I purchased my first telescope this past March, and will say that there are many options to consider, some of which you've alluded to here. I'll share some of my thoughts when researching, and a couple of links that may help.
Basics to consider will be the scope itself, and the mount it's on:
1 - what kind of scope? 3 basic flavors here: refractors (classic long telescope shape, light passes through glass lens to focus the image), reflectors (similar in shape to refractors, light is focused using a mirror), and catadioptrics (generally shorter than the first two, use a combination of lenses and mirrors to fold the light and form an image). You'll hear variants on each of these, each has pros and cons.
2 - what kind of mount? Differences mostly have to do with what types of coordinates you'll be using to direct the scope around the sky. You'll hear of the Alt-Az (altitude-azimuth) mount, German Equitorial mount, and variants on each of these. There are computerized star finder versions (aka Go To scopes) of both of these mount types out nowadays, shouldn't have a problem finding them. The key is that the mount should be sturdy. Telescopes and mounts can be purchased separately; for a first scope, I'd recommend purchasing them as a package; you know the mount and scope are well paired for each other, and can sometimes get a good discount over buying them separately.
When buying, I considered the following options:
- ease of use - I wanted something that I could use some features on relatively quickly (from a learning curve standpoint), but that would allow me to grow and learn about the more advanced features over time.
- GoTo feature - Good thing to have on hand, especially to get you started seeing something relatively quickly, keep from getting frustrated. I'm working on getting used to finding my way around the sky without it, but has been very useful to have in the meantime.
- what I wanted to see - it's very difficult, nigh on impossible, to find one scope that's perfect for viewing all types of objects: planets, close in stars, DSOs (deep space objects), nebulae, etc. So, I compromised with something that did relatively well at most of them - not as good with the deep space objects, but given the light conditions of living in the suburbs (streetlights, etc.), it rarely gets dark enough to get a real good look at those from the back yard. But, if you can get to some dark skies, it does well. Which brings me to one of my main considerations:
- Portability. Think about whether you're able to set up the scope permanently in a location, or if you'll need to move it around. If setup is too much of a hassle because the scope's too big and bulky, you won't use it regardless of how good the optics are. I don't have a permanent location that's sheltered, so I selected a model that's somewhat 'portable' (i.e., I can move it out to and in from the deck myself) (portable in the astronomy world is a relative term, by the way), the scope lenses and mirrors can handle the rumbles of being in the trunk of a vehicle for driving to distant locations without being far out of alignment once I arrive, and the absolute must in portability for me: can, after removing the main scope from its mount, be packed into a Cessna 182
My price point was similar to yours. After much research, I selected the Celestron C6-S GT Schmidt Cassegrain telescope (a catadioptric), with XLT coating. Had a good combination of the features and qualities I needed, a mount that could be used with larger scopes later on if I went that route, and something that would also be good with astrophotography (another potential future upgrade). You can always get additional eyepieces, fancy finder scopes, etc. over time, but I started with the basic scope and mount, a power pack (the mounts on those GoTo motors generally aren't powered by batteries, so you've got AC or a DC battery pack/car battery as your options there; didn't like the idea of wearing out my car battery in a remote location after a night of seeing), and a very basic variety of Celestron eyepieces. I've been very happy with it for the time I've been able to use it; hard part is that good evening seeing conditions also make for good flying conditions many times - decisions, decisions.....
Anyway, here's a couple of links that may help as you begin your research:
Telescopes 101 -
http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/telescopes101article.cfm . While this is where I purchased my scope from, it's not meant as an ad to buy from them, so much as they've created a very good set of reference articles to get you started. Even it you don't read them all, the first one (how to select your first telescope) is worth the read for getting your hands around basic terminology, et al.
Cloudy Nights Forums:
www.cloudynights.com
A good community of astronomers, with some very informative and active forums (look just under the header on the main page). There's a forum area for beginners, and the 'what type of telescope should I purchase' is a very common question. I didn't consider the family factor into my decision, but this may be a place to ask some very well informed stargazers about their experiences in addressing this; I'd assume that children's ages will be important there.
Many will be out watching for the quadrantids meteor shower tonight, so you may find quite a few folks up and about on the site.
One last thing: while telescopes are very cool, don't underestimate the usefulness of a good pair of binoculars. In addition to helping you initially find your way around the sky (your field of view is wider than a telescope, although not as detailed), there are times when you'll want to see something quickly, and not able to set up the telescope in time; always a good 'grab n' go' option. The Cloudy nights forums has a binocular section as well, can get good tips on what to look for there.
Long winded, but hope this helps!
Leslie
