[frizz1862]

Is there anyone out there that gaze at the stars? I’m looking into buying a telescope so I can start a new hobby. So what I want to know is what is one of the best and inexpensive telescopes on the market?

[jrb252000]

Well it depends how much detail you want to see and how far. I bought a $30 one for my son at Toy R Us and we can see pretty good detail of the moon but that is about it. I think other retail stores such as Wal-mart sells some decent beginner ones that are about $200 or less.
You can maybe try the discovery store they might be able to help you pick out a decent one.

[ebaines]

Helo Friz! I have been an amateur astronomer for about 15 years. It can be a lot of fun, and depending on your interest level your expertise can grow just as far as you'd like.

There is a lot of good info on the web. Start here - it's an excellent site from Sky and Telescope for beginners:

SkyandTelescope.com - Choosing Your Equipment

Be sure to do your research. Go buy a couple of issues of "Sky and Telescope" and "Astronomy" magaizine - they are full of ads and articles from which you can learn a lot. There are also many books available for beginners.

In general, most will recommend that your first telescope actually should be a good set of binoculars. A set of 7 x 50 binoculars are an excellent choice. They're great at letting you enjoy the wonders of the milky way, globular clusters, and larger nebulae such as the Andromeda galaxy and the nebula in Orion's belt. Spend the time learning your way around the constellations.

But if you are set on a telescope, buy quality. If you get a cheap department store scope you will gro frustrated very quickly and be tempted to give up. Most come with flimsy mounts so that teyh view is all shaky, and they often come with cheap eyepieces that are sold on the basis of magnification power rather than the quality of the optics. If you ever see an ad for a telescopre that boasts its magnifying power - run away!

For beginners I would recommend one of the various Dobsonian style scopes from Meade, Celestron, Orion, or other reputable manufacturers. Plan on spending a few hundred dollars for the telescope, plus another hundred or two on eye pieces. These are usually not available from paces like Toys R Us or Walmart - you typically buy them on line or from a specialty store. While most peoplel tend to think of refractors as the "classic" telescope, a good quality refractor and mount is too expensive for your first scope. They are great for observing the moon and planets, but reflectors using the Dobsonian mount are much more practical. Then after a few months you can decide whether you want to invest a few thousand dollars on your next scope perhaps something like an 8" Cassegrain from Meade or Celestron. At this price range you can get a clock drive, "GoTo" software and a nice rigid mount, and you can start thinking about astro photography.

Finally, visit your local astronomy club. There you can meet people and ask lots of qiuestions, see what others are using before you plunk down big bucks for something that may not be right for you. You can see what clubs are available in your area here:
SkyandTelescope.com - Clubs & Organizations

Good luck, and Clear Skies!

[CaptainRich]

I just purchased my first t-scope today. Meade NGC-60TC. The price was very good. The scope has many good features even if it lacks size/power (still not a bad starter scope)

But I wished I'd thought about eye piece quality. That's next. :rolleyes:

Nowhere I've been so far, and nothing I've read, told me I'd need bug repellent! :eek: