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Hi Scott,
My son and I were in a similar situation to you 6 months ago. Santa promised to buy us a telescope for Christmas, but we just couldn't work out which one to ask him for.
We spoke with Bintel, York Optical and we scoured the internet for information on Refractors, Dob/Newtonions and SCTs. Basically there is just too much information out there for a beginner to digest! With Christmas approaching fast, I came across some sage advice, which was "just buy something"! Basically, you can spend too much time researching and end up in "analysis paralysis" as you find that each scope has its advantages and disadvantages.
I will add to that advice and make it: "just buy something - BIG"! The bigger the aperture, the more detail you will see. And the longer the focal length, the more magnification you can achieve (great for planets). The bigger telescope will get you hooked on the hobby. You might lose interest using a smaller telescope.
So within 3 days, a second hand 6" 1200mm focal length (F8) refractor/mount combination came up for sale, and Santa bought it for us. I soon learned this is BIG for a refractor, but was pleasantly surprised at what detail I could see of Jupiter and the Orion nebula the first time I got it out. I am very glad I bought as large as possible! Bintel then provided some improved eyepieces and immediately I could see a polar ice cap on Mars from our backyard in Dulwich Hill (despite very bad light pollution).
But to summarise a couple of days of internet reading on the 3 telescope types that I know about:
* Newtonion/Dobsonion - best bang for buck in terms of size. Buy at least an 8". Some maintenance is required to maintain collimation and clean the main mirror but this is relatively simple, but important to do. A Dob includes its own mount.
* Refractors - best contrast and longer focal lengths. Most people say a 5" or 6" refactor will equal or better a 8" newt (I don't really know). Buy at least a 4" aperture. Negligible maintenance required. Refractors are heavy and more expensive. You will need to buy a mount.
* SCT / Maks - Very compact given the focal lengths on offer. But they do need occaisonal collimation maintenance. But like a refractor, they are essentially sealed so cleaning is not normally required much. Buy at least a 5" aperture. You either need to buy a mount, or it might come already mounted on a fork.
What ever you end up buying, I would allow $1000 to get you a good basic setup. Make sure you don't scrimp on Eyepieces. Most new telescopes come with very poor quality eyepieces which really reduce the telescope performance.
I also highly recommend buying second hand from this site. So if you end up with something too small (remember, there is nothing too big, just make sure you can fit in the boot of your car and store it somewhere), you can upgrade without losing too much money. You can trust people who sell their gear on this site.
Good luck!
James.
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