Hmmm, so I wonder what a good telescope for a retired amateur to peruse the stars and galaxies would cost. Thousands?
I know not. Ask the Vulcan Science Academy.
You can probably buy a decent 8 or 10 inch Dobsonian for around $500. But there is a learning curve to this sort of thing. If you haven’t already spent some time with more modest equipment such as binoculars, it will most likely end up as a garage ornament.
It depends on what you want to do and how much you want to put into it.
You can get an Obsession 22inch for about $11,000, or, you can go with a Lightbridge 10in for about 600. At an event my club is having in a few weeks, we’re giving away a 80mm Lightbridge. They cost about $60 and are great starter scopes.
I have a buddy who as a 22 Obsession and it has some WONDERFUL views, but, it’s a lot of setup.
I have a hand made (not by me) 12.5 dob I inherited when the owner died. It’s a great scope.
I wish they had talked about some of the other galaxies in Leo like NGC 2903, or, my personal favorites, the NGC 3190 group.
Best bet, Learn the sky first, then figure out how much you are willing to part with. Just remember, you won’t see anything like in the pictures.
A digital camera alone will record very good photos.
A telescope will help make the photos better by enlarging the objects.
Advice for First Time Telescope Buyers
http://www.rocketroberts.com/astro/first.htm
How Big?
http://uncle-rods.blogspot.com/2011/01/uncle-rods-telescope-academy-how-big.html
Can you see the Flag on the Moon with a Telescope?
http://www.rocketroberts.com/astro/flag_on_moon.htm
This guy takes great photos including the space station:
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY - THIERRY LEGAULT
http://www.astrophoto.fr/
Another who takes great photos. He shows what he uses to take the photos.
Russell Croman Astrophotography
http://www.rc-astro.com/index.php
Using a Canon camera:
BudgetAstro
http://www.budgetastro.net/guest-images.html
Using a Nikon
Nikon D810a astrophotography sample images
No telescope? No problem! You can still shoot deep-sky astrophotography images like a pro.
https://photographingspace.com/deep-sky-astrophotography-without-telescope/
Wally’s pics
http://astropics.com/
Pretty soon you will want to get a big telescope.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_optical_reflecting_telescopes
The World’s Largest Telescope
The biggest is 128 foot or 1,536” diameter Extremely Large Telescope
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/09/13/a-new-record-nears-the-worlds-largest-telescope-prepares-for-completion/#65ae8172392c
You just need a shed to house your telescope
http://www.rocketroberts.com/astro/observatory.htm
It depends. My personal preference is for a 12” or larger telescope. But you are talking about something that isn’t easily mobile, and will cost over $1000. But you will see something other than a smudge when looking in the eyepiece.
Having said that, it is hard to locate anything in the night sky to look at. I have seen people buy great telescopes and give up because they had no idea where to point it. You can get a telescope that finds and tracks objects, but it is more money and more complex.
10 X 50 binoculars are not a bad bet because they can be had for less than $50 and have a wide enough field to actually find something. Next up from there would be a six or eight inch telescope for $250 to $350, but again, your biggest challenge will be finding something. Don’t bother with a 60mm refractor like you see around Christmas, it is a waste of time for anything other than the moon and maybe Saturn.
But if you live in the city and don’t want to drive a couple of hours, forget it. Every moron in the world is buying lights and turning them on while they go to sleep. There is no more night sky withing 70 miles of any largish city, and you really need to drive about ten times that distance to see what your grandfather saw.