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A funny thing is happening during this long pandemic of COVID-19. People have been stuck at home and having to entertain themselves in seclusion, all of which seems to have inspired a newfound interest in the night sky.
With that new interest comes equipment needs: Telescope vendors and manufacturers are reporting a surge in sales unlike any other experienced in the past — telescopes are flying off the shelves.
Worldwide interest in astronomy is surging, and telescope vendors everywhere are scrambling to keep up with the newfound demand. Dustin Gibson of Oceanside Photo & Telescope finds himself in the pleasant position of adding new staff in a time when many industries are being decimated by the airborne virus.
Jeff Simon, director of Sky-Watcher North America, tells us, “I’ve never seen this kind of growth in the industry. We often see a bump in interest around a big event such as a total solar eclipse or a bright comet, but this has been unprecedented.” Some companies are seeing an increase in business from 60% to 400% over the previous year.
And this isn’t only driven by sales of entry-level telescopes; Astro-imaging cameras, robotic telescope mounts, premium eyepieces, and other specialized equipment for advanced amateurs are also flying off the virtual shelves. Perhaps this is because, as our reader demographics show, many astronomy enthusiasts tend to be older and less reliant on a salary.
Hobbyist photographers are also dipping their toes into the realm of astrophotography, which often doesn’t require much travel. “Who would have thought that it would take a global pandemic to save amateur astronomy?” says David Nagler of Tele Vue Optics. “People now have the time to discover (or rediscover) the night sky, and pull the trigger on that Go To telescope, or premium refractor they were on the fence about purchasing.”
But this big boom comes with some equally big challenges. The global reaction to the rapid spread of COVID-19 caused international shipping to practically grind to a halt, leading to long waits on orders. Some vendors sourcing from China are hit especially hard and are encountering extended delays in deliveries. But not all vendors face this predicament. Roger Rivers, Sales and Marketing Manager for iOptron, tells us their production team is working hard to keep up with the unexpected surge in demand.
New User Guides
We're glad to see more people from all walks of life looking up and marveling at the sky once again. If you’re among the newcomers to the hobby, check out these resources:
- Considering taking the plunge? How to Choose Your First Telescope
- Tips on how to use your newly purchased gear
- Taking pictures? Share your photos with us!
- Are you still waiting for your telescope to arrive? Learn how to use binoculars for astronomy
- Where to look: Celestial events that are happening now
- Plus, we offer some (free) interactive tools to help you observe the Moon, Mars, the moons of the Jupiter and Saturn, and more
Comments
Anthony Barreiro
October 16, 2020 at 5:49 pm
The ideal first telescope is a pair of binoculars. After a couple of years of learning to find things with binoculars you'll be ready to use and enjoy a mounted telescope. When you're ready, get a small telescope that is easy to set up and use, without any electronics. You'll have time to get a bigger more complicated telescope later.
If you start with a computerized go-to telescope you'll probably never learn to find things in the sky.
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John-Kmetz
October 16, 2020 at 8:48 pm
Anthony,
Perhaps you should check out Helena's Astrophotography on YouTube. This 15 year-old from Scotland teaches folks how to use mounts, cameras and telescopes. My first robotic mount took me about 2 or 3 hours to get up and running.
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Anthony Barreiro
October 19, 2020 at 4:34 pm
John, I'm happy to hear you had an easy start with astrophotography. I love looking at other people's images. I'm too lazy to do all that work myself.
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Darian-Rachal
October 18, 2020 at 11:17 pm
Anthony, I have to respectfully disagree with your statement that the ideal first telescope is a pair of binoculars. If binoculars are all a child has access to, that certainly is better than the unaided for viewing the sky. But since binoculars can't show craters on the moon, rings of Saturn, etc., a 60mm refractor(even an inexpensive department store variety) is much more preferable, in my opinion. I'm basing my statement on my own personal experience as a child.
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Anthony Barreiro
October 19, 2020 at 4:31 pm
Hi Darian. Plenty of room for different opinions.
Binoculars are not just a second best to a mounted telescope. They have significant advantages.
An inexpensive telescope with an inexpensive eyepiece will have a maximum field of view under one degree diameter, compared to five degrees or more for binoculars. Since area is a square function, binoculars show you at least 25 times more sky than an inexpensive telescope. A lot of the most interesting things in the sky are bigger than one degree in diameter; the Pleiades star cluster and Andromeda galaxy immediately come to mind.
Binoculars show a correct image of the sky, rather than upside down or mirror image. Much easier to understand what you're seeing.
Binoculars are not just for children waiting until they can get a real telescope. I observe from home every clear evening, night, and dawn, always with binoculars, only sometime do I have the time and motivation to set up a mounted telescope.
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Darian-Rachal
October 20, 2020 at 5:39 pm
Anthony, I certainly understand the value of a good pair of binoculars for wide-field views of the night sky. As much as I would have probably enjoyed owning binoculars as a child, I don't think I would have derived a great deal of satisfaction using them on the night sky unless there was something like a comet visible. My first view of lunar craters was through a very crude telescope; I still recall how memorable that was almost 50 years ago. 🙂
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Anthony Barreiro
October 20, 2020 at 8:01 pm
🙂
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TooTall
October 20, 2020 at 4:42 pm
I did learn most of the sky by learning the constellations and learning to star hop but,,,,that takes a long time and many people just don't have the time to dedicate to the learning curve and quickly become frustrated, put the scope in the closet and never look at it (or up) again. Much as I hate to say it many don't care to "learn the sky" they just want to see cool stuff. When I finally got a GoTo I was able to locate and see (and learn) many objects that just weren't "findable" in my light polluted skies, adding tremendously to my enjoyment of the hobby. Most entry or intermediate level mounts are not complicated and can be quickly learned.
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Anthony Barreiro
October 21, 2020 at 9:59 pm
Thanks Too Tall. I guess I'm just old school. But one more advantage of binoculars over telescopes: binoculars take up less space in the closet! 🙂
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Jack Stamates
October 17, 2020 at 12:59 pm
I’ve been dodging the Miami curfew and setting up my little scope in the parking lot of my condo so that I can get a look at the planets.
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