Hi I have a Mead Telestar and it is very user friendly. It came with a program that has all the coordinates for most of the objects in space. It also comes with a cord so you can plug in your telescope into your tv or computer so you dont have to squint thru the eyepiece to see it can go right on your tv or computer!! it's awesome and congrads on finding the best hobbie ever!!!!!

I have had 2 telescopes so far, and returned both as not giving me what I wished. Then I found this site: http://www.telescopes.com/helpunderstandingtelescopesarticle.cfm and plan, as soon as my finances allow, on getting one, armed with my new knowledge.

I would agree that going to telescopes.com is a good start. Do NOT buy any department store telescopes--they are almost uniformly terrible, with eyepieces that magnify far too much and with flimsy mounts that won't allow you to keep an object in view even at low power. If you're not sure that you'll keep up an interest in astronomy, a lot of the time I recommend to start with a good pair of binoculars, such as 7x50's. That way, you still have something useful for ball games and such no matter what. But if you want to be able to see the rings of Saturn and dim, small objects, a telescope will be necessary. A reflector telescope will also give you more bang for your buck than the more conventional refractor telescope. For just casual viewing where you know you won't be interested in trying long camera exposures or other fancy stuff, a Dobsonian reflector is a good, cheap choice. If there is an amateur astronomy club near you, you might even be able to get into one of their sessions where beginners actually build their own Dobsonian from scratch. Ultimately, if you just stay away from cheap commercial telescopes at places like Wal-Mart, you'll probably be happy with your purchase. Look in magazines such as _Sky & Telescope_ and _Astronomy_ for more information and lots more telescope vendors.

I am 16 and have been researching telescopes as I am too interested... although I don't know what to go for. I have found the Orion Space Quest XT8. There is a manual and robotic version of this for only £130 difference between them. Here is the link - http://www.telescope.com/control/search?SEARCH_STRING=XT8 They appear to be good, and have amazing reviews... However, I'm new to astronomy and am seeking advice. Good luck.