Cool Gift for Christmas

Besides networking, I am a huge lover of astronomy. I grew up in the hills of Tennessee and I practiced one of the oldest and most reachable of all the sciences every night; I looked up. We had virtually no light pollution so the view was…man it was amazing. I always wanted a telescope as a kid. Now looking back I am glad I never got one until I was older. A poor telescope is something that can damper your spirits like service pack 2 on NT4. If you are looking to pick up a scope this year for a smokin’ hot Christmas present, here are a few tips on the stuff I learned along the way. The Top 5 stuff to look for in buying a telescope: Tip 00×01: A Telescope is not a Microscope If I could put only one rule on buying a telescope it would be this: Avoid any scope sold by its magnification like I avoid tofu, bean sprouts and movies with Jude Law. Let’s say you are cruisin’ around a big box department store looking for the latest NASCAR ballcap/jacket combo when you notice a shiny telescope and on the box it proudly proclaims: “Professional 500-Power Telescope!” like the Planet Earth on Star Trek IV; avoid at all cost!! Telescope folks call these Christmas Trash Scopes and then they look at you like a Mac user looks at a Windows user. A 500x scope is not better than a 150x scope, truthfully its suck factor will be much higher. Many low cost scopes try to make up for their poor optics with excessive magnification. Most viewing is done at 50x to 150x. Anything above that and the view will be fuzzy, dim and a mega bummer. Tip 00×02: What’s an Aperture and why is that as cool as the Fonz kickin’ a coke machine? Seems kinda opposite that magnification is not important when looking at stuff millions of miles away doesn’t it? A good crisp image depends on the size of the lens /mirror (some scopes use lens and others use mirrors) that COLLECTS the light. That is called its aperture. An aperture is really the measurement of its lens/mirror. The bigger the aperture, the more light it collects and the result is a brighter and sharper image. A 200mm scope will usually outperform a 100mm scope. When it comes to aperture the absolute minimum is a 70mm refractor. Tip 00×03: It costs about 200 bucks for a good scope A good beginner scope from a solid vendor starts at 200 bucks. To me, the absolute best buys to start with are called Dobsonians. In the field you call ‘um Dobs so folks know you’re down with the set yo. I love the 150mm 6-inch and 200mm 8-inch Dob reflectors like the Orion SkyQuest models. I purchased a 8 inch Dob for 300 bucks a while back and just sold it on eBay to 220 bucks. A good scope can always be resold at a great value when you grow into something cooler. I would also avoid the computerized scopes at first unless you plan to man up 800+ bucks for one with GPS as well. I buy all of my stuff at www.telescope.com they are fast, lowest cost and if I need a recommendation from there staff, they are excellent. Tip 00×04: Understand the POWER of the eyepiece (in my best Darth Vader voice) Different objects require different lens to focus. An eyepiece is what allows you to look at a Planet one moment and a Nebula the next. They based upon their diameter in mm. I break eyepieces in three categories: Planetary, Deep Space, General. A quick chart would look like this: Planets: 8,9,10,12mm General: 18,20,22,24,25mm Deep Space: 30,40,60mm If a scope is sold with 6mm (or less) eyepieces and Barlow lenses, that is a sure sign of a sucky scope. If your looking for a scope with eyepieces, keep an eye out for Plossl eyepieces. 10mm and 25mm Plossl eyepieces are great to get started with and really see a ton of stuff. Also, I would avoid eyepieces larger diameter then 1.25″ they are much higher cost with little benefit starting out, plus it is harder to switch those out while holding a beer. Tip 00×05: Royal Mounty Many folks into to Star gazing tend to recommend that beginners start with a pair of 8×50 binoculars before buying a scope. I understand that, but I disagree. Looking at moving objects millions of miles away on a moving platform (Earth) requires stability and a full stomach. Binocs (as they are called in the cool world of Star gazing) are hard to keep on target. Just the simple act of breathing causes the massive Planet Jupiter to move around more then a sailor on a frigate in the South China Sea. We need an anchor point and a telescope mount is the way to do that. A mount is really two pieces; The mount bolts on to the telescope and that bolts on to the tripod. A solid mount and tripod are critical to an enjoyable experience with any telescope. Spending a bit more to get a better mount is like playing a little extra for the directors cut of Star Trek II Wrath of Khan; worth every penny. As a starter kit for any new telescope, I recommend a subscription to Astronomy magazine, the book “Turn Left at Orion” to help learn the sky, buying your fav TechWiseTV astronomy geek a cold beer and chicken wings, and one of these scopes (with the exception of the Dobsonian, most of these do not include the mount): – 80 to 90mm refractor: rugged, durable and as solid as Link on Mod Squad. These scopes use a lens. – 114 to 150mm reflector: more aperture for the money, very portable. These scopes use a mirror – 150 to 200mm Dobsonian: My fav, great imagine, excellent mount, but bulky. These scopes use a mirror 90 to 130mm Maksutov or Schmidt-Cassegrain: Hybrid scope, uses both mirror and lens. Like the iPod of scopes. It is smaller, looks hip, cool and does a lot with little but cost much more. Not really the best first scope, but it is good to know what it is just in case you are playing Telescope Jeopardy…I’ll take Schmidt-Cass for 40 Art… Keep Lookin’ Up! Jimmy Ray