Howdy everyone… 
I’m new to astronomy and excited to start exploring the night sky. I’d love some advice on choosing my first telescope. I’m looking for something beginner-friendly but still powerful enough to see planets and deep-sky objects. My budget is around $300-$500.
A few questions:
- Refractor vs. Reflector – which is better for a beginner?
- Best brands or models in my price range?
- Essential accessories I should get?
- Any good apps or books for learning the sky?
I’d appreciate any tips or recommendations! Thanks in advance. 
2 Likes
Hi:
Before buying a telescope, you should begin with a binocular and a sky chart.
Choosing between a refractor or reflector will depend on kind of objects you want to observe.
Regards
2 Likes
Hi @solaradelaide !
I’m not a well experienced astronomer and so these opinions are given with the knowledge I have 
.
I agree to what @Angel_Manuel_Lopez has mentioned, binoculars are good to start with.
In the same, telescopes are really powerful than binoculars and can boost your interest, but also sometimes can be a hobby killer!
Anyhow I will give my opinions to your questions.
- I personally think reflectors are better. Because they are affordable and you can get something powerful by paying less compared to refractors and catadioptrics.
- Brands, I would say like celestron, Skywatcher, meade, Orion, explore scientific, bresser, etc, and some premium brands like Takahashi, TS optics etc.
** but it’s important to check specifically the model, because there are also not recommended scopes from those well reputed brands ** . I have a Skywatcher starquest 130p and it’s really good for me and I’m enjoying it!
- Good eyepieces (normally you’re supplied with couple of eyepieces when you purchase a scope, some are decent, but some are really bad), something to collimate (there are some DIY things, I’m not sure, can give a try), Barlow lenses (optional). And if you’re hoping to use it for astrophotography, you should get a camera, but if you’ve got a camera, it’s fine.
- I recommend (and love) Stellarium! It’s really cool
, especially the stellarium software is great, it’s completely free! And I love it’s realistic views. Anyhow there are some more apps, like star walk, sky safari, etc.
‘Turn left at Orion’ is generally regarded as a good book to learn the night sky. I also use some small star, constellation books extra.
In general, dobsonians are popular among the top picks for beginners, since they are being easy, less messy, and cheap. But if you hoping to capture pictures, I recommend getting a scope with an EQ mount.
I think you can get a 150mm reflector or a 130mm with good accessories within your budget. They are really good for a beginner.
Anyhow, the choice is up to you.
I hope you found my post helpful!
Good luck with your decision!
Thanks,
Nikolai.
2 Likes
Certainly a refractor would be easier on a beginner and aperture isn’t really needed for lunar and planetary . For a beginner, throwing in the need to adjust mirrors might only cause extra frustration and deter them from furthering the hobby .
1 Like
Yeah @Starrancher you’re right, it’s easy. If the user goes mad with collimation , it’ll be a hobby killer. But they are more expensive than reflectors.
I have a Skywatcher starquest 130p, and it doesn’t need collimation. I don’t know about other Starquest scopes, but I’ve been using this for over 1 and a half years, yet it didn’t loose collimation even once, and it really performs well 
. This is a reflector that doesn’t need collimation.
Cheers,
Nikolai
1 Like
Hi @solaradelaide !
Did you come up with a decision? 
Best wishes,
Nikolai
1 Like
So many companies are out of business now . Meade is gone , Orion is gone . Tasco is long gone . So I guess you still have Celestron , Sky Watcher and Explore Scientific . I don’t really keep up on it anymore since I have more telescope stuff than I need at this point . I bought all my stuff 20 to 25 years ago . So many things have changed since then .
1 Like
hi adelaide welcome, another thought for just a few more dollars have a look at the dwarflabs 3 I have the dwarflabs 2 and have had a lot of success with it good for a beginner I think anyhow good luck with your choice
2 Likes
I think a beginner shouldn’t start in astronomy with a computerized telescope. The first step would be to know the sky and the other basics.
Regards
2 Likes
ah that’s just your opinion it was my first and have picked up a great deal from it and from that I purchased a celestron 6se and I have gained some experience with that one, its up to the individual a lot more people are purchasing the Dwarf and Seestar as they are simple and quick to set up not everyone are professionals and to get your head around it computerised ones are on the upward trend.
2 Likes
Before you spend a dime find a astronomy club and look at the different kinds of scopes out there. Find the one that fits your life. You dont want to be dragging a 12 inch dob up three flights of stairs, that is not going to end well.
2 Likes
Learning to collimate is easy. It just takes a bit if practice
1 Like
The computerized go to scopes helped me learn the night sky . Whether you learn it from star charts or learn it by actually going to it via a go to scope , you still learn it . Maybe some people won’t and just rely on the function for the rest of their lives but anybody that wants to learn can benefit from having go to or push to .
2 Likes
Yeah computerized scopes will help to keep the hobby. Otherwise, sometimes, a fully manual will be a hobby killer!
1 Like
I cant star hop. I am absolutely the worst at it. On my manual dob I use setting circles, a angle gauge and sky safari to find stuff
1 Like
Do you use Astrohopper? I’ve used it but it doesn’t give me the targets precisely, but somewhat good.
1 Like
No i do not. I use either Stellarium or Sky Safari Lite on my phone and Sky Saferi 7 Pro on my tablet. Both provide alt and az coordinates and i just move the scope to those coordinates on the circle. I am usually within 1 degree one way or another
1 Like
I started out using setting circles on a GEM years ago . Amazingly got 12 DSOs the first night out . I was very proud to be able to do that with only instructions I read in a book or two . I can’t even remember how I did it at this point . It’s been 25 years ago . I’m spoiled now with Go To . I do still use a couple vintage Tasco scopes that are of the manual realm and then just either know where to point in the sky or use star charts to find the stuff .
Ok! I too use stellarium and I love it! A friend of mine had Stellarium and it really boosted my interests!
1 Like
If the free version of Sky Safari is still available that is worth having as well.
1 Like