[starsearcher (Peter)]

Hi Pete,
Thanks so much for writing this.
I'm a total newbie searching for my first scope in eBay and not knowing what to get except for something Newtonian with 114aperture and 1000 focal length.
I browsed for Tasco 375 and found your article to give me a better insight into my first scope. I didn't know the limiting factor for magnification was the mirror, and so if I've only budget for a 4.5" aperture, I can't expect more than 135x in reality.
I think a longer focal length would help in sharper and better magnification (e.g. 1000mm vs 500mm with the same mirror aperture).

You also introduced me to join this site from reading your article.

Thanks again
Peter Loo