New to this :)

[Ktaka24]

How did you find PF?

Through a friend who is already a member

Hi I have been recently introduced to the forum through a friend, who regularly shows me posts on here. I am not from a science background but absolutely fascinated but astronomy. Hoping to purchase my first telescope so me and my son can start our astronomy journey, would love some advice on which would be the best to purchase.

 

[sbrothy]

There's a specific subforum for that so you've come to the right place. Take a minute to read the rules and guidelines though. Welcome!

 

[sbrothy]

Thread 'Physics Forums Global Guidelines'

Sep 2, 2003

Welcome to Physics Forums!

In an effort to maintain the integrity of this site and to provide a comfortable environment for people to communicate, we ask that you please follow these Guidelines when posting on this site. These guidelines are global and apply to every area of this site. Mentors may choose to enact specific guidelines for individual forums, which are to be taken as an extension to the global guidelines when posting and visiting that specific forum. These specific guidelines are usually sticky topics placed at the top of the specific forum.

Application and...

• Greg Bernhardt
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Feedback and Announcements

• 

 

[russ_watters]

... absolutely fascinated but astronomy. Hoping to purchase my first telescope so me and my son can start our astronomy journey, would love some advice on which would be the best to purchase.

We have a guide and thread for that:

Insights Thread 'Planning to buy a first telescope? - Comments'

Mar 30, 2010

Read the Insight guide here

• turbo
• Telescope
• Replies: 161
• Forum: Astronomy and Astrophysics

• 

Welcome to PF!

 

[DaveC426913]

Welcome @Ktaka24. I second Russ' post. Read the Insights article before you buy your new scope.

 

[sbrothy]

Employing my usual infallible social radar I'm sure this is the right place for one my disjointed anecdotes:

At the age of ~10 I got the obviously natural and reasonable thought into my head that I wanted to by a >$5000 telescope. Living in a little town I visited all the stores having anything remotely to do with telescopes and exhausted the shop owners with my knowledge of reflector vs. refractor telescopes and which one would be the right one to start with for a grownup of my age. As I had prepared myself thoroughly it was hard for them to outright oust me of the shop. After having visited almost them all - which at that time must have been 4-5 - I was finally picked up by a police car and driven home to my mum who got a soft scolding. Anyway, I was under the impression that the police found it a little funny and was a little impressed by my knowledge. Obviously though, they couldn't have a 10-year old running around wasting everyone's time inquiring about a gadget he had no hope of ever buying.

I cannot remember if I was chastised by my mum or if she found it funny, albeit tiring too. I never got my telescope though.