THERE ARE 12 GUIDES THAT FOLLOW ON FROM EACH OTHER, PRESENTED IN SMALL CHUNKS FOR EASY READING. THEY ARE MEANT FOR BEGINNERS SO 98 % OF ALL THE TECHNICAL GOBBLEDEGOOK HAS BEEN LEFT OUT.

THE GUIDES TAKE YOU THROUGH EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AND CONSIDER, STARTING FROM THE BASICS, HOW TO BE CAUTIOUS AND MANY OTHER THINGS YOU CAN OPT TO READ OR NOT.

GUIDES ONE TO EIGHT DEAL WITH BEFORE MAKING A BID ON EBAY. SUBSEQUENT GUIDES ARE RELEVANT ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE BOUGHT THE SCOPE.

WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO KNOW TECHNICALITIES. WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW IS IF THE SCOPE YOU ARE LOOKING AT ON EBAY WILL WORK OK AND WHAT YOU SHOULD BID FOR IT. ALL THAT IS SET OUT IN PARTS 5, 6 AND 7. THING IS, YOU NEED THE BASICS TO GET A RESULT.

THE RESULT YOU WILL GET USING THOSE THREE PARTS IS A GOOD PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT WHETHER THE SCOPE WILL WORK OR NOT AND HOW MANY POUNDS OR DOLLARS SHOULD LEAVE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT FOR IT,  AND THE BASICS WILL HELP YOU WITH QUESTIONS EMAILED TO THE SELLER.

YOU REALLY DON'T NEED TO KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE TECHNICAL STUFF.

FOR EXAMPLE, YOU REALLY DON'T NEED TO KNOW WHAT A STREHL RATIO IS. YOU DO NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS A GOOD STREHL AND A BAD STREHL RATIO BEFORE MONEY LEAVES YOUR BANK ACCOUNT ON PAYPAL.

There is no shame in wanting a telescope but knowing absolutely nothing about them.

The contents of the GUIDES are written from 'practical aspects'.

I have described the Parts as 'short', but you may not think so. I intended to include everything you should know in the shortest possible space. There are other guide writers who actually write short guides. By all means read them and you will find that relatively fewer words means relatively less information.

You will not be told that I started astronomy by making my first telescope at the age of 7 years (it was awful) and now have 62 years experience. You will not be told that I have used Meades, Celestrons, Vixens, a Questar and various others. You will not be told that I sell telescopes because I do not. Nor will you be told which telescope to buy as well as a load of involved physics and the maths that goes with it. What you will read is a complete set of guides that should stand a beginner in good stead for around his or her first five years of observation. By then, he or she will have picked up enough from other sources not to need me.

Lastly, all of this should be fun and not a chore. Don’t rush at it because there will always be scopes advertised in shops, by dealers and on Ebay.

Relax !