Hobbies And Interests
Hot and Cold
Refractor telescopes use an enclosed chamber, typically treated with inert gas, to provide fog-free viewing. However, to get maximum performance in the night air, ease the scope into temperature changes. To achieve what is called thermal stabilization, place the telescope outside in the area you plan to star gaze at least 20 to 30 minutes prior to use. This allows the scope time to adjust to the temperatures fog-free.
Details and Views
If you expect magazine-quality images of planets and stars, you face disappointment. Those views and pictures are gained with NASA- and research-level scopes such as the Hubble Telescope or extremely sophisticated research equipment. Expect to see the Moon, Venus, Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter and Saturn, but don't expect great detail. For example, during the two months Mars is closest to Earth, a good refractor telescope shows the polar ice cap and some of the deep craters on the Red Planet, but don't expect more than that.
Radiant Light
A refractor telescope uses the light from the celestial objects to magnify the views. When outside light sources compete with the stars and planets, a typical refractor telescope loses viewing abilities. It is very important to use the telescope in an area with little to no light pollution. In the United States, the high desert region of northwest Nevada is known as a star gazer and astronomer paradise due to the incredibly clear skies and lack of towns or roads with light pollution.
Magnification
Unlike binoculars or spotting scopes, a refractor telescope's viewing is better on low magnification settings. Smaller refractor telescopes have a magnification that falls between 30x and 50x. Larger refractor style scopes may hit the 200x to 300x range. As the magnification gets bigger, the crispness of the view decreases, making a low magnification better than high.