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So You Wanna Buy a Telescope: Advice for Beginners (2015)

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Re: So You Wanna Buy a Telescope: Advice for Beginners (2015)

#101
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are severely hurting your argument by making false statements about what is possible to see with the naked eye and what kind of diameter telescope is required. An 20cm reflector is a very reasonable telescope that won't break the bank, will fit into most cars, and will enable you to see a large number of galaxies and nebulae with the naked eye. The claim that you need a 100cm telescope to do so is ludicrous and c…

Which galaxies? Andromeda maybe. I'm talking of a city or suburban environment. Of course if you go really far into the forest, you can see a galaxy. But it's a hassle, how many times a year you can do that?

> I'm talking of a city or suburban environment.

You are seriously moving the goalposts. You're somehow claiming that it makes more sense to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a huge telescope that you can't even transport in a consumer-sized vehicle than it does to simply drive somewhere that light pollution isn't a problem?

Astronomy is one of those things that you simply can't do well in an urban environment. Hiking or mountain climbing is another. You just have to accept it as one of the trade-offs of living in the city. No one forced you to live in a city. If astronomy is important to you, you can either put up with traveling for dark skies, or go move somewhere that doesn't suffer from bad light pollution. And if you are willing to spend the money to buy a one-meter scope, then astronomy is obviously very important to you.

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