i want to buy a telescope which is best?

There are several different kinds of telescopes and all of them have some excellent features. Refractors and Reflectors, plus Schmidt-Cassegrain, APO refractors and more. There are also several mounts to chose from and the mounts are just as important as the scope is. All of the different scopes and mounts have some features that some people like and do not like.

There is no one scope that is "better" than another except for the junk scopes out there which are all just a waste of money. Never, ever buy from Walmart, Costco, Target, or any other discount store like that. Junk scopes are flooded into the market from those stores. You will be buying nothing but bad optics and plastic.

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http://oriontelescopes.com/

Orion is the very best for value and for customer service too. I have 2 of their scopes and I will only buy from them from now on.

The Orion site has some excellent diagrams and explanations of all types of scopes and mounts.

Things to consider are size--can the user lift and transport the scope to the viewing site easily? If not, then it will gather dust in a closet. Can the viewer reach all the knobs and buttons? I have a long tube large manual refractor and it is very dificult for me to reach the knobs when I am pointed to Zenith. I am not a tall person.

Take your time in making your decision.

I would like to suggest that you join a local astronomy club or astronomical society BEFORE you spend your money on a scope. There are many different kinds of scopes and what is perfect for one person is not perfect for another. Everyone has their own set of eyeballs and no two are the same. If you join a club, you can attend a few of their star parties and try out members scopes to see what works best for YOU, before you buy a scope. The members can also help you when you get your scope and show you how to get the most out of your new scope as well as to help teach you where the treasures in the sky are located. Most clubs have loaner scopes and extensive libraries that you can gather more information from too. Most clubs will have monthly membership meetings with informative presentations given by members and by guest speakers. You can really learn a lot from these clubs and an added plus is all the great new freinds you make there too.

Some people will suggest that you purchase binnoculars. Not a bad idea but dont buy anything less than 10x50 and you must have a tripod too or you will not be happy with your astronomical views because they will be too shakey from your movements. Personally, I prefer a scope to binos because if binoculars are not aligned properly at the factory, then you get double images and distortions that cant be fixed. Most of the cheaper binoculars are not properly aligned. That is not as important for terrestial viewing but it is a killer for astronomical viewing.

But when you buy go Orion and you wont be disappointed. Don't try to learn everything all at once or you will be overwhelmed and discouraged. Patience is the key to Astronomy.

You will also need a good star chart program.

http://www.stellarium.org/

This is great freeware that you can download. Just tell it where you are and it will tell you what you see.

I wish you all the best. Enjoy

Picking a good comfortable telescope for you is largely a matter of personal tastes. Ideally, we would all have nice big dobsonian scopes, a nice dark back yard, mild climates, and clear skies. But, few of us have ideal conditions, and it is better to have a good scope that you can use frequently, then some wonderful behemoth that you seldom use.

I have been fortunate to have had several scopes at my disposal; but, when comet Holmes put on a terrific show last year, I saw it first on a lowly shaky 60mm telescope. It had been overcast and raining steadily, and the little scope was a perfect way to exploit gaps in the cloud cover to get a glimps of the Comet at its best and brightest; even if I had to stand in the rain to do it.

I also make a lot of use of my 7x35mm binoculars. They are a great help in cutting through the light pollution to help me locate the targets I want to see through the telescope. They are not as good as larger 10x50 binoculars, but they offer a wider field of view, and are small enough to handhold for an extended period.

There is nothing magical about a telescope. It is a visual aid, much like eyeglasses, a microscope, or binoculars. Just about any of them will help you to see more then you would otherwise see. Yet none of them, including the largest professional scopes planted on mountain tops, will let you see Hubble like images. That is just not the way the human eye works. For us to see images like that requires photography, and exposure time.

What a decent scopes will show you, is a rich and ever shifting lunar surface, some surface detail on the 5 brighter planets (including a hint of color), star clusters, double stars, some nebulas (all grey in color), and some galaxies (all faint gray and fuzzy). Regardless of the instrument, you will see far more from a really dark area then you can ever hope to see from within a light polluted town.

The previous answers have given you some excellent suggestions. I would add that it is helpful to think of all telescopes as consisting of four basic components: the main optics, the finder, the mount, and the eyepieces. Skimping on any of these (which is the primary sin of every department store scopes) can make the whole experience very frustrating.

So take your time; test as many telescopes as you can, and find one that is the right fit for you.

Hi Mary -

Telescopes are sort of specialized instruments, and they are each made differently in order to target different segments of the amateur astronomy hobby. I must tell you up front that the astrophotography portion of the hobby is almost a separate hobby unto itself, with its own set of criteria, equipment, and skills. It is not unusual for folks to spend thousands of dollars in order to obtain even marginal results in photography. I would not recommend that you start that way.

What I would recommend is that you take your time with this decision, especially in light of your prudent choice to spend enough to get a decent scope. A decent scope means different things to different people, and it is difficult to just pick one and not be disappointed with the results. Therefore, the wise approach is to try before you buy, so that you know what to expect when you see "first light" in your own investment. The best way to do this is to look on line for the nearest local astronomy club. They will always have public observing sessions that you will be welcome to attend. You will have the opportunity there to try out several different types of scopes to see which ones work best for you. You also might be surprised by what you can and cannot see at the eyepiece. For example, with a decent scope you may be able to see a hundred or so deep space objects - nebulae, galaxies, clusters - some will actually be larger in size than the Moon. But they will be dim, and you will see very little color. It won't look like the Hubble photos, but it is still stunning and subtly beautiful. You might want to take along a decent set of binoculars. You can see a lot through them and you can use them to start learning the night sky.

Once you have a good idea of what works best for you, and have at least a passing acquantance with the night sky, you can start looking in earnest for a good scope. First rule here is, don't buy from a department store or Ebay. Buy only from a reliable dealer with a decent reputation (the club can help here, also). The following websites can provide a selection of what to look for; these are all reliable suppliers:

http://www.telescope.com/control/main/

http://www.meade.com/

http://www.celestron.com/c3/home.php

As a beginner, I think your best choice would be something like one of these:

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category...

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category...

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category...

There will be those who will tell you that the computer driven object locater as shown in the third choice is a necessity. If you have access to clear, dark skies, I would disagree. There are lower cost zero power finders (like a Telrad) that can easily lead you to all sorts of objects with a little practice. That way, you can spend your money on better optics instead of glitzy computer stuff that tends to need rebooting just when you have finished setting up. Half the fun is knowing where to find stuff in the night sky, and a computer locater basically skips that step and does it for you.

In any case, you would be wise to attend a local astronomy club, so you at least know where to start looking for what really works for you. You will be glad you did. Welcome to a great hobby!

Here are a few web pages with good information on beginner's telescopes:

http://www.gaherty.ca/tme/TME0702_Buying_a_Telesco...

http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html

http://observers.org/beginner/j.r.f.beginner.html

For more advanced information, read Phil Harrington's Star Ware, 4th edition (Wiley).

You'll get the greatest value for your money with a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount, such as these:

http://www.telescope.com/control/category/~categor...

http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product....

Buy from a store which specializes in telescopes and astronomy, either locally or online; don't buy from department stores, discount stores or eBay as mostly what they sell is junk. Find your local astronomy club and try out different telescopes at one of their star parties:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/organizat...

Astrophotography is by far the most complicated and expensive part of the astronomy hobby, and I'd recommend putting that aside for a year or two while you learn your way around the sky and how to use your telescope.

good..:)

Well I have a Meade NG-60 and Orion XT8.

I do simple astrophotography with both of it.Like the Moon,Sun,Planets,Star Clusters and Stars.Go buy that XT8 or XT8i and I am sure you will get the best telescope you want.Set aside the photography.After 1 or 2 years of the use of the XT8 or XT8i,you can now buy a Celestron 11" that cost at around $2,499 and it has a tracking mount and that time,you can now go into astrophotography.So buy a $300 meade astrophotography camera.:)

So your total of spending all of your astronomy equipments,telescopes and cameras are about $3,000.Thats all,I hope I helped you:)

You haven't said how much you are willing to spend. I'm going to cover it from cheapest up. I don't believe in "beginner telescopes". Buy what you'll use.

Free:

Visit a local astronomy club. Most club have periodic public events. Let them show you things in their scopes. The cheapest instrument is the one you don't own. See the first link. This can also be a way to gain experience with different instruments so you have some idea what you're buying before you buy it. Before you buy a telescope, visit or join a local astronomy club. Really, do it first.

$25:

You can get 10x50 binoculars at your local sporting goods store, or possibly even your grocery store. Save your receipt. As soon as you can, check them out by looking at night at stars. If your binoculars are aligned, keep them. If they aren't aligned, you'll get double images of stars for all of them. 10x binoculars are marginal without a tripod. You can get a good tripod for $100. You can build something else for $15. See the 2nd link.

Telescopes. You want a scope with good optics, a stable mount, that fits in your car. You want as much aperture (largest mirror or lens) as you can afford. Light collecting area rules. Start with the 3rd link. These Newtonian Dobs are all there. Newtonian Dobs give you the best value for your visual observing dollars. All references are the company Orion. They have good after sales support and returns. I was initially skeptical of people who were so vocal about their brand loyalty, but it appears deserved.

$180:

The Orion Starblast is a 4.5" (114 mm) Newtonian dob. It's compact. It sets up quickly. It's low to the ground for kids, but it's the real deal, not a toy.

$250:

The Orion xt6 is a 6" (150 mm) Newtonian dob. Unfortunately, you can't upgrade it to have a computer locator. The optical tube is the same, but the mount is not. Orion doesn't sell the computer mount as an upgrade.

$330:

The Orion xt8 is an 8" (200 mm) Newtonian dob. At 8", you have enough light gathering to use an oxygen 3 filter (not included) to see nebulae even from highly light polluted areas. Not upgradeable to have a computer locator.

$400:

The Orion xt6i is like the xt6, but has a computer to help you find things in the sky. I find that the computer teaches you where things are painlessly and quickly, and makes the whole experience much more enjoyable. I'm not into the thrill of the hunt. This model also comes with a 10mm eyepiece - giving more power for small objects like galaxies, which can be seen from a dark sky site. This extra eyepiece is $50 by itself. So, you can buy one for the xt6 or xt8 later, and you'd want to.

$530:

The Orion xt8i is like the xt8, but with the computer and extra eyepiece.

$700:

The Orion xt10i is a 10" Newtonian dob with a computer. It fits in your car, sets up in 3 minutes, and is a total joy. It's the largest really convenient scope currently on the market. I have one. I don't expect to ever feel the need to upgrade. There certainly are larger scopes, but they take longer to set up. If i want to look through a larger scope, i use one of the club scopes. Then i'll have help setting it up and finding things with it.

Astrophotography

Astrophotography has a different set of requirements than visual. You don't need huge aperture, since you can always take longer exposure pictures. So, you might be tempted to get one scope for both purposes, but it's cheaper to get two. The mount is critical, since any instability or poor tracking or poor alignment will ruin your shots. Since the mount quickly exceeds the cost of the telescope, having a small telescope leads to a cheaper mount. Black and white cameras allow the use of filters, though i'm seeing people get good results with color cameras. Post processing on your computer can improve your results. It takes time. Lots of it. But other than time and money and knowledge and skill, there's nothing to it.

The 4th link shows a 6" Newtonian telescope on a tracking mount with a cheap camera for $2350. I'm not saying you should go out and get one. I'm saying that this is a low end setup for imaging.

Some notes.

If you buy a scope a Walmart, ToysRus, or your grocery store, you'll get misdesigned optics on a crappy mount, with a frustrating focuser and finder. We call this a POS telescope. This can turn you off to the hobby.

I recently picked up a $45 POS - a 50 mm refractor on an alt-az tripod. I've not yet had it out on a clear night for full review. I picked it because the eyepieces give reasonable magnifications instead of 600x. It's certainly not the most stable, and my review will talk about how to be the least frustrated with it. What i want to determine is if it is at all usable. It's never going to be as good as my ten inch Newtonian Dob (xt10i), but it's also 6% of the cost.

There are several free resources. Sky maps can be downloaded every month. You can get a

If you are new then get a pair of 10X50 and find your way around the sky. Join a club and try out a few scopes. then you can decide which one is best for you.

a good telescope has clear view and has very long range because it would be cool to see other planets or stars up close.