When it comes to birthdays, it seems that everyone purchases the same kinds of gifts: video recorders, iPods, SLR camera deals, gift cards, and DVDs. But if you would like to make that special someone’s birthday extra special, get creative and have a look at, for instance, telescopes for sale.
Telescopes are fascinating. Buying one for someone would make a unique, memorable gift. In order to find the best deal, it is wise to have some basic knowledge about how telescopes function. First, they collect light from the object you are viewing, so when they collect more light, it produces a better image. Aperture size is important; bigger is better.
A refractor telescope uses a large objective lens to refract the light to a focus point where it’s reflected by a small mirror back to the eyepiece, which magnifies the image. These are brilliant for observing the moon and planets. A reflector telescope uses a large curved mirror to collect light and then reflect it to a focus point where a second mirror deflects it into the eyepiece. These telescopes are all-around great performers and tend to have better coverage of deep space. Then there are cassegrain telescopes which use a combination of lens and mirrors to obtain and focus light. The eyepiece then magnifies the image. These are probably the most popular telescopes because of their outstanding performance and portability.
In conjunction with the telescope, it is also highly recommended that you purchase an introductory book to the night sky and some star charts. In this manner, the receiver of the gift will be able to familiarise himself with the night sky so that he can actually find what he is looking for with the telescope.
Happy Stargazing!
