UK TELESCOPES

Our aim is to provide you with the right telescope for sale at the right prices, whilst offering a good range of accessories and combination packages at competitive rates. Here we present telescopes for beginners, easy to use telescopes for kids and for more advanced users we have instruments capable of looking deep into space. We also recommend the best telescope using our about buying a telescope page to help you choose one of our Telescopes for either a beginner, intermediate or advanced astronomer using a Reflector Newtonian, or Refractor Telescope.
We believe our KONUS telescopes represent high levels of manufacturing specification from well-established sources and all incorporate features we believe will, used with a best practice, genuinely enhance your viewing experience; this means, for example, no promises of exaggerated high magnification that cannot easily sustain a reasonable image. Our online shop offers telescopes for sale and the opportunity to choose from carefully selected telescopes designed and manufactured by industry leaders to bring you into closer contact with the night sky.

USING A TELESCOPE

Using a telescope for Astronomy has a double appeal: its study reveals the grandeur and design of the Universe and gives the attentive observer the opportunity to take part in work that can be of scientific value. At the same time, one must remember that a large area of science can be explored only by professionals, with the backing of sophisticated apparatus and public funds. On the other hand, there are areas in which the amateur observer can do observational work of real value.
It is to these people, who are willing to work diligently, enduring the sometimes cold winter nights, sacrificing social pleasures, and spending their own money on telescopes and equipment, that I offer my admiration and support. It is for the benefit of such heroic souls that this article has been written in the hope that one man’s experience might not only encourage them but be of practical help.
Firstly, I would offer some suggestions on the practical matter of keeping warm in the night air: wear loose clothing and shoes. Pressure on the body restricts the flow of blood and cold ensues. Wear mittens that leave the fingertips free to handle papers, etc., and not gloves, which impede the fingers. Felt slippers help to keep the feet warm, especially if the soles are thick. Secondly, I would suggest that there are many fields of observation open to the telescope user: the Moon, the planets, comets, stars, and nebulae.

CHOICE OF INSTRUMENT

Since telescopes vary, not only in type but from one brand to another, it is difficult to lay down exact recommendations or instructions for any particular instrument. However, the reader will be able to apply the general principles outlined in the following to his particular instrument. Wide-angle views at low magnification are often required, and many good binoculars provide this need, but for the serious planetary or lunar observer, they are of very limited use. Binoculars provide an extension of naked-eye viewing but do not satisfy the need for high magnification, for which a telescope is a necessity. Among small instruments, the Refractor (ideal telescope for kids) used to hold pride of place being superior to the small Reflector of, say, less than 6in (150mm) diameter. However, Newtonian design telescope technology has significantly improved in recent years and performs equally as well as a similar priced Refractor. As for size increases, the Reflector overtakes the refractor, until in large instruments the Reflector is supreme, mainly because of loss of light in passage through the relatively thick objective lens of the Refractor. Under poor conditions, the small Refractor can supply steadier images than the Reflector of similar power. The advantages and disadvantages of the two types are set out below.

Disadvantages:
Temperature changes affect adjustment
More maintenance may be necessary if not looked after
Scatter of light by a spider support of secondary mirror can be detrimental to the image

Disadvantages:
Colour effects can be annoying
Cost is higher in relation to size
Longer tube can be a nuisance
Mounting must be high for observation near the zenith
(All the disadvantages increase rapidly with size)

The matter of size is governed by the type of observation to be undertaken. The table below illustrates this-
Diameter of objective lens or mirror Limiting magnitude Limit of resolution (seconds of arc)
3in (76mm) 9.9 1.8
6in (I52mm) 11.6 0.9
8in (203mm) 12.3 0.6
I0in (254mm) 12.8 0.5
15in (380mm) 13.8 0.3

These figures presume the mirror of a reflector is in good condition.
Now if you know the limiting magnitude you wish to reach, say for observation of variable stars or other faint objects, and the resolution required for lunar or planetary work, you will be able to choose a suitable size of the instrument.
After purchasing a telescope, you must check its performance on a star. To view terrestrial objects, such as a church clock some miles away, is not enough. Rack out the eyepiece until the image of the star is out of focus and check the shape of the diffraction rings produced by the light of the star under high magnification. These should be circular. Any distortion may be due to pinching of the objective lens or mirror in its cell, or to an optical effect. Astigmatism may sometimes be cured by rotating the lens or mirror in its cell. The distorting effect can also be produced by undue pressure on the flat in its mounting on a Newtonian or similar type of Reflector.
Colour should be minimal in a good Refractor but will still be present even in the best of telescopes. If the image shows a red halo around the star when in focus, the lens is under-corrected. Over-corrected lenses produce a blue halo, but this is better than a red one as the eye does not pick up the blue so well as the red. In any case, if the color is not pronounced, you probably have a good lens, especially if the color of the halo is bluish. With all this in mind, decide on the size of the instrument you intend to choose and its type, bearing in mind that your telescope is a precision instrument and will require proper mounting. Furthermore, if it is too large to be easily portable, it will require weatherproof housing.