[alnorth]

11 inch SCT? Uhhh.... yeah thats a really good one. I'm not sure how newbie-friendly it is since I don't have experience working with beginners and I just know what worked for me, but I've been at this for 3 years, and the next step up for me when I can justify the expense would probably be something similar to that scope.

Obviously the safest option and the standard "correct" advice given to all beginners is to find some kind of local astronomy club so you can get a chance to use several different telescopes and find out what you are actually going to be able to see with them before buying your own. Thats really the best way to see what you would be interested in before spending money. Also sometimes people don't realize what they are actually going to be able to see with their smaller telescope vs images from a huge observatory, and its hard to describe it to manage expectations, you just have to see it yourself and decide if you are still into the hobby given the scopes you can afford.

That said, if money is not an issue and you don't mind taking a loss by re-selling it used to somebody else if she decides she's just not into it anymore after a year, then this looks good to me. The only things I would add are 1 or 2 more eyepieces (it comes with a 40mm, maybe you'll want a 20mm or 15mm to really zoom in on the planet). You may also need a power supply for the tech it comes with (not necessary), and of course some star charts.