Syyd: I've been an amateur astronomre for many years. Maybe I can help. The important thing to consider is where you plan on using the telescope. This will help determine how much light gathering you need. A 10" (reflector area) scope will be great in a very dark location but will pull in too much ambient light in the city. A newtonian/reflecting telescope is a good buy because it's a simple design and not terribly expensive. You will want one with a 1.25" focuser and not .965". This will give you a much greater variety of eye pieces to choose from and is the amateur standard. A great web site for information and products is www.telescope.com. This is the Orion site and they have just about everything for the amateur astronomer. Good luck! Feel free to contact me if you'd like some additional info. Nick