TheTelescope

To answer this question, we have to take into account what you ultimately want to acheive with your telescope.

You don’t know exactly what you want.

If you don’t know exactly what you want for your telescope, then you should consider getting a pair of astronomical binoculars. You will be amazed with the things you can see using a binoculars. Bionoculars are a much cheaper option than telescopes, and they are much easier to carry around. You can begin with a 7×50 or 10×50 pair, then upgrade to a 8×56 or 9×63, until such time that you become ready for a pair of “astro” binoculars. A good pair of astro binoculars consists of a 7mm exit pupil, since this is the size of the average pupil during night time.

You don’t have much interest in stargazing.

Just like the recommendations stated above, you can begin with binoculars. However, if you think you need a telescope, then you might as well settle for a Dobsonian scope. It is easy to use and assemble, thus you won’t have much problem setting it up. The average size of a Dob is around 6” to 8”. Dobs are like Newtonians, but are placed in a cradle type mount.

You want to do some deeper stargazing.

If you possess a burning passion to pursue astronomy, then this where all the best kinds of scopes would shine and tickle your interest. While you find it difficult to choose the best kind of telescope, why not check your wallet first so you know until how much you can spend? You can start by settling with a simple Dobsonian. Bigger telescopes are not just expensive-they are huge in size! But if you can meanwhile splurge on a bigger telescope, then might as well get a 10” Dob or something larger. Most serious stargazers use 12.5” to >20” Dobs, while others use the more sophisticated Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes (SCT) and APO refractors. There are also computerized “Go-To” SCT’s and APO’s, which are more complexed and much difficult to set up.

You want to get into astrophotgography.

If you are thinking of getting into astrophotography, you not only think consider the telescope itself but also the mount. You will need a stable mount to avoid shaky photos, and for this purpose a German Equatorial Mount (GEM) perfect. Recommended brands that manufacture quality mounts include: Losmandy, Astro-Physics and Mountain Instruments. Most of them are fairly versatile and can hold different kinds of telescopes.

You want to view the planets.

If you are looking for a planetary telescope, then APO refractors are the best ones to buy, because of its contrast and long focal length. However, APO refractors are becoming more and more expensive these days, thus if you have a limited budget then you can opt for Maksutov-Cassegrains or Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes. These scopes offer a good view of the planets just like APO refractors, but are much cheaper.