I just joined the forums, but have been an avid astronomy lover for 25+ years. After years of corporate life I've decided to return to college and finally get a degree. I'm planning to major in history with a minor in astronomy. My history major will, of course, be heavily oriented toward science history. I've joined a local astronomy club and plan to get involved in as many astronomy outreach programs as possible. I'm undecided on my first telescope, but a six-inch f/8 Dobsonian keeps singing its Siren Song.

 Hello, welcome to the forum

Welcom to the forums. The 6" Dob is a nice start, but I would research the  various types and manufactures and features available for your intrests. Also, with dobs you get larger optic lens for less money then refractors, schmidt/cassigrains etc. Above all else, be sure to get quality optics whatever you decide scope wise.

cooltech

Welcome, indeed!

If the local club you're talking about is the AAS, then you'll certainly see some nice scopes at Cen-Tex at Lake Buchanan in April. You might want to hold off on your purchase until after you've been to one of their observing events and can see different scopes first-hand. In any case, a 6" dob is a very nice starter scope ... and a heckuva lot nicer than what I started with in the late '50s!!

jb

Thanks for the welcomes. I joined the Williamson County astronomy club last month, and also plan to join AAS. As for my telescope choice, I realize everything is a compromise, and no one scope will serve all needs. I actually had a lot of observing time in my younger days, and lately have been using a friend's 10-inch Meade SCT occasionally, so I have a better idea of what I want than do most newbies. I plan to buy a 6-inch Dob for the ease of setup and portability. I'll use it more often for short observing sessions in the back yard than I would use a larger scope for the same. I'm pretty well settled on Stargazer Steve's 6-inch Deluxe Kit. Less than $500 shipped. I know I could buy an 8-inch Orion or Zhumell for the same money, but getting the 6-inch first will leave an excuse to buy a 10-inch Dob two or three years from now. Then when my wife retires and we move to West Texas I'll buy an 18-inch Obsession, or maybe a 22-inch Webster Dob, or...