Hi Timothy
and a warm welcome to you
I posted a thread recently that may be of some help to you (regarding collapsible vs solid tube)
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=62409
Yes, street lights are a pain in the neck. I'll give you a good example. I used to observe in my front yard, and the said street light was nicely hidden behind a tree. One weekend, hubby decided he was going to prune the trees (without telling me, clearly he felt brave that day
), and
When I went outside, sheer horror was written all over my face
There were words exchanged that day, I'm sure I woke up all the nocturnal critters with shrieks of horror, and if I was a bloke, or built like one, five knuckles would have accompanied the dialogue.
. As much as I tried observing from then on, it was useless. So I have been relegated for some time now to the backyard until said tree grows back, still waiting.
Big difference with street light, and now in the backyard where I don't see it.
As for observing off a balcony, I did read somewhere, and please someone correct this if it is wrong, otherwise confirm it, that it's one of the worst places to view due to being too close to the house, as the house holds lots of heat, and affects the currents in the scope.
Most of my observing is done from my yard - I see tons and tons of objects, including plenty of nebulas. Pick nights when the moon isn't full, the stars aren't twinkling, don't observe when you see a halo around the moon, learn about seeing and transperancy, and you're good to go. You will see lots, don't worry. I used to have a 6" dob and saw plenty. I could even see the trapezium in the Orion neb, to give you an idea.
Here's link to understand seeing and transperancy.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-196-0-0-1-0.html
When you buy from a store, as the ones suggested, you will get plenty of support, including the how to's and collimation.
All the best with your choice Timothy,
Suzy.