Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Star
Hello June and welcome to IIS 
Buying that first scope can be a bit confusing for a beginner - all those different astro terms, options and suppliers to sort through. Fortunately you've come to the right place with lots of knowledgeable and friendly people all too willing to help.
You need to have a good think as to exactly what you hope to get out of a scope and how much you're prepared to pay for the privilege. 
So the number one thing to think about is budget. I don't think you can get much worth owning for under $300- $400. How much you're prepared to pay on top of that is up to you.
Other things to think about - Does it require portability? That is, will you be using it in your back yard or will you need to transport it to a different place to do your viewing. Will it fit in your car? How heavy a scope can you physically handle? Even moving some scopes from indoors to the back yard can present challenges.
Have a think about these issues and take a look at the links that Humayan kindly provided. Both of these links are good ones.
Take your time, do lots of thinking, ask lots of questions and then buy the biggest scope you can afford. 
Have fun! |
thanx for that matey, we are looking at $2000 that is the absolute limit...
, I started off with $70 on a National Geo one, then moved onto $399 for an Astro whatever...now looking a the C6-SGT. Hubby wants to be able to hook it up to the PC or our lappy, also have EQ mount, I wouldn't mind the option of taking photo's at some stage and I'm looking at long term. Thanx for your advice and time.
cheers
