Telescope hunting

My off-season buying spree is getting out of hand. I've written before about looking for new binoculars. This led me to the feeling that I'd need a warm sleeping bag for fall camping, a new camp stove, and some new hiking boots.

Now, after all this, I've realized that I need a new telescope! OK, need is a strong word, but the winter is a desperate time for an outdoorman with a thin skin.

I could take a telescope camping in the spring--but I could use it in the winter as well. I'm thinking of setting it up on the balcony of my house in Lake Tahoe and really getting to know the stars. I grew up in a middle-class family that really valued education, and my poor father was forever buying us telescopes and star maps. The flaw in his plan, though, was that he never purchased sufficiently powerful, high-quality telescopes. To look up at the stars and have fun, you need a good scope.

Some of the best telescope brands are Celestron, Bushnell, Tasco, TeleVue, Vixen, Swarovski, and Leica. I'm thinking of a Leica because I know the Leica sales reps from my work and can get some advice from them. I'll buy the scope online from Optics Planet, though, which has better prices!







Link: telescopes