Every telescope has a front cover that is also called a dust cap. But this dust cap is not there only to protect your telescope from dust when you are not using it. You may notice that there is a smaller cap covering the smaller hole on the cover. This small hole has a specific […]
What Magnification Do You Need To See Planets?
Magnification is an important factor when you plan to observe planets. Not so much for deep sky objects because most of them are big on the sky; therefore, low magnification is beneficial. The planets are very small objects to look at, and you need the highest magnification that your telescope can handle to see the […]
Barlow Lens vs Eyepiece – Magnification Battle
If you are looking for higher magnification with your telescope, you have two options: buy the Barlow lens or get a shorter eyepiece to your collection. But what is a better option to increase the magnification? Barlow lens or the eyepiece? They both have their advantage and disadvantage. Barlow lenses are a better option if […]
Powermate vs Barlow – Here Is The Difference
If you are looking to buy a Barlow lens, you may come to find a similar optical tool called Powermate or focal extender. They look the same, but there is a difference between Powermate and Barlow lens. The Barlow lens consists of 2 or 3 optical elements(negative doublet). This optical element configuration results in diverging […]
Why Are Observatories Built On Mountain Tops
You may be asking why astronomers build large observatories on the mountain tops. Why not build it lower on the ground near the sea level where it won’t require so much work for transporting the telescopes high on the top of the mountain? There are a couple of reasons why the best and largest telescopes […]
Schmidt Cassegrain vs Maksutov Cassegrain – Where Is The Difference?
The Cassegrain design is very popular amongst amateur astronomers, and almost every amateur astronomer will own, at some point in life, the Cassegrain design telescope. We have to types- Schmidt(SCT) and Maksutov(MAK). The main difference between the Schmidt Cassegrain and the Maksutov Cassegrain is the corrector lens at the front of the tube and secondary […]
