Steve Williams said:
I'm interested in buying a beginner's telescope. Not going crazy with it, at least right now but considering spending 4-600. I've seen at least one in that price range that locks on and tracks automatically depending on what's in the sky on any particular night. Anyone have any suggestions? Something I'e always a lot of interest in.
Steve - I have been into astronomy for the past 15 years and currently own two telescopes. I have a Dobsonian telescope with a 10" mirror and a Celestron tracking telescope with a 6" mirror. My personal advice would be to invest in a Dobsonian telescope. The key is to get one with the largest mirror possible, since the mirror size determines how deeply you will be able to see (ie., how many faint objects you will be able to view).
If you want, DM me and I can give you some more information. Also, if you want, I can arrange some time to show you my telescopes and explain in more detail what you need to look for in a telescope. Having one that automatically tracks is nice, but the added cost of the motors and computer will decrease the size of mirror in the telescope.
Here are a few images I took last year with my tracking telescope and a camera mounted to the scope. I am still learning how to do astrophotography, but I thought they turned out pretty nicely for a first time attempt.
Dumbell NebulaRing NebulaOrion Nebula