Hi laura-mae:

1) Read this, it's got advice that is critical for newbies to read: http://scopereviews.com/begin.html

2) Find out if there is an astronomical society in your area and plan on attending a star party or two to get a feel for what kind of equipment that seems to suit you best.

3) Get a star chart and go outside with just your naked eyes and learn to spot the constellations.

4) Binoculars make an excellent first 'scope', do consider investing in a pair of binocs if you don't already have a pair.

5) Under no circumstances should you even consider buying a cheapo dept. store scope that advertises: "675 power scope!", with a bunch of pretty pictures on it.

6) Forget about astrophotography for now, you'll have your hands full learning the sky and your scope. You can re-evaluate your astrophoto aspirations once you're familiar with your equipment. You may find you want a dedicated astrophoto setup apart from your visual setup, but learn about visual astronomy first.

7) For starter scopes, a 6" or 8" dobsonian makes for a very good one, and may be all the scope you'll ever need. They are inexpensive, easy to use, very stable, and will show you a lot. However, it's probably a good idea to consider steps 1 - 5 first.

Here is an example of a great 8" dob: http://www.telescope.com/control/pro...oduct_id=09707