Help with buying gear

Looking to buy new or used astronomy gear and equipment? Here are three pieces of advice:

1. Join a local astronomy club. It doesn't have to be our club, but your first purchase should be club membership. Visit www.fedastro.org.uk to find a local astronomy club.

2. Start small with binoculars or a smaller telescope. Speak to club members, ask their advice and don't rush into spending lots of money. Your first optical equipment should help you to learn the night sky and to find out what type of astronomy really interests you.

3. Build up your hobby over the coming years. You may buy used equipment for a while, trying out before trading up, most amatuer astronomers do this.

Good telescopes that have been looked after may have a very long life as they move from one astronomer to the next. Sooner or later you will be ready for that big ticket purchase, be it a £500 used telescope or a £5,000 new scope.

It may seem strange, but astronomers are more likely to change telescopes than eyepieces (EPs). When we find an EP that we really like we may keep that item for many years, using them in telescope after telescope. Eyepieces are often a more personal choice, and it's not unknown for astronomers to collect many EPs over time, but only to use 3 or 4 at anyone time.

My own selection is a 40mm EP for very wide views and when searching for something hard to spot. A 17mm and 8mm to 24mm Zoom for general observation, and a 6mm for close up planetary and lunar observation.

But we almost always start with the 25mm and 10mm EPs that most telescopes come with. And we advise that you stick with these two basic EPs for a while before investing in newer glass.