How To Use Your Telescope To Bring The Unseen Into View

Telescopes can help you to see far off objects. The distance is determined by the type and quality of your telescope. Of course, a toy store telescope will not be able to put into view the same objects as the Hubble Telescope can. Somewhere in the middle is a modest, but good-working telescope for the amateur astronomer.
To see how this viewing tool works, you must understand something about the eye, particularly about the retina. There will always be things you cannot see from far away. You must ask yourself why you cannot see them. There are two main reasons.
One reason you have trouble seeing objects that are far from you is that not enough light from the object reaches your eye. When the item is shrouded in darkness, it is hard to make out. The other reason is that the object takes up so little space on your retina that it is impossible to get a clear picture of it.
Therefore, the goals of the telescope are to focus more light on the retina, and to make a larger image of the object strike the retina. That way, it will stand out in a way that will let you examine the item clearly. Two main types of telescopes have been made to accomplish these purposes.
The refractor telescope is one type, and it uses an objective lens. The other type is a reflector telescope, which uses a primary mirror. In either case, the lens or mirror brings together plenty of light from the faraway object you are trying to study. It further focuses that light and the image it creates into a sharp point.
That is just one part of the process. If that was all that the telescope did, you would not be able to see anything more than a piercing stream of light. However, an eyepiece lens will solve this problem by magnifying this point of light. It will then be spread out over a much larger portion of the retina than it originally had been. This is how the image goes from being difficult to spot to seeming big enough to study easily.
There are a couple of properties that a telescope has that can help you see into the distance. The aperture is one. This is the diameter of the lens or mirror. A lens or mirror with a larger aperture is likely to gather more light and give you a brighter, clearer image.
Magnification allows the telescope to take the focused image and enlarge it. You can use different eyepieces on any telescope to get more or less powerful magnification. This gives you the freedom to change your telescope to suit your needs. At the same time, it does not affect the basic usefulness of your telescope.
By knowing how a telescope works, you can be aware of what parts might need to be replaced on your telescope if the time comes. You can also make it a part of your study to learn the wonders of man's explorations of the night sky.
Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about astronomy as well as telescopes at http://www.nsearch.com/
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What Are Telescopes?

Telescopes act as windows to the universe. It is with the help of telescopes that we can study the solar system and view the conjunctions of stars. Not just that, the various planets, galaxies, satellites and asteroids that we get to see only in the books and magazines are made more familiar to us via the telescopes. They act as barrier- breaking instruments between the human beings and the outer space. The universe is no more a mystery to us that exists beyond our reach and we owe it all to the telescopes.
The modern day telescopes bring with them a wide array of accessories and it is with the aid of these accessories that it becomes much more easier to successfully put the telescopes into proper use. Let us see what are the important accessories that go well and are a “must-have” for most telescope users: -
Filters- These are very essential for telescope users because they reduce the glare on the eyepiece and scatter the light thereby making it less strenuous for us to view distant objects.
Eyepiece- this is a very important piece of equipment and its absence can render a telescope useless. Eyepieces come in a variety of sizes and if you add more than one eyepiece to your telescopes then you can have the pleasure of viewing even the tiniest and distant objects with clarity.
Mounts- Mounts are the stands for telescopes. It is a mount on which the telescope rests. Since a telescope wont function favorably in vibrations therefore you should ensure that it is placed on a stable mount.
Barlow lens- A Barlow lens helps in the magnification of telescopes. These lenses are available in different sizes and we must be careful in choosing the size that best fits the eyepiece.
There are two main types of telescopes, the refractor (Galileo) telescopes and the reflector (Newton) telescopes. The refractor telescope uses an objective lens that bends the light towards the eyepiece. While the reflector telescope uses a mirror, which collects the light and then directs it towards the eyepiece.
Though both the refractors as well as the reflector telescopes are easily available in the market we should take the following points into consideration before buying a telescope.
Do not get impressed by the magnification of the telescopes. This is because magnification alone is of no use if it just produces large but hazy images.
Aperture- This is the most important factor while deciding on a telescope. Aperture is the opening that collects light so its important to choose a telescope with a larger aperture that will ensure a clearer and a more detailed image quality.
Resolution- This enables the telescopes to produce a more detailed image. So always opt for a telescope, which has a higher resolution. Moreover since resolution is also determined by the aperture, therefore the larger the aperture the better the resolution.
Focal length- The distance between the optical center of the lens or the mirror and the optical center of the eyepiece is known as the focal length. The focal length is what determines the magnification in telescopes. Larger focal lengths imply more magnification.
If we are careful about remembering the above points then it wont take us long to choose a telescope the next time we want to buy one for ourselves.
Lisa Sparillo for http://www.telescope-information.com/.
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