A couple of weeks ago, I took my first real step into amateur astronomy—I got my very first telescope, and I couldn’t be more excited. After a lot of research and consideration, I landed on the Orion 120ST, and so far, it’s been an incredible introduction to stargazing.

The Orion 120ST is a 120mm (4.7-inch) achromatic refractor with a focal length of 600mm, giving it a fast f/5 focal ratio. That means it’s great for wide-field views of deep-sky objects like star clusters, nebulae, and even some galaxies under dark skies. It’s a solid, portable scope that doesn’t need collimation like reflectors do—perfect for a beginner who just wants to get out and observe.

I’ve paired it with a sturdy EQ-3 style equatorial mount, which took a little time to learn, but I’m getting the hang of tracking objects manually. I’ve already gotten great views of the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula, and even managed a peek at Jupiter’s moons. The detail and clarity blew me away.