The first steps for anyone wishing to start out in astronomy would be seeking out a new instrument to help him observe the night sky better. A search into telescopes or sometimes binoculars, will ensue. It may turn out to be an intimidating process whilst doing so, because there are hundreds of astronomy jargon out there and many types of telescopes, brands, optical grades that make it even more confusing.
Hopefully this article is a bit of a fast track in helping get a good quality, value for money first telescope. There few types of telescope makes you will hear of is a Refractor, Reflector or Cassegrain. The first type of telescope you should get acquainted to then, is the DOBSONIAN style reflector telescope.
Dobsonians are popularised by a man named John Dobson. They are a alt-azimuth mounted newtonian-styled telescopes, that sit on a large, round base. Usually the tubes are long and much larger then the ones you see on a standard telescope mount. This physical characteristic of the Dobsonian Telescope is what makes it so good.
The Dobsonian, in essence, is a huge light bucket. Sizes of these telescopes range from 6-inches to 24-inches in diameter. Of course, the bigger the size, the heavier and bulkier the scope, but you definitely get a more powerful ‘light bucket’ as they get larger.
Being so simple to build and sometimes cheaper, Dobsonian Telescopes are extremely good value for money. They are also very easy to set up and use – new astronomers pick up observation skills quickly with this scope, while seasoned astronomers still use them because of it’s reliability.