Buying Your First TELESCOPE? Here's What I'd Do!

Are you about to buy your first telescope?

This is the advice I give people in this position on a daily basis. This is the way I started, and it nurtured my love for the night sky by providing a memorable, positive first experience.

Look for a tabletop Dobsonian for ultimate practicality, or a traditional Dobsonian (8" is great) if you're craving better views.

Key Takeaways:

• Start with visual astronomy before astrophotography
• I suggest choosing a Dobsonian reflector to maximize light-gathering power on a budget
• Remember that a telescope that is too heavy will get used much less
• You can take pictures of the Moon and planets system objects using your smartphone
• DON'T LOOK AT THE SUN!

Clear skies!

Affiliate Links:

Some of the links in my video descriptions are affiliate links, which means at no extra cost to you, I will make a small commission if you click them and make a qualifying purchase.

[matthewphillips]

When you buy your first telescope, what you need to do is be is be prepared to wait for 2 weeks after you get it for the clouds to pass

[AndrewWhise]

The hard part: finding a telescope that's actually in stock.

[laurenoptified]

0:29 ah those clouds are more fascinating than ever

[beleghan]

Thank you for confirming my decision of buying a reflector as my 8yrs old daughter (and myself) first telescope. I'd loved the universe my whole life and now that she is loving the same science programs I watch, it is time for both of us to get our feet wet in astronomy. Greetings from Costa Rica!

[tubedude]

I've got my next scope all picked out... a 28" dob... just can't afford the table to put it on yet...

[lucasmaguire]

An 8" table top Dob was my first as well! I've since then moved onto a full AP setup!

[Zuckerkome]

1:09
clouds ahhh yes my favorite


Keep the great videos up! You are my number 1 source for telescope reviews and information!

[JonnyBravo]

I had a telescope as a kid... so I suppose you could say I started with visual astronomy. However, that was too many years ago to count. What actually got me hooked recently was purchasing my Lumix G9 this past spring. During the summer I decided to try taking photos of the moon on a whim... happened to be sitting outside enjoying the warm summer evening, looked up and saw the moon and thought let me try to get a picture of it. So I learned how to take pictures of the moon. I took a bunch of photos of the moon in different phases and with different framing and composition. One of those nights I saw that Jupiter and Saturn were there in the sky and thought to myself... Hmmmm... can I get a picture of them? I pointed my camera to Jupiter and snapped a shot. When I saw that not only had I gotten Jupiter, but also it’s larger 4 moons, I was blown away. Sure, the image is terrible... but holy cow! I captured Jupiter!!! It fueled my curiosity to see what else I could do. Since then I’ve imaged Andromeda and Orion - both done on a static tripod. I wanted more, so I bought a Star Adventurer Pro. Tonight is supposed to be the first clear night since I got it, so I’m heading out to hit Andromeda again - this time tracked - even though it’s the night before the full moon. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some better data!

[SureGibson]

At the beginning of this video I seriously thought that telescope next to him was twice the size it actually is lol

[SuperYrch]

Just got my 8'' Dobsonian for Christmas. Can't wait to put it together and start gazing. This all started because a random youtube video of you popped up on my feed.

[robkiss]

Iam 27 and how did you know I want a telescope for Christmas it will be my first one very interesting stuff up there

[philippalbrecht]

Me: *buys reflector telescope totally not within the budget after wondering for weeks which telescope to get*
Trevor literally 2 days later: "Hey, buy this one!"
Me: . . . thanks.

[D-Flap_FPV]

I started with 4" F8 scope on a tripod and only looked at the moon, saturn, and jupiter. Watched a cool video on the 8" Apertura that Trevor did then started searching for a used scope. Found an 8" Zhumell dobsonian and and 6 decent eyepieces. It's been an experience that is well worth it. I have seen a lot of deep space objects that just amaze me. Astronomy will be my hobby for a long time...no astrophotography in my near future though. Watched enough of Trevor's videos to see the technical expertise and money needed to go this route. Thanks Trevor for the inspiration!!

[Robert]

I always recommend a refractor over any reflector or dob because they are easier for a newbie to point and find an object. They also don't suffer from collimation issues. I had a reflector for 10 years as a kid and another bigger reflector for 10 years as an adult but they were both so frustrating to operate, I seldom use them, maybe once a year at most. But I recently found a 70mm refractor at a thrift store for $35 and it made all the difference. I started to enjoy using it because I could find things more easily and so I got to see a lot more. I used it for 2 years very regularly and that pushed me over the edge to get a goto telescope. Now I have a very nice SCT but I don't have to worry about pointing it. It already knows where everything is!

[douweodh]

Ok guys, see 0:28? Just to be sure, don’t ever look through a telescope that is pointed up during the day. One sunbeam in your eyeball and you’ll have a serious problem. Dont get me wrong, Trevor knows what he’s doing, but to all beginners: for looking through a telescope like that you wait until it’s dark. Clear skies!

[themonotoner]

This is the best advice I have come across in my research for my first telescope, I can now see a future where I own both of the telescopes shown in this video. Another piece of advice I came across and feel is valuable for early astronomers is to start with binoculars! They can provide a fun, portable and even more affordable means of learning, studying and appreciating our night sky. This is the stage I am at while I save for my first telescope and has opened a path for me and I hope others to get a head start!

[PetraKann]

My first telescope was DIY using two cardboard tubes, magnifying glass and eye piece.
You could focus by sliding the inner tube inside the outer tube.
Similar to one of the two refractors Galileo used.
I was 9 years old.
I also made a wooden manual tracked that had a camera mount (sometimes called barn-door tracker). By turning a bolt of certain thread pitch 1 revolution per minute, you were able to track the night sky and take long exposure photographs without trailing of the stars or planets.
Learned about focus points, magnification and focal length, aperture etc.
Astronomy fascinates young people and it’s a perfect hobby for building your own gadgets and learning about the night sky objects and how celestial objects behave

[sebastianpainsi]

Started with a 90/900 skywatcher refractor and it is good for visual astronomy 3 months ago.

Now I got a Skywatcher 80/400, and an MF-3 Skywatcher tracking mount.
And I recently switched from my smartphone to my aunt's DSLR for astrophotography.
I took a picture of The Orion Nebula twice through my phone and now for the first time trough a stock DSLR.

And I'm absolutely blown away by the results of the DSLR.

I'll now use your Photoshop tutorials for pimping up my pictures.
Love your vids, and keep the good work up 👍🤟

[pix_official]

I got a Skywatcher Skyliner 150 for my first scope in April after watching a lot of your videos and Im still amazed everytime i look through it.
After getting to all the planets and some globular clusters i visited the Andromeda Galaxy last weekend and all the motivation got even doubled. LOVE IT! and THANK YOU for getting me into this hobby! Also greeting from Germany :D

[kenjoe]

Best telescope dealer I ever found was John, at the old Perceptor dealership in Schomberg (now deceased) back in 1998. When my youngest son became interested, we went there to buy a 'scope. John refused to sell us one! He recommended we find and attend a few Star Parties first - talk to people, see what they were doing, ask for recommendations. Then he handed my son a copy of a current magazine which had a list of Star Parties across Canada, and refused to let me pay for it. We went to two parties - traveled all the way to New Brunswick for one! Returned, and bought an 8" Dobsonian from John. It is here in my study right now, and the whole family right down to great-grandkids use it.
Wonderful man, wonderful advice, wonderful legacy for John AND me to leave.
Thanks for asking, and thanks for the memories.