Help me buy a Telescope

I suggest asking somewhere else, like in a dedicated amateur astronomers' forum. For example, this site has a rather large forum:
[link to cloudynights.com]

thanks for the link. will check it out.

Get Trinity to help you since he just laid out a truckload of cash for his new one for GLP!

thanks dude, will do. i thought trinity would laugh at only having a G to spend on a telescope, he prob will.

gotta start somewhere tho.

For a grand you can have nice stuff. You want a dobsonian mount or a equatorial? What you want to look at?
You can get an Orion catalog at www.telescope.com

I would sugest a 10 inch XTi Orion and that would give you a couple hundred for eyepieces. A good eyepiece makes a descent scope good and a good scope great. The xti series are a push-to scope. You punch in what you want to see and push the scope till the computer say's 0.0 and you are close. A motorized equatorial mount has to be polar alighned but tracks what you look at, a dobsonian does not track. A fork mount is easier to use and tracks, but you spend half the money on mount and half on a scope. A dobsonian has 80% of the money on the scope and 20% on the mount which means more mirror and more light which translates to better viewing.

check the light pollution in your area
[link to www.google.com]
astronomical forecast
[link to cleardarksky.com]
maybe start with a good set of binoculars
eyepieces are just important to viewing as the telescope
here is a good $630 FS 12" scope for the money
[link to www.telescopes.com]
here is a free telescope simulator to play with different eyepieces
[link to www.telescope-simulator.com]

you could buy a really good pair of binoculars. they work better than the telescopes that i can afford. LOL

thanks for all the links, very helpful.

thank you. i think im sold on the orion xti 10.

thanks everyone for all the help.

For eyepieces I would suggest a 35mm deepview, a 25mm ultrascopic, a 13mm stratus and a 9mm expanse. The plossl ep's they send out with the scopes are not very hot.
The 35 will give you a large star field, the 25 has amazing contrast for nebulas and galaxies, the 13 has a 68 degree fov and is good for enlarging galaxies and clusters, and the 9 expanse will really give you a nice globular and planet views.
I didn't stay in a holiday inn, but do own 4 cases full of high dollar and cheaper glass.
Later on pull the trigger on a 17 or 20 nagler. about 250-275 used but worth it! Don't forget to get a red flashlight.
Have fun and don't get discouraged when you can't find something. It's more than likely there, you have to train your eyes to see it. Give it a year or so. Read cloudy nights, they have good tips.

there is always the Orion SkyQuest XT12i Computerized IntelliScope.... bigger is better! but at the top end of your budget

Crap,forgot to add get a moon filter. You can't tell shit without one. The darn moon is bright!

or maybe Orion SkyView Pro 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain??

Yeah the 12 xti rules, I bought one 3 years ago.
I bought a cpc 1100 a month ago. They are 3 grand new but after they have been out a while you can snag them for 1300 to 1600 used.
I could not pay 3000 for a scope. Well not buy it and show up at home anyhow.

would you suggest joining a local astronomy club in my area? i am extremely green at this.

thanks for all the tips everyone.

Last Edited by ivebeenrocked on 05/06/2011 07:13 PM

[link to www.go-astronomy.com]

Here's several. Just google CA astronomy clubs.

thank you for the link!