What Telescope should I go for?

[chelsea25]

Hi there

I am interested in buying a Telescope, but am a real beginner, I know nothing yet. I would like a decent one but need to know whats the minimum i should look at.

 

Thanks

[SteveD]

Please specify what you want to use it for (i.e. do you want a terrestrial one or an astronomical one).

[chelsea25]

Hi there, just wanted to look at the stars or even look at the moon.Thanks for your help

[Phantaxus]

For astronomical use you will probably be better off with a reflector (one with mirrors) The reason being you will get a better image from one of these. To get a good image from a refractor (one with lenses) you need high quality lenses and these are expensive. A good quality refractor can easily cost more than an equivalent reflector. The other thing you need to think about is the larger the lens the more light it pulls in and the brighter the image, but you also need to take into account portability dont make the mistake I did and buy to large a scope. For a reflector you should be looking at 4" minimum.

[Phantaxus]

The best bit of advice I could give you is find a local astronomical society and attend one of their "Star partys" you will meet a lot of other amateurs as well as their equipment they will be able to offer you advice and you will be able to try different scopes you might even pick one up secondhand

[kags]

That is good advice from Phantaxus - if you live in a city it is very difficult to find somewhere to look at the stars through a telescope without light pollution, and you may not want to go to some deserted, dark place alone! I know a few people who have bought expensive telescopes and found no use for them. You might be better with a good pair of binoculars if you are just getting interested in astronomy, and joining a local society would be a good start. The college I work at  runs an evening class which is a great introduction, and offers the chance to borrow and use telescopes and binoculars, and make your mind up before plunging in and spending a lot of money.

[auldyin]

Take heed of the sound advice you're getting here. I bought my first telescope {6" newtonian reflector} thinking I just pointed it to the sky and would see Hubble type images in miniature. Boy, what a disappointment. Have a night out with an astronomy group, they will welcome you and get you started with the basics. My pal gets more pleasure with his big russian binoculars which he can throw into the car and drive out into the dark countryside to look at the stars and the moon.

[CT]

These are good answers. Joining a local astronomy group is probably the best thing you can do. They should be able to give you an introduction to the basics etc. Ask for their advice and tell them what you would like to observe. Clearly your little telescope will not produce Hubble like images, but lunar or planetary observing still shows fascinating detail. Once you learn where to look as well, you will be surprised by the number of objects that you can see. Good luck with this. Always nice to hear from people who are interested in astronomy.