So you want an astronomical telescope, just a few thoughts to hopefully save you money & disappointment.

This is aimed at prospective beginners,so if you are an established stargazer,please pass this by.

I'm lucky enough to have many hobbies and have found you usually end up spending a lot to discover you only needed to spend a little to enjoy your chosen pursuit.Astronomy has been one of my most enduring pastimes, though these days i see myself more of a stargazer than astronomer.

There are three main sorts of telescope 

Refractor: using a large lens to gather light.

Reflector:using a large mirror to gather light

& Catrodioptic:using a combination of the two to gather the light.

An astronomical telescope is essentially a method of collecting,focusing and magnifying light, the larger the lens/mirror the more light you gather& the fainter objects you can see & usually with increasing detail.