Can someone HELP me, I'm buying a TELESCOPE!

Ask Trinity. Buying a telescope was his excuse for backing away from his threats to sue half the internet.

The link is not working, but I'm looking at it right now, it's the Orion XT8 Classic Dob with Barlow Kit.

[link to www.telescope.com]

i would look into a used one. i got a 350msrp one fro 99.

Trinity? Who is that? I don't know him, nor do I want to know him/her/them.

Did you get it on Craigslist? Where did you buy it? What's a 350MSRP?

yes i did get mine off craigslist, but ebay would be better for a wider range of upper end scopes.msrp= Manufacturer's suggested retail price

stop looking....the Orion is a "good" starter scope

On another note, have you considered Binoculars with a tripod?

Don't get a cheap one that uses .965 eyepieces. Get one that uses 1.25

The Orion XT8 Dobsonian I want to buy has a Sirius Plossl 25.0mm (1.25in) eyepiece.

can you recommend good binoculars and tripod set ups to see distant stuff?

wouldn't mind doing this myself.

If you know nothing about the constellations.(like me) Get a smaller scope with go-to features. Belive me its so much better than one you have to manually find and track your star,cluster or galaxy.

I've got an 8 and 10 dob and a 5 and 10 newt go-to and the 5 will be pulled out before the dobs.

BAN this

This is a link to my Meade ETX-80AB-BB backpack observatory...

Is complete with AutoStar auto finding and tracking Hardware & Software!

[link to www.meade.com]

Can be found on the internet for under $200.

Define "Distant Stuff"....

Stars, look the same in almost every optical device

Nebula, you will need a scope with good light gathering capabilities.

Galaxies, see Nebula

Planets, good scope or binocs

If you are hoping to see "Hubble" type images, you will be sadly disappointed

No telescope or binocs will produce "Color" views without a CCD camera for long exposure photography...the human eye just can't make out color thru a scope or binoc eyepiece

The only thing cheaper is going to your local astronomy club and looking through their scopes and seeing the difference between scopes and saving up your money.

Star Charts (paper) is a good place to start.

Otherwise, do not spend money because you do not know what to buy. A good telescope may cost several thousand dollars anymore, and a dobsonian is fine if you want to push, push, push the telescope along.

[link to backyardvoyager.com]

Look at "what you can really expect to see?"

and other topics if needed.
Just general info, and nothing is total.

Trinity is the person who owns and operates this GLP website.

[link to www.nightskiesnetwork.com]

your local astronomy club and looking through their scopes and seeing the difference between scopes and saving up your money.
1000+ on this idea...

Star Charts (paper) is a good place to start
for those interested in getting into Astronomy, here are to very good books to start with

1. "Sky Atlas" "for small Telescopes and Binoculars" by David S. Chandler and Billie E. Chandler

2. "Turn left at Orion" by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis

Both are excellent IMHO, for the Beginner and Novice and I use them both over my more advances books every time

My personal setup is a good set of binoculars with a tripod. Any decent set has a 1/4 inch mount that matches every camera ever made. You won't get "Hubble Images" of course but I like a setup that's useful for the sky and the ground.

If your creative a camera+binocular+tripod rig isn't too terribly bad to come up with. Hardware stores, drills and some simple engineering go a long way.

For any night shots taken with a regular point-and-shoot camera set it to night mode and USE THE TIMER (or better yet a remote). You want to give the setup a chance to be completely still for any hope of a good clear shot.

..can someone recommend some telescopes that aren't expensive but are also good?

I'm still stuck on the Orion XT8 Classic Dobsonian. I know it weights 40lbs, but that's fine with me. I'm not going to be moving it much.

What do some of you recommend for a starter? Don't give me a cheap telescope because I'm new, recommend something good and easy to use for someone like me.

Thank you -