Something else that has hit the amateur astronomy market in recent years are GOTO telescopes. These are telescopes that offer computerized control with built in capability to direct your telescope towards celestial bodies without you having to do it yourself. This can make it much easier to find objects of interest without a lot of guesswork: the computer does it all for you.
While there are GOTO telescopes in the range of the average low-end telescope (300-500 dollars), these telescopes are not going to offer the same amount of aperture for the same amount of money as a refracting or a reflecting telescope. On the other hand, it will make your viewing of the stars all the more easy once you get going. The GOTO telescope has somewhat increased interest in astronomy, because of this ease of finding bodies in the skies.
Unless you are planning to purchase a GOTO telescope, the best advice is to find the largest amount of aperture that you can afford. This is going to provide you with the most viewing pleasure.
Telescope Mounts
Telescopes and telescope mounts are generally sold separately, although sometimes they can be sold as sets. Telescope mounts are very important, and something you should be thinking about when purchasing your telescope. For example, you might think that buying an expensive catadioptric telescope will allow you to have a large amount of aperture in a smaller scope, but once you include the telescope mount they can prove to still be rather bulky.
Most telescopes are too large to be held up by themselves, and even those that can a mount is better. Your hand is far from steady holding something of this size, and all you will find is frustration trying to keep the telescope focused in order to view the stars.
There are two primary types of telescope mounts: altazimuth and equatorial mounts.
An altazimuth mount moves both horizontally and vertically in relation to the horizon. It must be adjusted manually in order to keep celestial bodies in sight. This is the most affordable option for the amateur astronomer.
An equatorial mount moves both horizontally and vertically in relation to the celestial equator (hence the name equatorial). It can be moved manually with only one hand, and can also be hooked up to motor control so that you can move the telescope with the push of a button. While more expensive this can often be more convenient, especially for extended viewing.
One third type of mount is the Dobsonian mount, which is a box shaped mount used to hold reflecting telescopes with an aperture wider than 6 inches.