Can spotting scopes be used for star gazing and beginner astronomy?
March 27, 2010 by
Filed under spotting scopes
Btw, thank you to all who answered.
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Sure. It won’t be much of an improvement over binoculars, but you can always point it up and get a little magnification. However, I wouldn’t buy one just for astronomy – wait until you can afford a decent telescope.
Yes, they can, but they’re not ideal. They usually provide more magnification than binoculars but not enough to get decent views of the planets. Unlike astronomical telescopes (but like binoculars), they provide an erect image, which is ideal for birdwatching but not so good when you’re trying to compare what you see through the eyepiece to an inverted image taken through an astronomical scope.
If you already have one, you can use a spotting scope for astronomy, but you’re better off buying a good pair of binoculars or saving up for an astronomical telescope than buying a spotting scope specifically for astronomy.