How To Avoid Wasting Time & Money When Buying Your First (Or Next) Telescope

It’s easy to fall victim to marketing ploys when you don’t know what to look for…

(I should know – it happened to me!)

The first mistake I made:

Buying the biggest telescope possible, with “33% more light gathering ability.”

In reality, a 12-inch telescope is, in many cases, a ridiculous purchase for a first timer. I’m average build and around 6-feet tall, and it was bigger than me.

I wish I knew what to look for before making the purchase, but I didn’t want to miss out on anything. I thought to myself, “What if I can’t see Saturn’s rings?”, “I want to see Jupiter’s moons, and bigger is better, right?”

Turns out, that’s not always the case.

To use the scope, I had to waddle through the house into the garden, across the grass, and up the slippery steps to the decking…

And what’s worse is that this was just the telescope.

The base still needed to be brought out, which was ridiculously large and heavy, which meant my partner needed to help me carry it every time.

It’s safe to say she did NOT appreciate this ‘optical invasion.’

“Where is this scope now” I hear you say? I returned it, and the shipping fees cost me 25% of the price of the scope.

The moral of the story is: With so many telescope types, specs, and opinions floating around, it’s hard to know where to begin.

That’s why I created this guide – to cut through the noise and give you practical steps to help you find a telescope that actually fits your needs, budget, and goals.