Now on my fifth scope...remember kids astronomy is addictive and can lead to an empty wallet

for my birthday, my husband is gifting me a telescope of my choice. i am completely new to sky watching as i only own a pair of decent binoculars. i have watched at least 10 videos on "beginner scopes" and this man is by far the best at explaining with great clarity and patience, what it is that i need to know in order to make an educated purchase. so glad i came across his video.

I think that a very important aspect when deciding to buy a telescope, and even more so if it is your first, is to set a budget, stick to it and optimize it as much as possible. The vast possibilities and the enormous variety of accessories that amateur astronomy offers nowadays makes it easy for the rookies to become disoriented and fall prey to marketing traps, plunging into a consumerist fever that can make him spend a lot of money on things that probably they won't use or will rarely use, when they could have budgeted for better quality, more aperture, better eyepieces or a sturdier, more stable tripod and mount. And we have to be very careful, because among so much supply there is also a lot of junk of doubtful quality, and it is already known that sometimes by looking for cheap we can end up buying expensive. It is also very important before the purchase to find out very well, consult with experienced people, ask in forums, look for information in trusted channels like this one, see or read reviews, assess the different options and, finally, decide conscientiously and accordingly. I love that this channel bets on intelligent and homemade solutions, I also claim astro-DIY in this sense.

Recommended first scope...8" dob! I have been an amateur astronomer for 40 years, next scope...8" dob!

Great and informative video Jason! Thank you so much for an excellent presentation full of info for beginners. Congrats on your 12k + subscriptions. Am sure the you are going, you are going to hit and go beyond 100k ! I do hope and pray and feel confident that will you do so in the very near future.

Another great video, Jason. Glad I watched. Your comments on the Goto mount were really appreciated. I've been looking for one for a while, and your remark about missing a lot of the fun of searching was spot on! Very informative video.

Love you man, thanks for all the videos

Congratulations on the 1k milestone Jason 🎉🎉🎉 🍻 Keep dishing out the awesome content!

Hey mate, fell across your channel and I've gotta say, you're an awesome human sharing awesome useful stuff. Thanks for being you.

Loved your video. All the good information so well packed. Loved the pros and cons, also your view about the GOTO. Thanks for everything!

Outstanding Overview! Thank you!

Thank you. Great information.

Great video Jason, appreciate your knowledge

Thanks Jason for putting this excellent video together. Your channel has really helped me and enabled me to buy my first telescope - a Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ. Obviously I'm new to this and I was quite nervous and unsure about getting into astronomy as it seemed pretty technical. But you have a wonderful way of making it seem easy and fun - you're like my Astro Uncle! I've joined your FB group as well. Cheers - James from Governors Bay, New Zealand. 😃

Very helpful video, I enjoyed the analogies you used, that greatly helped the explanations of the concepts :)

I'm brand new to astronomy, and this video was incredibly helpful! Thanks for taking the time and making it simple!

Thanks for a very understandable explanation! Hello from Finland!

can't wait to watch this! thank you!

Well, this was greatly informative, so I subscribed, thank you Jason.

This is hands down the most compelling video thaat covers everything for beginners like me!! Amazing explanation, you now have another loyal subscriber! :D

I got the best info. Thank you so much.👍

Hi Jason, I just found this video and it is absolutely perfect. I'm just in the process of deciding which telescope I want to buy and you have given me much to think about. I'm looking to get in to astrophotography, and was originally going to buy a big scope with a GOTO mount, but after watching this I think it a good idea to do what you suggest and start small and experience the wonders of the night sky at a slower pace. I'm still not sure what telescope or mount I will buy probably a Schmidt-Cassegrain as I've heard good reports about these, I will probably also go with a heavy duty mount like the Skywatcher EQ5 Deluxe Mount & Tripod that I can use as I grow and this will last me a while. Thank you and keep up the good work.

This is, by far, the best video I have seen comparing all the telescopes you can buy around as a beginner. Good job :D

Literally been looking at buying a telescope for several months now and I have been overwhelmed by the information out there. Found this video on youtube and thank god there's someone who actually explains what all the stuff means. I really appreciate u took the time to do this video and I actually understand some of it lol I'm in Norfolk UK and hoping to see some of the night time sky here. Congrats on your subscribers, I just made it a +1

Thanks for this video, as a beginner the amount of info to be found from here is extremely helpful!

Thank you so much for the advice and valuable information. Really appreciated.

love your channel, very underrated

Hi Jason, great Video ones again! Congrats🎉 on your Milestone of 1000 Subs!! This Is Really Gem For Beginner Astronomers! Solid Advice, I think Reflectors Are overall The Best choice for a Beginner's, Because aperture is key to Collect Light !! Enjoy Your Channel, Im Sure You will Inspire Many People (Just like You have Inspired me)😊 Clear Skies Mate!!👍🌌

Awesome video. Thank you.

You earned my subscription, thank you very much for your time and kindly videos

Excellent introductory/educational video. Just what I was looking for, thank you.

thank you very mutch !

Very helpful explanation, Thanks.

Congratulations on the 1k subscribers Jason. Thoroughly deserved mate. Your videos have helped me so much over the last 6 months of starting this amazing hobby. Wish this excellent vid was about back then 😁 Looking forward to the next instalment of the SV105. Stay safe and clear skies 👍🏻

Thankyou very much, this video is exactly what i needed.

Congratulations for 1000. subscribers! You had a nice progress this year! Nice video Jason! What was your first telescope? My first was a Skywatcher Ed80/600 with the Eqm35 pro goto mount, For astrophotography a goto equatorial mount would be my recommendation, and if you want to have the feeling of dso finding you can always use a long focal length telescope like the maksutov 127/1500, where sometimes if your star alignment is not close to perfect you might not find the dso, but a dobsonian mount i think it does make a smooth experience when using it, is on my buying list

So helpful thank you!!

My first scope was the Orion Astroview 90EQ2, 900f/l. Still have it but I've mounted it on Orion's HD TritechCFX alt/az (15lb payload). I still use it as a grab & go- not the best optics, but still fun! Really enjoy your content!

Thanks for the great info on your channel, it's really helped me decide what I want to get for my first telescope and not to start too big (trust me I wanted to but thankfully my budget wouldn't allow it). I bought the sky-watcher heritage 130, can't wait to see the moon and other astral bodies. How exciting!

Nice video, thank you for your very impressive work!

This is actually a very nice piece of advice.

Jason, this is your best work yet! Wd

Tank you very much.wonderfull

Good info. Thank you.

Just about the perfect video. Thanks a bunch. 🌚🌟🌠🌌

Thanks alot Grandpa, Now I no more make mistake buying. This was very awesome

Superb video. Honest, completely unpretentious and jam packed with invaluable information.

Thank you for this excellent video. I am about to but my first telescope and I was clueless. I've now decided to buy a 130mm reflector telescope which is something I didn't even realise was a thing half an hour ago. I can't wait to watch more of your videos as I step into this exciting world of amateur astronomy.

Very informative. I have a nextstar 130slt with a goto mount and I love it. One thing I like about the goto mount is I can take my kids out (3,5, and 7 years old) and be able to show them stuff right away without having to search. When I saw Jupiter and 3 of its moons for the first time I was amazed. Great channel! Looking forward to more videos. Do you do any astrophotography?

Over the years I have had different telescopes and from what I found is exactly you say would be the best starter. I wish I had seen this years ago it would have saved me a lot of money. Talking of money your channel is the only one I've seen that guides you to affordable equipment not stuff that even NASA could afford ,like some channels I have seen. Thank you for sharing.

Interesting point about goto mounts. I initially bought a cheap 80mm refractor on an EQ mount and just found it frustrating - now I know more it should have come with an AZ mount. Anyway I ended upgrading to a Mak with goto. What I've found is its not so much the goto that I've used but the tracking. Finding an object is great but its also great not having to chase it round the sky :) - I would say tracking is far more important than goto and tracking is not so easy on a cheap manual EQ mount with no alignment scope in the southern hemisphere when its a bit harder to align accurately

Great video!! thanks

Great info, cheers

Nice summary review. Thank you!

Hey Jason, love your channel. From Southern Ohio here. Started out with one of the table top models, quickly out grew it and sold it. Went to a 120mm refactor and just today ordered a 127mm mak cassegrain.

thanks for a really good presentation well done

subbed - just bought a celestron powerseeker 80az - never used a telescope before. Struggled to focus and see the moon with the 4mm that came with it but the 25mm was good. Lots of practice and learning to do.

So that's something new I learnt - 365 days in a week! Only kidding, an excellent topic thoroughly presented. I would add that first time buyers should look at shops or websites which are specifically aimed at astronomy, eg First Light Optics, Harrison Telescopes etc. They are only too glad to help steer you in the right direction.

Finally, a video about telescopes I understand!!

Hi Jason a very detail info on first telescope and types! Some small telescopes are good and others are not so good. I was lucky I had professional help in buying my first telescope when I saw the Vixen custom 80m refractor as Sir Patrick Moore helped me with expert advice! When I had my first view of moon through telescope at the moon I couldn't believe what I was seeing. One of the objects I really wanted to see through telescope was Saturn and I was extremely excited and astonished to see the ring system and I saw m42 and looked a bit green in colour! Getting new gear is exciting and I've looked through a number of telescopes and one at the mills observatory in Dundee was one of the best! Going to a star party is a great way to have more info and looking through other scopes to give you more knowledge! True about the weather and it'll be amazing if you could use your telescope every night but the clouds get in the way. What's the best telescope you ever looked through? What object amazed you most? So many beautiful objects in the night sky to view and I'd say Saturn is one of the greatest objects you'll ever see through a telescope. Very interesting video and alot of useful info too! Stay safe buddy and clear skies!!!

As for the Maksutovs, it would be absolutely marvellous if you could give that small Mak60 (the SarBlue) a close look and a review, your video would be vastly popular. Your explanation style is just what us beginners need - we thank you immensely for it!

Thank you so much sir. My gf is from London..i want to gift her one in couple of months so learning more about it. Really helpful video.

I decided to go with a Celestron astromaster 102az refractor as my first one.. I hope it's awesome, I wanted something easy up-keep and to keep for a long time.. without wanting to upgrade fast

You are the best

Haha~ Totally agree with you about the go to mount. Ironically, I bought the go to mount for my first telescope, but never use it to find target. Dont want it ruin the happiness of discover. The only feature I use is tracking target which is sort of motorised Eq mount do, so the target does not go away as earth rotate.

I've just spent the last 2 weeks reading and researching and thinking about what I want/need. Now that I'm not working anymore it doesn't matter if I don't go to sleep some nights.

I purchased a second hand Phenix 127mm long 1200mm focal length telescope, some time ago sadly it is so big and takes up so much effort to set up, I have not used it for years it also has a motor tracking system sadly never tried it out! The telescope is great and I am now semi retired so have a bit of time to start up this hobby again, some years ago a friend and a co-worker at the time D Peach told me it was OK for what it was. Thanks for your site and video nice one.

Bravo Jason 👍👍

Your channel has been a blessing for me! Thank You So Much! I'm 70 years old and live in a very remote part of Northwest Montana. Needless to say light polution isn't a problem up here. i've wanted a Telescope all my life and finally decided to just go for it. I came across your channel and you have all ready saved me from making a lot of mistakes, not to mention saving me a lot of money too!! I look forward to learnig more tricks and tips as I get into my new hobbie. Thanks Again!!!!!!!!l

Great and very nice video and congrats on 1k subs and I hope u get many more subs in the future.

Very good info for beginners .Thx

cracking video, thank you

When I was a kid I got a little refractor on year for Christmas. Used it for a while but once I had seen each planet out to Saturn a few times, I got bored. I think I'm gonna step up to a dobsonian soon.

Excellent overview for beginners like me, thankyou! Your advice matches my own research so I'm aiming for an 8" Dobsonion for my first telescope. I've read some good reviews about the Stella Lyra 8", particularly the quality of the optics, would you agree? Thanks

G'day Jason. Great article but a couple of swords I have to cross with you. Firstly go to mounts. I started with a go to mount (AZGTi) and as I wanted it very quickly had me finding thrilling DSO targets. From there I have learned the skies and the constellations, I even have to star hop to get some targets; so rather than make me lazy to the contrary it has really enhanced my experience. Using the "where am I" function I have been able to find DSOs not know by me and then find out what they are from the go-to app. Secondly, aperture and DSOs. I have a SvBony 70mm refractor with which I have viewed many star clusters. Because it is portable it was able to give me my first view of Adromeda Galaxy, an achievement be cause I Live in the Southern Hemisphere with Andromeda very low in the Northern sky only for a few weeks. The little 70mm makes a great grab-n-go and I have used it to show DSOs to others when away from home. Yes, the 70mm is my grab-n-go telescope. Regarding go-to mounts; I now have a 90mm refractor on an AZ mount and because it doesn't need any setting up, it is the telescope I am using most often.

Loved your videos Plz make on finding the targets for visual astronomy

I got a little 3 ich tabletop dob and Ive been able to see multiple DSOs in bortle 5 skies. The first thing I ever saw through it was the Andromeda galaxy. It is hard, but the brightest can be seen. Ofcourse they will be just a faint smudge, but the fact you have seen it at all is an achievement of its own.

Very well explained.

I’m seriously considering buying my first telescope having recently retired to live in North East Scotland. It was my son who pointed out that we had hardly any light pollution compared to where he lives outside Manchester and said he wished he could use his telescope in our garden! I came across your channel in as part of my research and in trying to find out more about collimating, which to be honest seemed pretty complicated. You made the process much clearer in your video and so I moved onto this one. Thanks for taking the trouble to explain things so clearly and share your knowledge. It’s a real help to those like me who are just at the very start of the hobby. I haven’t yet decided which telescope to buy, but am sure that I will benefit from your videos and have subscribed. One specific point where you may be able to help concerns eyesight.I suffered a retinal tear to my right eye many years ago and so it only gives peripheral vision. Reading and viewing detail can only be done with my left eye. I also wear glasses or contact lenses as I’m very short sighted. “Why on earth do you want to buy a telescope then?” I hear you ask😂. With these issues, do you think I’ll be wasting my money? Thanks again and all the best for 2024. Keith

skywatcher ed80, skywatcher 127 mak and the 8 inch 1200 dob are the three scopes i use with great results 🔭👍

HI, Jason, I'm just getting into telescopes. Your video was very informative.

Great talk. As a newer hobbiest, I made a few mistakes with purchases. I bought my first telescope in December 2020 and it was a 114mm reflector, which provided many awestriking veiws to me having never seen a deepsky object before. It was a bird jones at 1000mm. Later I decided I wanted a nice mount and a larger scope, so I got a 152mm achromatic refractor and a 203mm reflector. What I neglected to take in account was that I now had 3 different aperture scopes but at the SAME focal length (about 1000mm) which effectively gave me the same veiws but at differing brightness and resolve. I never factored in what kind of views a shorter focal length could have given me as a trade off to those aperture sizes. As a result, I've opted to fill the gap with a nice set if binoculars until I get a short tube refractor and now understand the appeal of those wide field veiws. Which maybe I should have started with the binoculars in the first place. I learned the hard way.

I got one on Amazon that was on sale from 264 dollars to 164. I snapped on it quick because it can go up to 250x magnification and has the space for that attachment so it can be remotely controlled and can track planets/galaxies,ect. I'm getting it really soon and I'm really hyped and can't wait 😆😆 for now ima put in the leat amount of magnification and practice with it. It's a 127mm scope with 5 different eye peaces. One going up to 250X and one that boosts those by 3X. Supposedly the scope weighs 8 pounds lol

Congrats!

Very good video. Thank you sir.

you're right about missing out on all the fun I scanned the sky for at least an hour before I found andromeda and wow that's an amazing feeling. Looked like a small milk stain....But I was till pumped

You should really try the Skywatcher 100p / Orión SkyScanner, pretty amazing how much they show you for just 100$, absolutely nothing to do with these 76mm reflectors. Congrats for your videos, keep this great work coming.

This video is amazing. It answered so many question and made a lot of things clearer. My only question is maintenance. Which type requires more maintenance like cleaning the lens or mirror (if there is such a thing).

Thanks good video

Wealth of knowledge gathered from this video. I have a Konusmotor 90 Refractor. Any tips on maximising the benefits of this scope? Thank you.

GREAT VIDEO thanks I'm looking at a 600×90 telescope

very helpful

Interesting 💙

Excellent explanation very impressive

Excellent video to watch for beginners like me, very helpful and informative. Would like your take on Slokey Discover The World Telescope 50080. Im a beginner first purchase. For me and kids. Want to explore deep space, moon stars and planets. Would appreciate your views on it. Thank you 😊

Ive had mak 127 for years, and you must use a dew shield..however, if you have high humidity expect a couple of hour use unless you heat it with dew bands.

Doing a binge here today as I just found you and subscriber

hi! thank you very much for the video, it helped me a lot. so now, i want to have a reflector telescope but which should i buy?

Orion space probe II. If you’re unsure of the eq mount spend 130 dollars and you get a decent scope and decent mount to see if it suits you.

Hi this was a very helpful video. I'm thinking of buying the celestron 114AZ-SR Reflector Telescope. Will 114mm aperture be enough to see some nice things like planets and even nebulae?