How much do I have to spend on a beginner’s telescope to have a really usable instrument?

If you are wanting to really get into the hobby of amateur astronomy and want a serious beginner's telescope, you will want something no smaller than a 6-inch aperture reflector. Those run about $300 to $500 (on a Dobsonian mount).

If you are still not sure and are only willing to spend $100 or less, do not buy a cheap department store telescope. Get yourself a nice pair of 10X50 binoculars. Many of our members started out using binoculars when they first got interested in astronomy. There are many deep sky objects that are well within the ability to see in binoculars. And if you don't end up pursuing astronomy as your hobby you'll at least have a decent pair to use at the football games or for bird watching!

If, however, you still want an actual telescope, an inexpensive smaller telescope that we CAN recommend for beginners in the $50 range, is the 76mm (3-inch) FunScope reflecting table-top telescope by Orion Telescopes. It's a small inexpensive scope to start with, but has good quality optics and takes standard 1.25 inch telescope eyepieces. The FunScope can also be attached to a standard camera tripod for field use. It comes with the Red Dot finder scope and two eyepieces. It's ready to use out of the box. This is one of the best low-cost, beginner telescopes on the market. Plus its size, ease of use and accessories that come with it make it just right for a first telescope for kids and intimidated adults without having to invest in a $100+ system. This way, in case you or the kids don't pursue the hobby you haven't invested a ton of money, and these are easy to resell.

Can I build my own telescope?

Yes you can! Telescopes aren't rocket science. The basic technology for telescopes hasn't changes much in 200-300 years since Galileo (early 1600's - refractors) and Newton (late 1600's - reflectors) invented the two main types of telescopes used by amateur astronomers today, using the same techniques.

As a matter of fact, the easiest mount to build for amateur telescope makers, the alt-azimuth dobsonian mount, was actually invented by an amateur astronomer in the late 60's named John Dobson, in San Francisco. In fact most Newtonian reflector telescopes sold with this mount are now simply called "Dobsonians".

If you have even a slight mechanical ability, and a book from the library or from an online retailer, you can build your own telescope (and many other astronomical accessories for that matter). It will take a little bit of planning and time, and you won’t save a whole lot of money…but you’ll have a better instrument, and you'll have bragging rights that you built your own telescope.