Expert: Tom Whiting - 12/21/2010

Question
Where can I go to buy a telescope in person  I would like there web sites too if possible

Answer
Hi Nancy,
Generally, that's not a good idea. Telescopes... good telescopes that actually work... are best mail-ordered from places like Orion, Discovery, etc.  It's one of the few items it's far better to mail order rather than go in person to a dept. store.
Generally if a telescope is set up in like a department store or science store, you want to run the other way!
And, are you sure you want a telescope?  Have you determined what in the night sky you want to specialize in?  (and you WILL specialize because there is just too much out there). Lunar/planetary, deep sky objects, variable stars, comet hunting, nova hunting, asteroids, double/multiple stars?  There is a scope out there that maximizes each of those activities! Scopes are like airplanes... all planes fly, but you don't send a bomber to do a fighter's job! Also, another point... can you point your finger to Saturn, the Beehive star cluster, M-13, the Andromeda Galaxy, the double star Albireo?  If not, you don't know your night sky, AND if you don't, how are you going to point an instrument that only views a 1/2 degree piece of the sky?  You can't and neither can anyone else.
In our great hobby, equipment (scopes) come LAST, not first. Knowledge comes first. So make your first scope an inexpensive pair of 10 x 50 binoculars instead. Binoculars are easy to carry, easy to use, the image is right in front of your nose (most scopes you're viewing at a right angle to the spot in the sky), wide field of view (scopes have an inherently small field of view), and binoculars do a surprisingly good job on the night sky.
So if you're fairly new to astronomy, suggest you punch on our club website and read "Tom Whiting's Sound Advice to the Novice Observer", at
http://www.velocity.net/~bwhiting
and follow that advice.
(And don't forget the total lunar eclipse tonight, staring at 1:33 am EST (10:33 pm PST).)

Clear Skies,
Tom

FOLLOW UP:
Oops... our website is currently down for changes and repairs, so you'll have to try it again tomorrow.
Tom

FOLLOW UP;
Ok, our club website is back up on line, at
http://www.velocity.net/~bwhiting
Thanks,
tom