the tube, then the more light the telescope can collect.  More light means you see more.  The size of the telescope's main opening is called the 'aperture" and it is typically measured in inches or millimeters.  In just about all cases, the larger the aperture, or opening, the better the space viewing will be.  Our biggest telescope has an 8" opening and is great for backyard observing.

Mirrors vs Glass

How does it all work?  Well, telescopes gather straight beams of light and focus them on a single point.  This magnifies what you're looking at and makes it seem larger and brighter.  Telescopes either use a round, bowl shaped mirror to focus the light, or a glass lens to do the job, or a combination of both.  Depending on what you're looking for, you might consider one or the other.

Reflector Telescopes -- click to see

True to their name, reflector telescopes use mirrors to reflect the image back to your eyes.  Most bigger telescopes are reflector, and the advantage is that these scopes can gather a lot of light for less money.  But be careful! Everything you see in a reflector telescope will be upside-down.  No kidding.  That's because the mirrors in a reflector flip the image over before it hits your eye.  Of course, in the zero gravity world of outer space, there is no such thing as right-side-up or upside down, stars and planets look the same no matter what.  But if you want to use your reflector during the daytime to spy on things here on Earth, you'll need an erecting eyepiece (we sell 'em), to flip the image around.  These serious scopes require a bit more care and maintenance than others, but it sis worth the effort.  Here are some links to great reflector telescopes on eBay:

• 3 Inch Reflectors -- a great first telescope for kids ages 6 - 11.
• 4.5 Inch Reflectors -- a great overall value, powerful light gathering at a terrific price
• 6 Inch Reflectors -- big magnifications, ideal for impressive views of the moon and for planet watching.
• 8 Inch Reflectors -- the big one, for when you are ready to "go for it" all in backyard astronomy

Refractor Telescopes -- click to see

Just to make it confusing, you've got refractor telescopes too.  Refractors?  Reflectors?  Sounds like a Dr. Seuss tounge-twister game.  Unlike their mirror-based cousins, refractor telescopes use glass lenses to focus light and magnify the stars and planets.  Refractors work just like a camera lens.  Refractors provide crystal sharp images and tend to be smaller and very light weight.  Best of all, they show a right-side-up image, so they are perfect "as is" for bird watching, spotting game, or even spying on your neighbors.  Refractors require nearly no maintenance and many of the models we carry are ultra-portable:

• 50mm Refractors -- does the job at an amazing price
• 70mm Refractors -- our best overall value, a serious telescope that packs a real punch
• 80mm Refractors -- ultra-portable, comes with a carrying case and a mini-tripod
• 90mm Refractors -- powerful magnifications, perfect for lunar exploration and planet hunting

Catadioptric Telescopes -- click to see

Just when you're starting to get it all, we'll throw catadioptric scopes into the mix.  The clever design of these instruments use both mirrors and lenses to bring you the best of both worlds.  So you get really high performance out of a fairly small instruments.  We carry one great "cat" that uses the Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design.  It is a small telescope that is also great for daytime viewing with 133x magnification.

• 90mm Cassegrain -- Portable and high-powered, great day or night