All-About-Telescopes Workshop

Getting into telescopes can be a bewildering experience, yet to buy such equipment, you'll want to spend your money wisely. (Definitely stay away from department store telescope kits. They are more likely to ruin your enthusiasm rather than give you enjoyable observing experiences.)

During this three-hour workshop, you'll gain an understanding of...

• how telescopes form their images.
• how images through telescopes may differ.
• what the various components of a telescope are.
• what different types of telescopes exist.
• what to consider when choosing a telescope.
• what additional equipment may be needed.

We'll have various telescope equipment on hand for show-and-tell. And we'll offer you cookies!

--- Workshop Outline ---

Part 1

• Introduction
• Basic parts of a telescope
• Attributes of views through telescopes

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Part 2

• Telescope as a system
• Different types of optical tubes (refractor, reflector, etc.)
• Eyepieces (and associated components)

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Part 3

• Telescope mounts
• Target finders
• Telescope alternatives (smart telescopes, binoculars)
• Wrap-up (support equipment, next steps)

And even three hours won't be enough to cover everything. For further in-depth material, we'll provide a link to a recording that covers the additionally relevant content.

Note that this workshop is not focused on astro-photography, although a lot of the information it provides is fundamental to successful imaging as well.