New to Astronomy

I have always had a passing interest in astronomy but recently I have taken my first class on the subject and now I am hooked. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on and am starting my research for a telescope. I read the great comments and discussion on an Orion but am curious how this brand rates against the others? I do not want to be disappointed in my first telescope nor do I want to regret not buying something that I will want to sell within a year or two. Any advice?

By the way I think this forum is great.

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Robert Bland said:

... I do not want to be disappointed in my first telescope nor do I want to regret not buying something that I will want to sell within a year or two. Any advice?

By the way I think this forum is great.

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Hi Robert,

Welcome aboard ! This is exactly the right place to start.

There was a nice thread on this subject not too long ago.

Here is a link to one of the posts on that thread.

http://www.astromart.com/forums/viewpost.asp?forum_post_id=339382&poll_id=&news_id=&page=3

You might want to read through the whole thread if you have some time, as it will give you a lot of background to scopes and how they are used.

Bottom line: Dark skies, time, chair, star chart/map, wide angle binoculars, and most folks recommend an 8" Dob, the Orion ones should be fine.

David

>>I do not want to be disappointed in my first telescope nor do I want to regret not buying something that I will want to sell within a year or two. Any advice?
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My advice: Join your local astronomy club and go to some outings, get a look at and through some scopes so you know what to expect. Here's my thinking/experience:

1. If you are expecting Hubble like views, you will be disappointed with any telescope. Those Hubble images are long exposure images and for the most part, the colors are psuedo color, abritrarily assigned colors.

2. If you are coming from the other end, simply expecting a major improvement on what you can see with your own two eyes then you will likely be happy with just about any telescope.

Lots of telescopes out there, lots of different types. I believe that the reason most scopes are sold is not that they are poor optically or poor scopes, rather it is that the owner has different likes and dislikes.

Without doing your home work and getting a first hand look at what your options are, it is pretty difficult to have an idea of what you would like...

Jon

I think all these people have given you excellent advice. I followed their advice over the past couple months and just recently purchased my first "real" telescope. For my family, it was a dob that made the best choice for our use.My kids can set it up and use it with little or no help from dear ole dad. It gives excellent views, simple to operate and not much that can go wrong. Learn how to align the optics properly and you are off an running. I found a great deal on an 8" Orion SkyQuest with several nice upgrades already done to the scope for far less than new one. Right angle finder is nice upgrade as is a telerad. Thats the next purchase. Also a barlow and maybe another eyepiece or two and we are set for a long time. This scope is a keeper for me. Dont think I would ever get rid of it. But I admit...when at the club I do really like those huge light buckets! Find a local club too! With out it, I would have been lost!! They have taught me so much and I have met some really nice folks as well. Looking forward to cooler weather and winter night views.

Keith

I would start w/ naked eye viewing and then binocular viewing. it took me a year of both to get the bare beginnings of the "feel" of the night sky. There are things only the naked eye can see . This past spring/summer I remember my anticipation waiting for Altair to appear and complte the summer triangle. The Pleiades through good binoculars is a thrill not easily matched in most telescopes. There's so much to see. I wouldn't narrow my fov so early into your years of observing.