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Hello stargazers

sonnet

By sonnet
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sonnet

sonnet

Posted
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Hi,

I'm new here and am hoping to gain some knowledge about getting the right telescope for me.

I'm keen to get out and about stargazing locally, so if anyone is a member of a club near Stroud, Gloucestershire it would be great to say hello!... I'm guessing that it's better to maybe try before I buy.

Thanks!

J

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Sonnet and welcome to the forum. I would agree that it is always better to try before you buy and can be achieved through your local astro club or local observing group (not always the same thing) especially when they organise a public viewing session. This forum can help advise on technical jargon and in the understanding of things work but personal experience will always take you further by helping you to create your own benchmark from which to hang all the specifications from. Budget, storage and perhaps the need to travel to a dark site are personal factors that will have a bearing on the final choice. The thing is to take your time, there's no rush as the stars aren't going anywhere so that what ever decision you make, ensure it is the right one for you.

As part of you improving your understanding of all things astronomical (...and I don't mean the price of some of the kit!) why not start by downloading this free piece of planetarium software called 'Stellarium' which you can view from here. It's easy to use, lots of 'toys' on it to keep you occupied when the clouds come in (...and stay in!!!) and will certainly help you learn the sky and help identify where objects are and what you're looking at. The best bit for me is the advance time/date facility which will advise you when objects will come into view and from which direction, very useful if you've got trees etc in your garden.

Clear skies for now

James

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