Posts Made By: Mike Green

Hiyas,

I have always wanted to gaze upon the universe, but never had the funds or time to do so. Well, I have been looking at getting into Astronomy and am seeking some advise from you elders out there. I have some experience in this hobby, but it is very limited.

A friend of mine use to have a TeleVue Refractor Telescope with tons of eyepieces. When I was able to gaze upon the rings of Saturn, I knew I was hooked! I have always had an interest in Astronomy and life beyond our System. So, what I'd like to know is this:

What is the best buy for the buck? I am looking at spending $200-400USD to start off with. My friend said that I can probably start off with a decent Reflector and enjoy the performance. He spent well over $10,000 total at that time, so I don't want to go that extreme (yet lol).

So, what brands, telescope type, size, should I look at.. etc.. ? I may also look into taking photographs through the telescope, but that can be done at a later time.

Thank you for all the input,

Mike

Those are all great suggestions and opinions! Thank you guys for taking your time to write back! Yeah, it would probably be a great idea to go to a Star Party and gaze through the different scopes people brought out.

I was once invited to check out a private observatory at Table Mt. (Wrightwood, CA; Not Goldstone lol), but had to stay behind to watch our equipment. I am just outside of Las Vegas, NV, where the sky conditions are typically great. At night when the moon isn't shining, I can see a tremendous show of lights overhead.

We are just outside of Death Valley, which is where some astronomers go to gaze through telescopes. Clear Atmosphere, little or no light interference, etc.