The Telescope Buying Guide

Buying a telescope is a lot more complicated than it seems. There are many different things to look into when you are looking to buy a telescope. What you are using your telescope for helps defines what kind you should buy.
When buying a telescope, get the best possible one you can afford. Don't go out and buy some $100 telescope that is going to fall apart or not be worth using. Telescopes have a really good resale value, so buy the best telescope you can, and if you don't like it, you can go sell it online and make some of your money back.

The power of a telescope is not as important as you might think. Get a telescope that has large aperture, which gives you a bigger field of view and makes it easier to find stars, which is very hard by the way.

Remember, if you can't afford a telescope, go get a decent pair of binoculars. There are many binoculars out there that make it much easier to enjoy astronomy than when using your naked eye. Binoculars are also much easier to use and find things with, and another nice thing is that they can be used for general observing during the day (so can telescopes btw).

I suggest buying a refractor telescope because it is much easier to use and maintain. A refractor telescope uses lens to to make the picture. The major advantage to a refractor telescope is that it does not require a lot of time to get set up and running. Another advantage is that it is a lot more reliable. You can expect to pay a lot for a good refractor telescope.

Guys, stay away from reflector telescopes unless you know what you are doing. They are not really that hard to use but I would suggest that you get a refractor telescope for a beginner. A great advantage is that the reflector telescopes are a lot cheaper and you can get a really nice telescope with a really big field of view for a good price.

Another great kind of telescope is the catadioptric telescope. These are a combination of the refractor and reflector systems. A good catadioptric telescope can be very costly, but you can sometimes get lucky and find a decent one for a good price.

You need a pair of binoculars when using your telescope to help you find stars easier. Binoculars are a great way to learn how to spot stars, and they build up your ability to spot things with an instrument. That is why you should get binoculars if you don't have a telescope yet. They are cheaper and can be used to learn how to look at stars, and since you need them anyways, you might as well get them first before you drop a ton of money on a telescope.

So again, if you are just starting out, get a good pair of binoculars and then when you get better at finding stars go out and get yourself a really nice refractor or catadioptric telescope. If you are low on money, consider getting a Used lx200 Meade Telescope.

Jason Heff owns http://www.telescopesgonewild.info and is binocular and telescope fanatic. He enjoys using his telescope for astronomy and plane watching.