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**DONOTDELETE**
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Greetings to all my fellow star lovers. I am in dire need of help. I have a Galileo telescope that is about 2 years old and all it's good for is viewing the moon. I want to upgrade but have no clue what I am looking for. My price range is $300-$500 and want to basically view planets(especially with Mars approaching so close Aug 27th) and also be able to do a little deep space observing. Could anyone make a few recommendations to point this newbie in the right direction so I may too enjoy the sky like many of you. Thanks in advance, and I look forward to being a contributing member to this forum.
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Stu_Travelbee
super member
Reged: 04/23/03
Posts: 130
Loc: Northeast Indiana
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If you are just starting out here is a link to Orion Telescopes. There is a "help" section to guide you through picking the right scope for your wants and billfold:
http://www.telescope.com/
Regards,
Stu
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Victor Kennedy
Pooh-Bear
Reged: 05/22/03
Posts: 9849
Loc: Slovenia
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I used to have a little 70 mm Celestron refractor. I could see cloud bands on Jupiter, as well as its 4 moons, Saturn's rings, and Messier objects such as the Ring Nebula, M81 & M82, etc. It came with a planetarium program on CD and 2 fairly decent eyepieces. Its mount was a bit wobbly, and many of the parts were plastic where I would have preferred metal, but it got me off to a good start in observing. There is also an 80 mm version. Both are well within your budget.
http://www.buytelescopes.com/search.asp?q=celestron+firstscope&s=2
You could also get a Meade ETX 90 for $179
http://www.buytelescopes.com/product.asp?pid=5158
but you would also have to buy a tripod.
Most people would say you should start with a decent pair of binoculars and visit a star party and/or join an astronomy club. I did it the hard way, and would probably have saved some money if I had taken that particular piece of advice.
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To err is human; to moo is bovine.
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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A 90mm or 102mm refractor or 6-8" Newt make fine starter scopes within your price range.
Dobs are a good choice too.
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**DONOTDELETE**
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Thanks to all the replied and guided me towards my latest purchase. As of tomorrow I will be the proud owner of the Meade ETX-90EC!!! I am thouroughly excited to begin gazing deep into space and seeing the finer details of the planets too!
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Ron B[ee]
Tyro
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 4719
Loc: CA
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Umm, unless portability is a prime concern, I think you may want to reconsider  . At a low $300-$500 budget, you should put the money to work in the optics in my opinion, rather than electronics. As such, a good quality Orion XT6 or XT8 (or the similar Hardin Opticals) in the reflector category or a good sample of the 4" achromat such as a Celestron C102-HD or a good sample of the Orion Starmax 127 (though it's small field of view may not make finding DSOs particularly easy).
To see fine details of the planets  , you need good optics with good figure and the fine details on Mars need magnification with good optics.
Ron B[ee]
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5-inch Tele Vue NP127 APO 
4-inch Tele Vue TV-102 APO 
8-inch f/6 Discovery PDHQ Dob 
Edited by Ron B[ee] (08/02/03 09:56 PM)
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**DONOTDELETE**
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Definately food for thought Ron. Anyone else want to weigh in on this great debate??? As I have now put off the purchase for a few more days till I can do a little more research!??! 
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Blair
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/07/03
Posts: 1163
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A 6 inch f/8 Dob is a nice scope. It works well on the Planets and Moon plus will show a lot more of the DSOs than a 90mm scope. So, I agree with Ron.
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I think the best bang for the buck here is going with the Orion Skyview Pro 6LT Reflector. 469USD and I do believe it still comes with a Single Dec drive.
The LT is the Long Tube version, they have a similiar scope which is smaller in tube legth and $10 cheaper.
Sky&Telescope has a review in the August 2003 issue pgs.53-58.
I have an XT8 Dob. and altho It gives decent views, I hate having to continually push/set the tube to keep the star/planet etc. in my finder. Anyone interested Im selling it for 325.00USD
With the Skyview and motor along with being polar aligned it'll be able to hold a object into view for awhile.
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**DONOTDELETE**
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I just want to once again thank everyone for the kindness in helping me to find the best scope suited to my needs. I am thouroughly impressed by all the informed responses that I have received and am investigating each suggestion to the fullest. This has got to be the best forum out there!!! Thanks again and happy gazing...
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rboe
Numbfinger
Reged: 03/16/02
Posts: 39765
Loc: Phx, AZ
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I'm going to back up Ron on this one. Money on glass vs. electrons. I've also heard that the ETX 90's do not age well. Have not heard any facts to back this up so take it with a grain of salt. Maybe others have more evidence one way or the other.
Later on when you have more money you can get a computerized SCT made of metal with a proven track record and much bigger optics.
I skipped the ETX90 and the 8" SCT and went with a Pronto for my first scope. Later I learned I liked DSO's (who knew?) so opt'd for a larger apature. Still really like the Pronto for those wide field views though.
The other Ron
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Ron
NS11GPS
Pronto
16" dob
15X70 Obies
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