[NGC2264 (Gordon)]

Hey all. Say hi to another newcomer.

I had my interest in astronomy go through the roof when I visited the Dubbo Observatory and the Griffith Observatory in LA over the past year.

I have joined (or am about to join) the Northern Sydney Astronomical Society and took part in their viewing night a couple of weeks ago which was a blast and met some great young guys who really helped me.

I have a limited budget - probably $1,500 tops and after alot of reading I think I have settled my mind on getting a 10" Dobsonian. One of the lads at the viewing had one of the skywatcher collapsible dobsonians which would suit me better than a solid tube one for portability and storgae reasons.

I had a couple of questions. The first I suppose is: is Skywatcher a reputable brand? Also my kids are interested and I wanted to get a laser pointer so that I can point stuff out in the sky for them. York Optical sell the 10mW for $200 and the 20mW for $135...to me that doesn't make sense - why is the 20mW cheaper? Will I have problems with a 20mW if I went with it being cheaper? I live in the city but will also be going out to the country for viewing.

In terms of eye pieces, I was advised to get like a 25mm, a 15mm and a 10mm. I was thinking of getting some decent eye pieces but not the $400/piece brands. What are worhtwhile brands at the $100-$200 mark?

Any other worthwhile tidbits of info someone feels I should know please feel free to advise - I am all ears.