If you’re interested in astronomy and are just getting set up with it as a hobby, or are hoping to make it into a career, a great place to start is with a spotting scope. Giving you incredible views of the night sky while being smaller and more compact than a lot of telescopes, these are an affordable way to kickstart an interest in astronomy, and fortunately, there are plenty of reputable places to buy spotting scopes UK, so you can go out and get yourself kited out with one today.
Below are just 5 of the many advantages of spotting scopes for astronomy beginners:
1. Durability
Because the majority of high end telescopes are designed to give precise images, they aren’t well suited to being bumped, jostled, dropped or rained on, which can be an issue depending on where you plan to use it. Spotting scopes, on the other hand, are designed to be water and fog proof, and can typically stand up pretty well to a certain level of shock.
2. Portability
While you can find telescopes that are small and portable in design, if this particular feature is of importance to you, then it’s worth investing in a spotting scope as a novice astronomer; it will cost you less, and be more than adequate for your stargazing requirements. The majority of more powerful telescopes are cumbersome and if needing to be transported, must be packed into two or three cases; hardly convenient for a quick stargazing trip.
3. Ease of use
Spotting scopes, such as the Vanguard Endeavour HD 82A, often come with zoom eyepieces, enabling you to zoom your focus on something way off in the distance, once you’ve spotted it. Telescopes give you different degrees of magnification through different eyepieces that have to be taken off and switched over, and while this isn’t exactly difficult, it isn’t as convenient and means that you’ll need to carry the eyepieces with you in the field.
Additionally, both spotting scopes and telescopes require the use of a tripod, but while telescopes require tripods designed especially for them, spotting scopes can be set up with a camera tripod that you may already have.
4. Close focusing
Because telescopes enable the user to view objects that may be thousands of miles away (or even a million light years!), their capabilities for close-focusing are limited when compared to spotting scopes. Able to focus very close in on objects that are a few feet away, spotting scopes can give you unparalleled views of close-up things that a telescope simply cannot.
5. Versatility
Viewing terrestrial things is possible with a telescope, but because they’re not designed with that in mind, the spotting scope will always give better results for viewing wildlife, for example, and yet it can also be used for star gazing. This versatility when compared to telescopes, makes it ideal for someone who’s interest in astronomy may be a passing phase before they turn their attention to birdwatching or some other hobby.
Astronomy makes for a wonderful pastime, and if you’re a stargazing enthusiast just starting out, be sure to get yourself a good quality spotting scope from a reputable manufacturer.