What's the best telescope for a beginner?

Question

It's not for a kid. I'm 22 and I really have no idea where to start but I would like to pick this up as a hobby.
All your answers are very helpful.

Answer 1

If you are not sure you want to stick with this hobby, I would actually suggest a good pair of binoculars rather than a telescope. Get some that are fuly multi-coated and either 7x50 or 10x50. These will be powerful enough to show quite a few nebula and star fields. If mounted on a camera mount, they will also show the moons of Jupiter and rings of Saturn. They also allow you to learn the constellations and get familiar with star charts.

As for the first real scope, DO NOT BUY FROM A DEPARTMENT STORE. Sorry to shout, but this is important. What you get will depend on exactly what you want to do. If you want to take pictures (difficult), you need an equitorial mount and a clock drive. If you are interested in planets, a reflector would be a good purchase (say a 5" objective). If you are more interested in deep sky objects (nebula, galaxies), then a light bucket (8", 10") dobsonian reflector is a good place to put your money. If you have a good amount of money to spend, a Cassegrain is a very nice scope with qualities of both refractors and reflectors in terms of observing.

Next, eyepieces are crucial. Expect to spend about half the price of your scope on eyepieces. Get at least Plossl quality and a range of sizes. Most eyepieces are 1.25", but upper end scopes take 2" eyepieces. The 2" are more expensive.

Finally, make sure the mount is sturdy. The mounts tend to be heavy and can make it hard to move your scope around. It may be better to go for a smaller scope that you can move rather than a big one that you can't.

Answer 2

For a beginner I think it's important to have a telescope that has a clock-drive (which most of them have nowadays). A clock drive keeps the telescope pointed at a star and slowly moves the scope to compensate for the Earth's rotation. Without a clock drive, a beginner will find the object they want to look at and then within a minute it will fall out from view without a clock drive.

Additionally, clockdrives typically come with a database of objects so you can just tell it what you want to see.

Remember that not only is the telescope important, but also the eyepieces. Barlow makes some really nice eyepieces that can greatly extend the capability of any telescope.

I've always been happy with Celestron scopes (like the C8)

Answer 3

A small, quality reflecting telescope (one with a mirror in the bottom) is best, if practical. One that can be mounted sturdily is best, otherwise vibration (from wind for example) can make it a pain to use.

Just PLEASE don't buy a kid a crappy little refractor; if money is a problem, a good pair of binoculars is a *very* good choice for seeing the moon, planets and major galaxies.

If the beginner is an adult, look into a *Dobsonian* scope, starting at a few hundred dollars.

Answer 4

I would recomend a Celestron Firstscope 114.
Check out the link.

Answer 5

I recommend this one.