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  • Home
  • Equipment Rankings
    • Telescopes Rankings
      • Entire Telescopes’ Rankings
      • Dobsonian Telescopes Rankings
      • Computerized Telescopes Rankings
      • Refractor Telescopes Rankings
      • Reflector Telescopes Rankings
    • Telescope Mounts Rankings
    • Astrophotography OTAs Rankings
    • Astronomy Binoculars Rankings
  • Buying Guides
  • Expert Reviews
    • Telescopes
    • Optical Tubes (OTA) Only
    • Mounts Only
    • Telescope Accessories
    • Binoculars
  • Learn Telescopes
    • Pre-Purchase Resources
    • Post-Purchase Resources
  • About
    • What’s TelescopicWatch
    • What People Say About Us
    • About Zane Landers

Resource Center: Before Buying a Telescope

A comprehensive collection of expert guides, technical insights, and practical advice on telescopes, accessories, astrophotography, and observational techniques. Click on a topic to explore in-depth resources tailored for astronomy enthusiasts at all levels.

telescope

Telescope Basics

  • All Telescope Terms
    • Field of View
  • Telescopes’ Major Parts and Functions
  • Optical Tube Types
    • Refractor vs Reflector
    • Refractor vs Maksutov-Cassegrain
    • Maksutov-Cassegrain vs Schmidt-Cassegrain
    • Newtonian Reflector vs Dobsonian
    • Achromatic vs Apochromatic Refractors
  • Telescope Mount Types
    • Alt-Az vs EQ Mount
  • Relevance of Barlow Lens
planets and telescope

Buying a Telescope

  • Why Buy Dobsonian Telescopes?
    • 6″ vs 8″ vs 10″ Dobsonians
  • Where to Buy From?
  • What Would Be a Good Budget?
    • Good Telescopes Don’t Have to Be Expensive or Complicated
  • Why Brands Don’t Matter in Astronomy Gear
    • All Telescope Brands
  • Why Computerized (GoTo) Telescopes Aren’t Always Worth It
  • The Downsides of Cheap Equatorial Mounts
  • Are ‘Compact’ Telescope Designs Really Better?
  • Most Telescopes’ Included Accessories Are Worthless
  • Which to Buy: Telescope or Binocular
Telescopic Lens

Astrophotography

  • Why Most Telescopes Overpromise on Astrophotography
  • Can You Do Astrophotography with a Dobsonian?
Camera

Maintenance and Storage

  • How Durable Are Telescopes? Understanding Their Lifespan
  • Storing & Maintaining Your Telescope and Accessories
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Since 2011, as AstronomySource and TelescopicWatch, we've published astronomy-related content and reviews to help guide the community better.

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