What telescope is good for a first time user?

Question

What are things I should look for when buying a telescope?

What are the good brands out there?

Some telescopes that you can recommend for first time user & buyer?

Price range willing to $100-$300

Answer 1

A small Dobsonian is a good starter scope. This is a Newtonian reflector on a simple altazimuth (tilt & swivel) mount. Because the mechanics are so simple, you get more optics for your money. The biggest problem for most beginners is finding things to look at, so spend some of your money on a star chart or guide of some sort.

The most important specification in a telescope is the aperture, the diameter of the main lens or mirror. More aperture mens a view that is both brighter and sharper. Buy from a reputable telescope dealer; avoid Walmart, ebay, and the sporting goods store. There is some real junk out there being sold as telescopes to the unwary.

Answer 2

Celestron, Meade and Orion all produce decent telescopes within that price range.

When looking for a telescope, keep in mind that the telescope's aperture...the diameter of the primary miror in reflectors, and the main lens in refractors, is one of the most important aspects. The larger the aperture, the more light the telescope will collect, and the more you will be able to see. The larger aperture means longer focal length which translates to you being able to use higher powered eyepeices and still get a decent image...though must viewing you'll be doing will be fairly low powered because you'll find that sufficient.

Also, a steady mount is important. If you can save up $100 and are willing to buy new then I recommend a used Celestron or Meade 8" Schmidt Cassegrain.

For what you have, you may be able to get a 6" Dobsonian with some type of navigation system to help you find things but keep in mind this is a recent innovation and dedicated amateur astronomers typically did just fine without it....as long as they had a decent pair of binoculars.

I don't recommend refractors because though they are hardy and don't need the occasional collimation that reflectors and catadioptrics do, quality ones are expensive and you simply won't be able to see as much compared to the reflectors in your price range.

Answer 3

The type of telescope you should buy depends upon what you want to look at. If you want to look at planets, then you should get a refractor. A refractor uses a lens to gather light. If you want to look at deep sky objects, galaxies, nebulae, then you should get a reflector. A good beginners telescope is dobsonian. A dobsian is a relector telescope on a mount called a dobsonian. Meade is a good brand. So is Orion. I do not know where you could get a good telescope for under $300, but check out www.meade.com and www.orion.com

Answer 4

Go for the top of the line. Even as a beginner don't buy a piece of junk that will end up giving you a poor preformance. Refelctor or refractor but get good quality eye pieces. You will have a much better experience if you spend the bucks up front.

go here for a quality scope http://www.meade.com/