The Orion SpaceProbe 3 is not exactly a showstopper among telescopes for beginners, but it offers some respectable features at an affordable price. While you won't have the simplicity of a go-to scope, the equatorial mount will allow you to manually track celestial objects with relative ease.

Views from this starter scope are not likely to be overly impressive to the experienced astronomer, but SpaceProbe 3 is a scope that will give new users the basis for years of astronomy exploration in the future.

Even this most basic of Orion scopes includes two eyepieces, a collimation cap and an EZ finderscope, which means you will have everything you need for celestial views on the first night you own the SpaceProbe. Simplicity is a great quality in telescopes for beginners. One purchase will make it possible to find celestial wonders.

The most obvious difference in this viewing experience compared to the other non-go-to scopes in our lineup is the fact that you can track objects in the sky (compensate for the earth's movement) over time without having to adjust the controls. That is the beauty of the equatorial mount.

You can expect to see favorites like the moon's surface, as well as planets such as Saturn, Venus and Mars. Stars will appear like twinkling points of light, and you should be able to pick out certain bright deep-sky objects like nebulae and star clusters.

The SpaceProbe will arrive in one small box. This is more like what most people would picture for a first telescope than some other products on our list. It looks simple because it is simple. The initial set up should take a Phillips screwdriver and about 30 minutes. Collimation may be needed if it has been handled roughly. The Orion directions are pretty clear.

Orion customer support is great. Friendly and knowledgeable help is available, even at night, when you are most likely to be using your scope.

Aside from the information that arrives with the telescope, there is a complete downloadable instruction manual on the Orion website with step-by-step instructions. All of the materials are presented in a way that makes concepts understandable to any audience.