The SAS members are always willing to answer questions to help other members and non-members alike. On this page we hope to list some of the most frequently asked questions but if you don't find your answer feel free to ask. Generally a poor choice. The more light the telescope takes in, the fainter the objects that can be seen. For that reason, most amateur astronomers build or buy reflecting telescopes.
Large mirrors are considerably cheaper to build or buy than large lenses.
First, a star in any telescope is still just a point of light. Stars are so far away that even the highest magnification the atmosphere will allow will not show anything more than a point of light. Constellations require the unaided eye. Any kind of magnification reduces the field of view to a small fraction of the area of most constellations. The Moon and Planets can be observed well in either refracting or reflecting telescopes.