Man had a great passion for observing celestial bodies from time immemorial. There were numerous means by which they were observing the planetary movement. Until the invention of telescope by Galileo, great astronomers like Aryabhata, Bhaskara and Copernicus used naked eye and mathematical calculations to record planetary positions. In addition keeping the reference to the pole star and the positions of the stars relative to which calculations were made and the eclipses forecasted. In the Egypt the pole star was kept as the reference and the mathematical calculations made relative to that were used during the construction of the pyramids.
When telescope was invented in the 15th century it opened up a new field of view for space exploration. With the invention of telescope, the geocentric concept of the solar system was wiped away with a more rational heliocentric theory was put forth. Telescopes have undergone a great revolution with what used to be only possible to view the neighboring Venus and Mars being now stretched to the outer half of the solar system with the likes of Jupiter and Uranus being explored with ease. It is believed that with the current pace at which the technology is growing the dwarf planet Pluto can also be scaled without difficulty in the near future. Today there are alternate means which are used to observe distance stars and planets like x-rays and reflections from the stars.
Availability of new telescopes these days has widened the scope of astronomy significantly. In the olden days an not every astronomer could afford a telescope and had to rely on observatories for carrying out their studies, but today the scenario has changed with the availability of telescopes at very nominal prices. Today’s telescopes are more portable and easy to use as compared to the older telescopes which were bulky and cumbersome. The astronomical community today comprises of a greater portion of amateur astronomers who are keen to watch nature’s beauty as opposed to observing scientific phenomenon. There are telescopes like the Meade Telescopes For Sale that help amateur astronomers by providing affordable telescopes, which are portable and easy to use.
A telescope’s capability depends on several factors like the diameter of the aperture and the power of the lens that go a long way in the resolution, most telescope makers themselves provide detailed instructions on the assembling of telescopes or help in assembling them for the customers. On a clear night a good amateur telescope can traverse up to the Saturn rings which will be a great spectacle to watch for the user.
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