not sure if I should go with binoculars or a telesope for viewing the universe above.?

Good binoculars are a lot less expensive than a good telescope, and most amateur astronomers use both. Binoculars are best for wide angle views of the Milky Way and large deep sky objects like the Pleiades and the Andromeda Galaxy. A telescope is best for detailed views of the Moon and planets, and small deep sky objects. Hooking up to a PC or camera is a lot more complicated and expensive than most people expect, so I wouldn't recommend going there.

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...

I strongly recommend that beginners steer clear of astrophotography until they have learned their way around the sky. Astrophotography is by far the most expensive and difficult area of amateur astronomy.

Many people who buy telescopes have no idea how to find interesting things to observe. A good introduction to finding things is NightWatch by Terence Dickinson (Firefly). A more advanced book is Star Watch by Phil Harrington (Wiley).

I have an amateur's interest in astronomy, and I gave up on buying a telescope - which should be the better of the two. I just use the internet. Sorry!

But, really... What can be seen from Hubble, Spitzer, SOHO, etc., etc., is far, far more than what can be seen even with your assisted eye. Avoid the expense of hundreds or even a couple of thousand dollars. If you do, buy a good used one. Most buy one, use it maybe five-ten times in three years, store it for ten and finally sell it cheap. Not to say it's fun going out with a pair of nocs or a scope, just that between the two won't get your very far. Keeping up with NASA's website and the many other excellent sources is enough. Recently I downloaded 3-D Mars images from the net, which are just terrific. Heck, it was my tax money that sent up the orbiter, why not use the info it sends back??

Whatever you use doesn't matter much. If you want to use binoculars, you should first go for the moon. There is a lot of help available on the internet for viewing the night sky with binoculars. There are two problems with binoculars 1) It can not be fixed on a tripod 2) It has low magnification.

Recording is very difficult in the night sky. It is a field of "astrophotography". I have used my mobile camera (1.3 MP) to capture the moon. Its possible that you use 1.3 MP webcam and connect it with your telescope on a tripod and capture whatever you see. But remember that you have to put time and money in it.

Well binoculars are meant to look over large areas of land and most telescopes produced now are meant for looking into space plus they often have recording capabilities so i would go with a Telescope.

There have been many camera/binocular gadgets but most have failed to satisfy their buyers. One good one remains. it is a Bushnell design. It may satisfy your curiosity. It is probably best for taking photos of games and other activites, but it might give you a taste of astro-photography. You might have to get a tripod for it.

Maybe you will go on to other interests or get more interested in Astronomy and get a good telescope. There are lots of questions here about what telescope to buy. But you can't really make a choice without knowing if you really are interested in Astronomy.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/reviews/reviews-bushne...

:-D A really usable camera/telescope set up is going to cost you real money. Don't waste your time buying a drugstore telescope.

I would recommend a hi-power set of binocs myself! My first view was through a pair. You can see the depth! You cant see this in a telescope. This is the way to go for an awe inspiring view of our galaxy.

well i would recommend a telescope rather than a binoculars to observe space...i think you can find some teles that have recording capabilities...

a telescope for sure