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When I was a kid I got a 3 inch reflector and had a great time.  Out every clear night.  It gave lovely views of the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter.  I also saw Mars, Venus and Mercury but they never showed much detail.  From Manchester the galaxies (except M31) never put in an appearance!

Dave

Jonathan Ransom 2 on 15 May 2006 at 21:43 +0000 wrote:
I've got to agree with you Andy, buying a scope and then not having many good seeing nights can really put a downer on your enjoyment of the subject. 

Andy Norton writes:
>For someone just starting out, I usually recommend a good pair of
>binoculars (say 10 x 50) mounted on a stable tripod in preference to a
>cheap telescope ... 
>
>What do others think?
>
>Andy
>
>Julia Faulkner writes:
>What advice would you give for a beginner like myself to purchase an easy
>to use telescope I can use in the garden that is reasonably cheap?
>
>I think I could spend a good few hours looking in the sky at night!
>
>Thanks
>
>Julia
>
>
>