Which Telescope Should I Get

There are a couple of places you should visit to compare prices and features:
http://www.telescope.com
http://www.telescopes.com

Stay away from any mount that doesn't look really rugged, especially the 1/2 fork mounts (only one fork arm instead of 2). If the mount isn't rock solid, you will be frustrated very quickly, no matter how good the optics. If I lost all my equipment and had to start buying more, I think the first think I would get would be a fair-sized dobsonian - at least 10", and a bound volume of Tirion's Sky Atlas 2000. Since you are new at this, you will also want a book for beginning observers, showing you what to look for and where to look for them. I still consult my Peterson Field Guide to the Stars and Planets. It's a very compact, dense book, and it has served me well for over 20 years. Please don't spend money on automatic go-to stuff. You still have to know your way around the sky to really enjoy the hobby. Before you buy anything more than the books, try to locate an astronomy club in your area and attend at least one of their star parties so you can observe through a variety of instruments. Many people are shocked to find out that the human eye does not integrate faint color information, so most nebulae, galaxies, etc appear monochromatic - not at all like the pretty pictures on the telescope's packing box. Once you get an idea what you might like looking at, you can then pick out a scope that is optimized for that kind of viewing. For instance, a Mak with a focal ratio of f:15 would be a good choice for observing planets and double stars, but the long focal ratio and narrow field of view would make it tough to view extended objects like M31. A Newtonian (dob, perhaps) with a focal ratio of f:5 or f:6 would be a much better choice for viewing extended objects, and you can get a LOT more aperture for the price. Remember that light-gathering ability scales with primary area, not diameter, so a scope of 5" aperture only gathers 1/4 as much light as a 10". Even if you decide to buy a refractor, you probably shouldn't get one with less than 80mm aperture (that's the size of the finder scope on my 6" APO). There are lots of nice ones out there, now, which wasn't the case 20-25 years ago. Good luck.

[ozzmoziz]

Peterson Field Guide are wicked books i have one myself and had it for a few years now and always bring it with me when i go out..

[dmill1220]

Astrophography Is quite expensive, the Mount is the most important aspect, you coulld get the best most expensive APO refractor or SCT OR a Newtonian and not get good results if you have a poor mount that is not EQ mounted, that wont track ,doesnt have PEC, or autoguiding capabilties. it comes down to how much money you can spend before even thinking of getting great Images not to mention a good laptop and Power supplies for dew heaters and a decent camera.
Dennis