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The Basics
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• Telescope (Option 1). For visual observing and full “go-to” capability, the NexStar telescopes from Celestron work well. You can set these up in 10 minutes and set the built-in computer by pointing to a couple of stars. Then use the “go-to” feature to find thousands of pre-programmed objects… or find them yourself. This telescope is great for city observing where portability is important and faint objects are hard to find. For a
6-inch NexStar
 you'll pay $1000.
• Telescope (Option 2). If you have velvety dark skies in your backyard, or if you love dimmer deep-sky objects, you might consider a bigger telescope like the
Orion SkyQuest XT12 Dobsonian
 . It has decent optics and it's easy to set up and use. This scope gathers 4 times as much light as the 6-inch NexStar, but it's much heavier and harder to take apart and move around. So beware. Total cost: $1000
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A Deeper Look
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• Eyepiece. Both telescope options come with a couple of eyepieces. But get yourself a quality wide-field eyepiece for sweeping the Milky Way. Try the TMB Paragon eyepieces. Get the 40 mm eyepiece for the NexStar or the 30 mm eyepiece for the bigger XT12. Total cost: $250.
• Accessories. As in the first article, get yourself a star atlas and how-to guide ($31), especially if you're just starting out. And get a red LED flashlight ($19), notebook ($4), and an OIII light-pollution filter ($100). Total cost: $154.
• Grand Total: $1404.00… with $96 left for a tank or two of gas to drive yourself out to dark skies.
(Note: Prices here are approximate, are listed in U.S. dollars, and don't include shipping and taxes. Prices in your country might be a little different).
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Good To Know
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Another option in this price range: a small portable apochromatic refractor. For $1000 you can get an 80 mm Astro-Tech refractor with small finder, diagonal, and altazimuth mount from Astronomics. This is not a scope for faint deep-sky fuzzies, but its very portable with razor-sharp images of the moon, planets, and rich star fields in the Milky Way.
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Personal View
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So if you're looking for a telescope, which option should you buy, if any? That's up to you. Above all, be honest with yourself about how you will use your telescope and how much effort you want to spend to set it up each night. If in doubt, get a smaller scope that's easy to use. You'll like it better than a big scope you never use.
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--- Highly Recommended ---
The "ultimate guide" to choosing a telescope, binoculars, and astronomical accessories. Don't buy your optics before you read this essential resource. Now in it's fourth edition. Learn more...
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