Starship Asterisk*

I've been following APOD for quite some time now and I think it's time to get a telescope to explore the skies myself. The problem is I have no idea where to start my search. What would be some good (preferably inexpensive) options for a beginner's telescope? If you guys could just point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.
And sorry if somebody has already asked this question. I did search through the forums but found nothing. Also sorry if this is posted in the wrong section.

jordan27 wrote:I've been following APOD for quite some time now and I think it's time to get a telescope to explore the skies myself. The problem is I have no idea where to start my search. What would be some good (preferably inexpensive) options for a beginner's telescope? If you guys could just point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.
And sorry if somebody has already asked this question. I did search through the forums but found nothing. Also sorry if this is posted in the wrong section.

There is no easy answer to your question. For a complete beginner, I usually recommend a good pair of binoculars, around 8X56. The choice of a telescope depends on your budget, how much effort you want to invest in learning to find things, how dark your skies are, and whether you are interested only in visual observing, or might want to use a camera.

The best suggestion I can give is to find a local astronomy club. This will give you a chance to try different kinds of equipment, and you'll be much more likely to make the right choice first time, and not end up with something you don't really make use of.

Thanks for the reply and advice Chris. I think I'll wait until I'm at school at Wyoming next year before looking into getting a telescope. Not too dark of skies here the suburbs of Atlanta. I'll definitely go for some good binoculars in the meantime though. Thanks for the help!