First time buying a telescope...

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majornature

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This is my first time buying a telescope and I wanted to know what type of telescope would be best to study the moon and stars without smudge?<br /><br />Thanks!! <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="2" color="#14ea50"><strong><font size="1">We are born.  We live.  We experiment.  We rot.  We die.  and the whole process starts all over again!  Imagine That!</font><br /><br /><br /><img id="6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264" style="width:176px;height:247px" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/14/4/6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" width="276" height="440" /><br /></strong></font> </div>
 
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atticus808

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you should look in the thread AHHH! I need help<br />there is a lot of explanation between reflectors and refractors
 
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tfwthom

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I keep posting threads to answer these questions.<br /><br />http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=askastronomer&Number=393343&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=<br /><br />http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=askastronomer&Number=389666&page=2&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=<br /><br />http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=askastronomer&Number=595&page=2&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=<br /><br />http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=askastronomer&Number=393352&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=<br /><br />Standard answer here is buy an Orion dob (I like the Discovery dobs better).....I don't like to tell anyone what scope to buy unless they are at a star party with me so they can compare them. So that's the answer I give.....GO TO A STAR PARTY AND COMPARE! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1" color="#3366ff">www.siriuslookers.org</font> </div>
 
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nevers

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Ditto, ditto & ditto...! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> Hey, buy my telescope, it seems all I ever get now is clouds.
 
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harmonicaman

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I think "Smudge" refers to seeing everything you look at as sharp and crystal clear; unfortunately, even the Hubble sees some things as mere smudge...<br /><br /><b>TFWThom -</b> Keep up the good work! I read everything you post.
 
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tplank

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Well, my XT6 is one the way, but I took to the backyard with my 7x35s. Wow. Everyone is right: it is a great first step. Saw far more than I dreamed. Pleadies was amazing. <br /><br />Here is my problem. Back when I was doing this as a kid, there wasn't much light pollution to contend with. I was having a lot of trouble finding things that I knew were easy thirty years ago. Part of this is simple re-education, but a lot of it was that I just didn't have enough visible stars to hop between without the binoculars.<br /><br />With the binoculars, I could see quite a bit it seemed but identification was a nightmare. I'm pretty sure I found Andromeda but not positive as there are other possible "fuzzy spots" in the area. Anybody have any suggestions? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon</p><p>http://tonyplank.blogspot.com/ </p> </div>
 
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bbrock

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May I make a serious suggestion. Since you seem to be determined to be an amature astronomer, likely for the rest of your life, I suggest you consider investing in Starry Night software. There are other planitarium programs out there, but I like Starry Night, and that is my suggestion. <br /><br />You don't have to get the fancy version. Any of the versions of Starry Night are great for helping to find, identify and learn the night sky. <br /><br />Clear Skies<br />Bill
 
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tplank

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Great advice and truly appreciated. I am a little obsessive on things so don't be too suprised when I say that I already have Stary Night and the books you mentioned. A few others too. They certainly do help.<br /><br />My plan is to get familiar with things one star at a time. I have some things clearly mapped out. I will work my way out from there. The way I figure it, if I am only limited to a small circle straight overhead, there is a lot exploration to be done even in those limits. I think I am already learning that I will have to take what the observing conditions give me and not insist on finding what I want.<br /><br />When I get my XT6, do I need to go ahead and get one of those light pollution filters...I have read somewhere that they limit the light to much with a 6", but I wonder...<br /><br />Right now the neighbor's mercury light and Christmas lights all around are killing me... but I'm not going to go around making reduced lighting requests till after Christmas because the scope is a "present" for my 6 year old. Heh. Heh. Heh. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon</p><p>http://tonyplank.blogspot.com/ </p> </div>
 
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tplank

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Thanks for the follow up. I'll check out that particular filter. I've seen enough of the filters at the star parties to understand they aren't a cure all. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon</p><p>http://tonyplank.blogspot.com/ </p> </div>
 
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