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Old 29-11-2010, 10:48 AM
Rob_K
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Rob_K is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Bright, Vic, Australia
Posts: 2,158
Well my advice is a bit different to most (as usual) Suzy. If you are just entering the hobby, go small and cheap. A small refractor (80mm minimum objective size) or a small reflector (perhaps 114mm). Ideally get an Alt/Az mount which is simpler and more intuitive to use - you move the telescope up or down, across or back.

Astronomy is an expensive hobby - we talk about a couple of hundred bucks as being nothing, but of course to a lot of people that's huge money, especially for a hobby! It is to me. We could take up origami or flower arranging at no cost at all!

A small scope will really deliver the beauty of the night sky - wider field views of the delights of the Milky Way, and a big range of the brighter interesting objects out there. If you want to see faint mag 13 galaxies right at the start then by all means go for the big dob though!

Small scopes are great tools for sharpening your visual abilities, and everyone's eyes do need training to get the best out of whatever scope they're using - it does take time, a long time. They don't represent a massive investment in something it might turn out that you're not interested in. They are portable, low maintenance, and unlike big scopes they can be taken outside and used straight away (no long mirror or tube cooling period). Refractors require no collimation (routine adjustment of the optical train) and small reflectors are much more forgiving in this line than large ones, only occasionally needing checking.

In time, and after viewing through a variety of scopes at club meets etc (recommended), you might decide that this star stuff is really right for you and you might want to go bigger (although not everyone does!). Then get a big dob, expensive eyepieces, GOTO etc. Your first scope will then serve a useful purpose as a travel scope, or for a quick set-up when you can't be bothered dragging out the big 'cannon' or polar aligning your two-tonne mount!

Good luck with it!

Cheers -
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