Quote:
Originally Posted by wavelandscott
Some Astro Clubs also have loaner scopes for beginners.
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I think this is an absolute gem of a piece of advise. (and there is lots of good advise in this thread).
Drop a little coin and become a member at your local astro club - go along to a few members nights and sample what is out there to see and see with.
You can probably borrow a small dob from the club if they have such a service and take it home - after some lessons on how it works, and after being shown the basics - should mean a lot less frustration for you, and some good outcomes!
Most of the members are more than happy to show off their gleaming scopes, from big dobs, to refractors, to goto meades/celestrons etc.
Who knows - you may even pick up a bargin when one of them gets "aperture fever" or "upgradeitis".
But more the point, you get out, look at the scopes in a dark environment and work out how they work, match your expectations of what you may be able to see with scopes that may be similar to what you want to buy, and mix with some people who are probably able to tell you about the mistakes they made, scopes they've progressed through etc etc.
There is a wealth of knowledge on here, but nothing really beats peering down the eyepiece to match your expectations to reality. Ask lots of questions and hopefully the path will thin down for you.
Even a humble pair of binoculars, can let you see lots of things, at little outlay, and lets you build up a great knowledge of the sky - which can help multitudes....
Jamie