Important Things a Beginner Should NOT do ?

[Mr Q]

   Don't  just point the scope anywhere and expect to see an object. Use at least a planisphere to locate a constellation, then try to find the brightest object in it. This link will help a lot and get you started with learning some constellations and some easy objects in them. Its free and each month a new chart appears   http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html

    Don't  expect the night sky to remain the same hour by hour - the sky's stars will slowly drift and even a few hours can make a once familiar sky look confusing, especially a few days later.

   Don't get frustrated when after some time you can't find anything to look at. This is the time to slowly scan the Milky Way with all its star clusters, nebulae, colorful double stars and star clouds - even if the Milky Way is barely visible at the time.

[Mr Q]

  Never look (with a scope) at a neighbor's window at night - the light in the room will reflect off the primary mirror as a bright light to anyone in the room looking out. This also applies to refractors and binoculars as well.

   Knowing this will save you a lot of embarrassment - even though you were "just testing the scope"