So I decided to write a post to those who are interested in Astronomy yet, don't have any idea where to start. This is a Photo of yours truly with my collection of Scopes the Good and Bad. But in this photo is the whole gamut of types of scopes on the market today. I have had a couple of People ask me about what type of Telescope to buy how much to spend etc. So here is as post just for you if you are one of those people.
   We will start from the top. First understand what it is a Telescope is and does. First, a Telescope is an instrument used for looking into the sky at the stars, planets, etc. It can also be used for terestial viewing as well, birds, plants etc. So what does a Telescope do? A telescope is used to gather light and focus it to a point for your eye to see. The first good advice I can give anyone is STAY AWAY from the Telescopes in the Department stores. They look similar to the one in the lower right of this photo. I too fell prey to the 600x Magnification on the box. Well that is a strech to say the least. Now if you have one you can probably get some decent views of the moon and thats about it.
   The telescope in the bottom right of the photo is what is called a Refractor. There are plenty of really good, even excellent Refractors, I do not have one of those. A nice new Refractor can be had for as cheap as $100, the price can sky rocket from there. I have seen them in excess of $5,000. With Refractors the Planets are just wonderful as well as the Moon. You can view some Deep Sky Objects such as Andromeda Galaxy etc. For Planetary Imaging the Refractor from my research is what you want. They are easy to use but, the price per inch of Aperture is alot more compared to the Reflector which we will get to in a minute. Now, how does a Refractor work? In a Refractor the light enters in the Objective at the end of the Telescope, then is bent and directed to the eyepiece for the person to view. It is a very simple design but like all of them have it's ups and downs to them.
   The Reflector Telescope. There are two in this Image, one to the direct right of me and a black one right in front of me standing upward on the ground. These are the cheapest dollar wise per inch of aperture. For an example a 2.5" Refractor will run you about $130 while a Reflector of the same brand at that same price is a 4.5". So almost twice the size as the refractor for the same money. In a Reflector you can see some amazing views of the planets as well as the Moon but, you will now be able to see some faint deep sky objects like distant galaxies and Nebulas. The Reflector works by Light entering the end of the scope and hitting the Primary at the bottom the reflecting to a secondary towards the fron of the scope then comes out the side of the tube through the eyepiece. Reflecting Telescopes can also be used for some very good Images as well with the proper setup.
   The next things I will go over in the next post so keep your eyes open for more.