Buying A Telescope

So you find yourself wanted to purchase a telescope. You may asking questions like "What should I look for in a telescope?" and "I want to buy one but have no idea what specifications to look for?". You may also be a student on a really strict budget after a telescope  that is not too expensive. There are some advantages if you are a college student as you may have the access to take an astronomy class and use the instruments owned by your college. You will have access to instruments you could never hope to afford. This would be a short term solution without having to purchase a telescope that you may never use again, and believe me, it happens.

There are also different types of telescopes, so knowing what celestial objects will be your primary focus and how well you already know the night sky will be the deciding factor of what you end up with. Many will recommend that you start off with hand-held binoculars such as a quality 10x50 set. They're great for becoming familiar with major features and for finding targets. Whichever scope you choose, the most important specification is typically the aperture. For this reason, a simple Newtonian is generally your best buy as it provides the most aperture per dollar. The simplest Newtonian mount is a Dobsonian alt/az style mount. It is stable, portable and very easy to operate. So definitely keep an eye out for dobsonian telescopes.