Beginners Telescope

[Astro-boy (Matt)]

Hi, I am new to astronomy and i am looking to buy a telescope with a go-to system for casual observations, i have been looking at a celestron nexstar and am wondering if this is a good choice, if anyone has any other suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. I currently own a celestron powerseeker 127 which i find dificcult to use.

[Ric]

Hi Matt and welcome to IIS, for casual observations both Meade and Celestron have good scopes. I'm also not detracting from the other three brands either.

I would say that you would also have to ask yourself how far do you want to proceed in this great hobby and would that scope cover any future directions.

Cheers

[Wavytone]

While a goto telescope is obviously tempting for beginners unfamiliar with the sky, personally I don't think they're such a great idea.

It's like living in a city and relying on a GPS totally to get to your destination, never learning to read a map and never learning to build your own mental map of where things of interest are.

A simple alt-az "grab & go" scope that takes seconds to assemble and is easy to use, or a Dobsonian reflector are a better idea if you're a visual observer, coupled with a planisphere and an atlas. This will get far more use than a complicated scope, and you'll get far more satisfaction out of learning the sky yourself, and later being able to show others where things are without having to consult the goto mount to find out.

In your position I'd go for the biggest aperture Dobsonian your budget and your back will accommodate.

Later you can add digital circles.

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

I'd go with Wavytone on this one. I own both a goto and have a recently acquired a 10" Dob. The goto is for astrophotography, thats why I bought it, but the Dob is certainly letting me re-learn the skies after a long absence from visual observing.

Cheers
Bill