Below is a list of topics you may find helpful in Amateur Astronomy.

The amateur astronomy scene is blessed with a huge array of differing instruments to aid in viewing the night sky, from simple binoculars to computerized telescopes that do not even require the observer to be anywhere near them!

Most "department store" telescopes are outrageously over hyped with claims that are simply misleading at best and outright dishonest at worst. First of all the claims for magnification are true but not of any value. These telescopes will not produce anything but a blur for any magnification larger than about 150X. Secondly, the mounts are usually so wobbly that the view through the scope is at best unstable. Thirdly, the finder scopes are usually worthless for actually finding anything in the main scope. Ignore the pretty pictures on the box, the images through a small telescope will never look like a professional astrophotograph! Many a person has become very disappointed and discouraged after struggling with a department store telescope. Sadly, most of these telescopes become expensive living room sculptures or just closet clutter.

 Probably the most overlooked type of "telescope" is a pair of binoculars A good pair of binoculars is a cost-effective way of introducing yourself to the night sky. All serious amateur astronomers own a good pair of binoculars. Don't rush to buy a telescope -- learn your way around the sky first. You can also take a tiny amount of the hundreds of dollars you saved and buy a beginners sky guide book and a subscription to either Astronomy Now, Astronomy or Sky and Telescope magazine. Go to your local book/magazine store or library and look at both and see which one you like the best. All 3 magazines contain monthly star charts, diagrams, and descriptions that include objects that are good for viewing in binoculars.

What type of binoculars should you get? For astronomy, the binoculars should be about 10x50 (the 10 refers to the power, the 50 to the diameter in millimetres of the lens, or the ability to gather light) with higher diameters, and hence higher light gathering ability, showing more detail at the expense of weight (use of very large binoculars generally requires a tripod). It's strongly recommended that you also buy a camera tripod and make sure the binoculars have a tripod mounting screw hole on them or have an (optional) accessory bracket/adaptor so that you can mount the binoculars to the tripod. (Note, you could also use 7X50's but lower magnifications are not as satisfying. 12X50 is also a good choice, powers much beyond 10 to 12 become difficult to hold steady. there are on the market, image stabilizing binoculars and they do a nice job but are quite expensive.)

Expect to spend between around £100 for a good quality pair of binoculars. You can start by going to camera stores and looking at their selection. Avoid cheap off brands, the quality of the optics and optical coatings are where they save their manufacturing costs. Generally, the best brands are the same as the brands of high quality cameras and telescopes, e.g., Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Minolta, Meade, Celestron, etc.

What can you see in "just" a pair of binoculars? You can see: craters on the Moon, the rapidly orbiting moons of Jupiter, great gas clouds in Orion (in which new stars are being born), the Andromeda Galaxy, clouds of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, double stars, many galaxies and Star clusters, comets etc. Many books have been written detailing the different objects that can be viewed in binoculars.

If push comes to shove and you really want a Telescope then consider a 6 to 10 inch Dobsonian reflector with a Telrad^(TM) (or similar) finder, and with a set of two wide-field plossl eyepieces having focal lengths of approximately 40 mm and approximately 15 mm. This would open up much of the sky for you with thousands of deep sky objects within your grasp. Reflectors are of course cheaper to buy as they are simpler to make and use cheaper materials. I also find that a good 8 inch reflector gives superb views of deepsky objects.

A refractor is much more expensive but will show better detail in the moon and planets due to its longer focal length.

An alternative is the Cassegrain telescope which is becoming the standard scope for serious amateurs. This uses a mirror to collect the light as a reflector does but it also incorporates a plate of special glass at the front end which helps to correct the image and the light is bent back upon its self which increases the focal length. an 8 inch computerised version of this is an excellent choice and probably the scope the more serious amateur will desire.

A telescope will provide many years of enjoyment and will allow the owner to experience some of the heavens most spectacular sights!