Flowchart | How to choose a telescope.

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How to choose a Telescope flowchart

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Here is a flowchart which i have made after 2-3 months of research going through websites of various manufacturers like Celestron, Meade, Skywatcher, Orion, Bushnell, Canon, Zhumell and others. A thorough comparison was made considering the specifications of each scope. While Celestron firstscope has other alternatives too like the Skywatcher HERITAGE 76 or HERITAGE P130 the Celestron firstscope has been chosen in the particular subcategory of the flowchart as it suits that category best. Also various features of a certain scope are more likeable than the others. The choice placing Celestron Astromaster 130EQ instead of similar others like the Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ was made  after careful analysis. I also went through a lot of reviews reading various customer feedbacks on a certain product and it was considered while making selections. So if you have the questions like "Which telescope should i buy?" or "How to choose first telescope?" or "Celestron or Meade?" "Binocular or telescope?", i feel they will be answered by this flowchart.

And read related text HERE

How i chose my first telescope

From what i remember, i started off browsing products lists of various telescope manufacturers like Meade, Celestron, Orion etc. It was helpful as i got to know about all of their products. I had studied about the three types of telescopes before i.e. The Refractor, Reflector and Cassegrain.

The Refractor Telescope

Its called the refractor telescope because it achieves magnification by refraction. This was what was earlier known as the 'spyglass' and was invented by Hans Lippershey, to whom the credit of inventing the telescope is awarded. These are the oldest type of telescopes, used by Galileo and others, till Sir Issac Newton invented the newtonian reflector. Well a lot can be written about the construction and working of refractor here but it is out of the scope of this journal. I studied them for information and better understanding and concluded that they have these advantages and disadvantages, well summarized at this link: Advantages and disadvantages of refracting telescope.

So refractors are rugged, more weather proof, easy to maintain and give more steady and sharper images. But, i was a buyer of limited resources. If i could i would have bought the best schimdt cassegarin telescope worth many grands. This brought me to consider the next type of telescopes, the reflectors.

The Reflecting Telescope 

Yes, it achieves magnification by reflecting, and for reflection we need a mirror. So it has a concave mirror (primary mirror) in one end which collects the light and focues on a secondary mirror which reflects it to the eyepiece. I studied about them too and made the following conclusions, summarized at this link: Advantages and disadvantages of reflecting telescope.

So reflectors are without chromatic aberration, and are cheaper than refractors of the same size and can be made bigger. 

Considering the above aspects a reflector was a more suited choice for me. Notice that i have not even considered Schimdt Cassegrain Type here beacuse the cheapest of them are unaffordably costly for me in India right now.

Celestron Powerseeker 70 EQ - The Telescope i chose, but then...

Now the search began for a telescope on ebay. Due to the limited budget and shipping and availability constraints i settled for a 'Celestron Powerseeker 70 EQ', price 7142/- INR. Free shipping. Yes it is a refractor, but you need to read the second sentence of this paragraph again. Yes, i had chosen and ordered my telescope, who new something else was in store for me. Find out in the next post.