[g__day (Matthew)]

I see this a bit here, someone asks a basic question, usually about what their first or second telescope should be and inevitably a good samaritan throws out the "well it depends on what you want to look at reply". but then often waits for the uninformed newcomer to say something other than stars and stuff, or timidly ask "Er, well what's out there to choose from?".

I thought maybe we could expand on all that. If folk realised there are specific things to look at, and that some scope perform on these better than others they could judge what to buy for themselves.

For instance a list that says, key things to look at include:

1. Sun - through very special scopes or with special Sun filters
2. Planets - although only Jupiter, Saturn and Mars (and our moon) are likely to resolve surface detail and give you a wow factor
3. Open nebulae, emission nebulae, galactic clusters

Cause here's where advice become more helpful.

If you want to see a bright cluster of stars like the Plediades or M7 a short tube good quality refractor like an ED80 will be excellent

If you want to resolve planets surface detail, a large apperature, good skies and fairly high magnification will be appericated - so a 8" or larger Dob, or newtonian or a smaller SCT or MAK will be choice two.

If you want to observer faint objects with alot of detail - like the Omega Cluster - then both aperature and steadiness of mount will be important, as will contrast. A motorised sturdy mount will make any seeing more observable, but then you have to weight light gathering (aperature) vs contrast achieved (telescope design eg. refractor vs larger newtonian, SCT, DOB or MAK).

Astro imaging - then the above but now add you're goin to be spending as much if not more on your mount (possibly 2:1) ratio as your optical tube and then added to this is PC, imaging software, auto-guiders and expensive CCDs or cameras or video gear.

What would be the views of the community on the ideal advice on educating a new user what there was to choose seeing from and which scope will achieve this best?