Buying first telescope, need help!

[Liquid360]

Part of it is we live in an age of perpetual rapid change and an attention deficit. These days nobody's willing to put work into anything, much less spending frustrating hours trying to make something work once not to mention loss of interest after believing they've seen the moon. I'm not agreeing with this but these are the times in which we live.

[happy-kat]

Absolutely let us do our best to help this new member get the best telescope for their budget but it would really help to know which manufactures (see post above) we can offer suggestions from. So your local supplier is more likely to have it to go look at.

I have gone slightly over your budget in this example.

This link is to a US website but wanted to give an example of a telescope. Your money on this example is going on the mirror. The table top design is cheaper to make than provide a tripod so you hopefully get more telescope for your money.

100mm telescope this telescope has already been mentioned as the skywatcher brand version.

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/TableTop-Telescopes/Orion-SkyScanner-100mm-TableTop-Reflector-Telescope/pc/-1/c/1/sc/416/p/102007.uts

There is also a 76mm version which is under your budget on the US website which might allow enough to get one better eyepiece. Same design of telescope and mount.

You should get more from your money if you bought second hand.

[philipw]

See if you can find one of these 2nd hand within your budget range:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

[Gomtuu]

when night after night is cloudy it can get very easy to just not bother.

I know that feeling. I also usually find that after weeks of cloud, on the one night it's clear you've got something else on. As I have to travel to set up my kit, I have to be able to plan ahead to some extent. This all means that I'm lucky if I can use it 6 or 7 nights of the year at the moment.

[drshminky]

As a newbie with a year under my belt I have to say that I would in hindsight have bought a motorised mount as it really helps you to get to the things you may want to see; having said that I have learnt quite a bit by just going out with a planasphere and then using my scope which I probably wouldn't have if I got a GOTO mount.  

I would if I were you get to know the night sky first. In Asia (depending on where you are) you can get some amazing skies which can be very inspiring just with the naked eye. So I would first invest in a planasphere ($15) that's for your area and step outside. if you have a smart phone or laptop then stellarium is very good too and free!

If you then want to move on to a scope then all I can say is that my Skywatcher 130P is a very good starting scope and for $100 you should be able to pick one up from Ebay - I know everyone will recommend their own but I've had some amazing nights with this scope and it's pretty cheap second hand.

Drshminky

[Uranium235]

I would if I were you get to know the night sky first. In Asia (depending on where you are) you can get some amazing skies which can be very inspiring just with the naked eye. So I would first invest in a planasphere ($15) that's for your area and step outside. if you have a smart phone or laptop then stellarium is very good too and free!

Drshminky

Quite right! Whilst in Malaysia, I went out one clear night and noticed that M42 was almost directly overhead (that would be imaging heaven!).

[drshminky]

I was in Thailand (Koh Samui) and you could see an arm of the milky way directly above you - was what got me into this!!!!!

[RikM]

Last time I went to Thailand (Chiang Mai) it was cloudy for three straight weeks