Star Points for November 2008 by Curtis Roelle Telescopes Sure Are Inexpensive These Days! Compared with the telescope market when I was getting started in astronomy we are living in a bonanza time. Today's buyer is faced with many choices of optical designs, materials, and computer controls, available in a wide array of combinations, from numerous manufacturers, and at unprecedented prices. A good telescope is still not cheap, but there are some pretty good bargains out there. For uninformed consumers there are also disastrous choices that will waste their time, patience, and money. Here in Westminster, though, there is hope for first time telescope buyers. Browsing through this November's Sky & Telescope (S&T) magazine, one can find a Schmidt- Cassegrain reflecting telescope (SCT) with a 5-inch diameter primary mirror for $799. That includes a computer-controlled mounting as well as special optical coatings for enhancing light transmission. In comparison, in the November 1972 S&T, a 5-inch SCT of the same brand -- without computer control, of course -- was listed at $595. Adjusted for inflation, that telescope would cost $3,100 today! In the same November 1972 issue of S&T an achromatic refracting telescope with a 2.4-inch primary lens on a tripod equipped with an electric tracking motor to compensate for the earth's rotation sold for $316. In today's dollars that amount would be $1,650. What does that buy now? In the November 2008 S&T you can buy a significantly larger 4-inch apochromatic refractor for just under $1000. Add a computer-controlled mount for $799, and for about the same price as you would have paid in 1972 you have a telescope with a better lens design, made with superior glass materials, on a computer-controlled mount, with a 77% increase in light grasping capability. With so many choices in telescope selection, how does one decide which one to buy? Fortunately, the Westminster Astronomical Society Inc. (WASI) has the answer: its annual Telescope Buyers Workshop (TBW) at Bear Branch Nature Center. Held annually in November, in plenty of time for the holiday shopping period, this year's TBW is scheduled for the Wednesday, November 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the BBNC auditorium. In the past the TBW was strictly a non-commercial event. Members brought their own telescopes and discussed the advantages and disadvantages. They offered their opinions and sometimes a little good-natured "mine is better than yours" argument broke out. In recent years WASI decided to invite experienced professional telescope dealers, who have more experience with the needs of first time and "upgrade" telescope buyers and the pitfalls awaiting them in the marketplace. This year the TBW will feature Gary Hand of Hands-on-Optics in Damascus. Mr. Hand will describe will provide the inside scoop on what to look for, and look out for, when purchasing a telescope, plus information on the moving trends in the telescope business. The Telescope Buyers Workshop is free and open to the public. It is a great opportunity to become an informed consumer. Let's follow-up last month's column about China's Shenzhou 7 manned space mission. It concluded with highlights of the lunar exploration plans from several countries, including China and India. The latest news is that in October India launched India launched Chandrayaan-1 — which means "Moon Craft" in Sanskrit — its first unmanned lunar mission. When Chandrayaan-1 reaches the moon, India will join the lunar club whose current members are the U.S., Russia, Europe, Japan, and China. One of the experiments on Chandrayaan-1 has a Maryland connection. Its Mini Synthetic Aperture Radar (MiniSAR) was developed in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory.