Q: What kind of telescope should I buy?

My recommendations for best beginner's scopes

The Sky Guide- Equipment

The Telescope Review Website

How to choose a quality telescope for under $500.00

Heretic's Guide

Khan Scope Centre ( Toronto, Canada)

Q: What can I see?

A: My first view through my new scope was disappointing. I didn't know to let the telescope cool down for 30 minutes (varies with the scope and the temperature), and that astronomy is a learned coordination between the mind, eye, and telescope. Instead of seeing Mars all I saw was an orange blob. Don't expect to see the dramatic images that are shown in magazines. Photography can capture more light than the human eye. Large planets are the easiest to see and are bright enough to see colour and subtle detail. Star clusters and planetary nebulas are the next easiest, with galaxies being the hardest to observe colour and detail. Consider that NASA spends millions of dollars to send a telescope beyond the confines of Earth's distorting atmosphere to capture their awesome images; the human eye and a $500.00 scope require patience and discipline. In the end, even a small telescope can reveal remarkable images of planets, nebulas, and galaxies to a trained eye.

Q: What accessories should I buy first?

A: Not an easy question to answer. Two or three quality eyepieces and a 2x Barlow lens should be your first purchase. BUY THE BEST THAT YOU CAN AFFORD! Your eyepiece collection should cost at least 1/3 the value of your telescope. If you must compromise, buy only one eyepiece and a Barlow and add on later. A top quality telescope is significantly diminished by using cheap, poorly designed eyepieces; a marginal scope is rendered useless. Plossl type eyepieces seem to be the gold standard. A 25mm, 16mm, and a 10mm set of eyepieces are expanded to 12.5mm, 8mm, and 5mm when used with a 2x Barlow lens; that's six eyepieces for the price of four, enough for most observing situations. Ask before you buy, each telescope has limits on how powerful an eyepiece you can use (more powerful is not always better or clearer). 50x per inch of aperture is the max(20x per inch is more realistic though).

Q: How do I locate objects in the sky?

A: Employ as many methods as possible. First off you need to learn the sky with your naked eye. Learn to find the major constellations by employing a planisphere under a dark sky. Most major astronomy magazines include a pull out version for each issue that is very useful. Once you can identify a few constellations, you can start to locate smaller objects with your telescope's viewfinder. I recently purchased a Telrad viewfinder that makes locating objects a breeze. Most finder scopes invert the image and you have to learn to embrace dyslexia if you hope to locate anything. Some people use the Telrad to find the general area and then use the finder scope to hone in on the specific area. Think of this process as finding a city on a world map(the sky). You locate the country(constellation), then locate the province(telrad or viewfinder), and then you can find the city(viewfinder or through the telescope itself). To find a specific street address(right ascension and declination), you will need to use setting circles. I like to set my RA. circle to a known coordinate of a near by bright star, and then use the setting circles to find faint objects near this star. A good star chart or astronomy software is your next best purchase. Sky Atlas 2000.0 is a good guide or try Earth Centred Universe, a computer program that is available as shareware (I thought it was so good that I purchased the full version). 

Q: Can I buy a star?

A: Yes you can, but no you can't.

Buying a Star: the Facts

Q: Where can I find out more info?

A: Try usenet's sci.astro.amateur as a good way to find answers. "NightWatch" by Terence Dickinson (1996, Firefly books Inc.) is a good beginner's / intermediate level book. In addition, the following links were helpful to me: