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If this is your first scope, I recommend getting one without a computer. Scout craigslist for scope under $100. Learn the ropes, feel the sky for your latitude. Any small scope will do. After you gauge your skill and hone in your forte, spend the money on a bigger scope (larger dia). Enjoying the night sky is not about click and see, its about dexterity and patience. Slow and steady is the way to go.
Depending on your location (latitude) you will need to get a planisphere. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0961320745 (30-40 degrees)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0961320753 (40-50 degrees)
Red headlamp to read the Planisphere and other maps/books in the night. The red light reduces eye strain.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XHZTL3C
After you get good at reading sky maps, locating celestial bodies etc. Spend the money on a jump scope (8" or higher). You will appreciate the quality of Celestron scopes much better. Dont make the the mistake I made of incremental sizes and collection 10 scopes you hardly use. Let the first one be small and non computerized. Then jump to the largest one you can afford.
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If this is your first scope, I recommend getting one without a computer. Scout craigslist for scope under $100. Learn the ropes, feel the sky for your latitude. Any small scope will do. After you gauge your skill and hone in your forte, spend the money on a bigger scope (larger dia). Enjoying the night sky is not about click and see, its about dexterity and patience. Slow and steady is the way to go.
Depending on your location (latitude) you will need to get a planisphere. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0961320745 (30-40 degrees)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0961320753 (40-50 degrees)
Red headlamp to read the Planisphere and other maps/books in the night. The red light reduces eye strain.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XHZTL3C
After you get good at reading sky maps, locating celestial bodies etc. Spend the money on a jump scope (8" or higher). You will appreciate the quality of Celestron scopes much better. Dont make the the mistake I made of incremental sizes and collection 10 scopes you hardly use. Let the first one be small and non computerized. Then jump to the largest one you can afford.
Why not just invest once and get good using this scope? What would be a good "future proof" scope to get??
"Don't buy this if you are serious about real astrophotography. Buy Orion or Zhumell brand for the best bang for the buck. Some of these also carry a decent price range to expensive ones. Experts have youtube videos on them.
"Top 3 Beginner's Telescopes! Which one should you buy?"
or
"If I could have only ONE telescope...which one would it be??"
or
"Best Telescopes/Scope Combos at $200, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, $10,000 and $50,000 in 2022"
by Ed Ting on youtube.
2x Barlow lens is a must buy for your telescope separately. "
Who's dropping $50k on a telescope?! 😳
It needs to come with a private professor and techs 😂
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https://www.astrobin.co
I wouldn't get this scope if you wanted to use it for terrestrial viewing. I would get a cheap spotting scope for land viewing, bird, deer, people watching, etc.. You can get away with a relatively cheap tripod. This scope is great for planets, galaxies, star clusters, nebula. The biggest limitation is the mount as it's not very stable. The mount is the single most important piece of equipment in astronomy IMO. A great mount will also have built in goto where you can point and go wherever you want. This mount has good gotos you can use with a computer but the stability is a problem and you really won't be able to mount other scopes.
Gun to head you get what you pay for. For $300, I'd spend $250 on a mount like this one.
https://www.cloudynight
This is a good deal on a quality beginner mount that you can use several light telescopes (can use a land spotting scope) or a scope like this Nexstar 130SLT for cheaper than the total price of this setup. You could easily mount an SLR Camera to this and do nice exposures of the night sky. As far as scope, I'd go with a small, light refractor like the following.
https://www.cloudynight
You can often find cheap small scopes for under $100.
Keep in mind that this is a hobby where many items actually can appreciate in value and most really hold their value a long time (not the cheap stuff). If you buy a quality scope or mount and take care of them, you will easily be able to resell close to what you paid for it. I have filters, cameras, focusers, mounts, etc., that are actually worth more than when I bought them. That's a great deal on that mount that would probably resell for more money tbh. I'm not sure this setup/deal would hold it's value though, which is why I would go with a better overall used set.