[feistl (Errol)]

Hey guys,

Straight up, I'm a complete newbie and know NOTHING about telescopes, however ive always had an interest in astronomy.

I am going up to cairns later this year to watch the solar eclipse and will be watching the transit of Venus in June from here in Melbourne.

I am considering buying a telescope to watch these events but have no idea what to look for or where to buy, so would love some advice.

Obviously ill need a filter, so advice on that would be great as well.

What sort of money should i spend to get something "reasonable"? Now i know people will have differing opinions of what is "reasonable", but i guess my expectations are fairly low. The last telescope i looked through was an ultra elcheapo kids one which i still found amazing.

I dont really have a budget as such, but could spend up to say $300 (Not much i know). If theres a real improvement spending more (Say $500) id be happy to do that. I guess the question is whats going to give me the best bang for buck...

Also, ill be taking it on the plane with me, so something fairly portable and reasonably light would be good.

Cheers, Errol.

EDIT - Oh it doesn't have to be new either, i don't mind second hand. Just need to know what to look for and best place to buy.