Astronomy hobby - costs - advice?

[BTW]

My house is about finished ( as finished as any house can be) and I'm thinking about taking up a hobby that will let me get drunk in the back yard and ponder infinity. Any advice from astronomy hobbyists about telescopes and starting out books?

[xNOVAx]

Great starter book..

http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Skywatching-Astronomers-Starhopping-Exploring/dp/0783549415

As far as telescopes go, how much do you have/want to spend? Astronomy can be really cheap or extreemly expensive depending on what you want to see..

[BTW]

Great starter book..

http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Skywatching-Astronomers-Starhopping-Exploring/dp/0783549415

As far as telescopes go, how much do you have/want to spend? Astronomy can be really cheap or extreemly expensive depending on what you want to see..

Well starting out, I'd like to stay in the $300-500 range. If It clicks, I can get something better. This is going to be 99% backyard viewing, so I'm sure the neighborhood light is going to limit me.

Thanks, btw. Cool avatar and handle

[xNOVAx]

Well If I were you and I wanted to start out with something in that range, I would definitely go for something like this:

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=reflectors/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09827

I would get it with the electronic dual-axis drives so you dont have to constantly adjust what you're looking at. The drives will keep the object in the field of view without all the micro adjustments.. If you're serious about learning the sky, dont get a scpoe with the GPS / electronic autofinders.. Half of the fun (sometimes frustruation) for me is trying to navigate the sky and find the object you're looking for.. It's much more satisfying (and impressive) to find the object on your own and get to show it off to friends and family..

Also telescopes (if well taken care of) can hold their value fairly well, so I wouldn't buy a piece of junk right off the bat.. In astronomy you definitely get what you pay for, and if you don't like it, you can always sell it. Also, never go cheap when buying different sized eyepieces. Good quality eyepieces, even on crappy scopes, can make all the difference.

Hope this helps, and thanks on the avatar comment..