[koputai (Jason)]

With $500 to spend, the temptation will be there to go out and buy a new 70mm - 80mm scope on an alt-az tripod. DON'T DO IT!!!

This type of scope will definitely lead you to think "I've wasted 500 bucks on this".

I would advise the same scope as Peter, the Skywatcher ED80, second hand, which should set you back $350 - $400. If you have a reasonable camera tripod, you can simply whack it on top of that.

It MAY come with a star diagonal and an eyepiece or two, but if not then get yourself a diagonal for $30 from Andrews, as well as a GSO 25mm Plossl ($29) and a GSO 15mm Superview ($39), also both from Andrews.

You've just spent $500 on a great scope and some decent budget eyepieces. If down the track you decide you like this caper, you can easily upgrade to better quality eyepieces.

A mate of mine was after a scope to use on his farm to keep an eye on pregnant cattle, watch the Wedgies, and have an occasional look at the stars, so I got him exactly the setup described above. It's a great package for the price.

Cheers,
Jason.