FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Re: amateur telescope

["Frank Honer" <fhoner@xxxxxxx>]

Barb,

I second Bob's advice below. You really won't know what you want or IF you 
want a telescope until you see what various telescope designs can do. 
Attending a star party or two is a great way to accomplish this. I've 
recommended this approach to several of my friends. The ones who took the 
advice made a much more informed purchase.

Also, I had a couple of friends that attended a star party and found that 
the hobby wasn't really what they had thought it would be. Better to "test 
drive" the equipment first before making a major purchase.

One more point. I think you will find that amatuer astronomers will be more 
than happy (excited?) to help a novice and will give you all the advice you 
need.

Frank Honer

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Christ" <bchrist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 3:11 PM
Subject: [AZ-Observing] Re: amateur telescope


> Barb, if you have not done so, I would suggest attending a star party (or
> better - parties) and look through as many smaller scopes as you can and
> "pick the brains" of the owners.  You will gain a sense of the views that
> scopes of smaller aperture, representing different
> manufacturers/models/price bands, can deliver.
>
> The excitement to plunge-in and buy *now* can be costly if you buy a scope
> today and find out it cannot deliver when your thirst to "see more" 
> surfaces
> in 6 months.  We've all been through this.  Without gaining experience,
> buying a scope for "today and tomorrow" is really difficult.  You will be
> able to narrow the field of scope type/size by identifying what piques 
> your
> viewing interest.  Planets only?  Deep Sky Objects (DSOs)?  Not all scopes
> do all things.
>
> Contrary to my normal behavior when engaging in a new interest, I bought 
> an
> inexpensive used ETX60AT and used it for a year until I figured-out what 
> my
> "real" telescope would be.  The approach turned out to be a real sound
> strategy for me and I'm ecstatic with my second scope.
>
> Used telescopes pop up every day - I'd suggest you give yourself time to
> really "scope-out" what will serve you best.
>
> Bob
>
> Ps.  Don't fret about the ease/difficulty of using a GoTo scope - 
> operation
> is relatively straight forward across brands.

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