<p>Modern telescopes, even those that can be purchased from stores for, say, under $10000 (which is already <em>a lot</em>), were produced with computer-controlled equipment to polish the mirror and make the lenses and mirrors, and the lenses usually have nano-coating to reduce reflections and increase light transmission.</p>

<p>Overall you have a century of progress &amp; experience building them since then. Mounts are better as well, mechanically and electronically (you have auto-guiding whereas it was manual a century ago, with an astronomer watching a star through a reticle). In other words, modern telescopes, even amateur ones, are vastly improved.</p>

<p>You can compare photos (from various books such as <a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0307276600" rel="nofollow noreferrer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/Day-We-Found-Universe/dp/0307276600</a>) to modern astrophotography done by amateurs (eg <a href="https://www.astrobin.com/explore/top-picks/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.astrobin.com/explore/top-picks/</a>). The modern ones (also benefiting from sensors more sensitive than film) are much better.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-08T19:43:30.183Z
A telescope costing "a couple hundred $US" is unlikely to be high quality, and despite having better lens coatings, would not perform well against 19th C top notch scopes, some of which are still in use.  However I agree with Uhoh that modern, mid price range, eyepieces will be significantly better.
Dr Chuck
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-07T21:20:55.797Z
2019-07-08T01:09:09.227Z
2019-07-08T01:09:09.227Z
wishihadabettername
<p>I am having trouble finding the quality of old telescopes. My question is how does a decent modern telescope that cost about a couple hundred USD compare to the top-notch telescopes in the nineteenth century. Can one make the same observations now with such a modern telescope as one could do in the nineteenth century with a top-notch one?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-07T21:13:59.290Z
I think that in both cases the quality can vary so widely that it is hard to make generalizations. Eyepieces might be better now though.
uhoh
<telescope>
Old Telescopes versus New
Schroder
# Old Telescopes versus New

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-07-07)

I am having trouble finding the quality of old telescopes. My question is how does a decent modern telescope that cost about a couple hundred USD compare to the top-notch telescopes in the nineteenth century. Can one make the same observations now with such a modern telescope as one could do in the nineteenth century with a top-notch one?

**Tags:** telescope
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think that in both cases the quality can vary so widely that it is hard to make generalizations. Eyepieces might be better now though.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-07-07. Score: 1

Modern telescopes, even those that can be purchased from stores for, say, under $10000 (which is already *a lot*), were produced with computer-controlled equipment to polish the mirror and make the lenses and mirrors, and the lenses usually have nano-coating to reduce reflections and increase light transmission.

Overall you have a century of progress & experience building them since then. Mounts are better as well, mechanically and electronically (you have auto-guiding whereas it was manual a century ago, with an astronomer watching a star through a reticle). In other words, modern telescopes, even amateur ones, are vastly improved.

You can compare photos (from various books such as [https://www.amazon.com/Day-We-Found-Universe/dp/0307276600](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0307276600)) to modern astrophotography done by amateurs (eg <https://www.astrobin.com/explore/top-picks/>). The modern ones (also benefiting from sensors more sensitive than film) are much better.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: A telescope costing "a couple hundred $US" is unlikely to be high quality, and despite having better lens coatings, would not perform well against 19th C top notch scopes, some of which are still in use.  However I agree with Uhoh that modern, mid price range, eyepieces will be significantly better.  

---

