Telescope for a 6yr old - help please?!

[abigailyardley]

Hi all!

My son is 6yrs old and is absolutely obsessed with astronomy (which is something we want to encourage)! He has asked Santa for a telescope for Christmas but unfortunately I don't much about them so I'm unsure what to buy. I want to get him a good one but don't really want to spend any more than £100 - is that even realistic?

He really does love "the planets" and is constantly telling me about each planet (and dwarf planet) and their moons etc so I don't want him to be disappointed!

Any help or advice would be very much appreciated!!!

[Uplooker]

Hi ya abigailyardley,

Have a look at this thread:-

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/256835-man-on-the-moon-telescope/

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL. There a various beginners scopes which would suit you. One piece of advice I would give is to purchase from an astronomy dealer rather than the Internet or a high street store. You will get much better service, especially after sales. This site is sponsored by first light optics. They stock a range called Skywatchers Hertiage. These are nice scopes for the outlay. They also are currently specifically listing beginners scopes for Christmas. If you look at the top of the page you will be able to enter their site by clicking on the logo. I have dealt with them on several occasions and have always had great service.

[ronin]

As the first reply the FLO one they put together following someones advert (I forget whose) is I suspect the easiest option and should do most things.

The one area I am not sure of is if he wants to see the Rings of Saturn, they tend to be a big item for people, simply unsure if it will deliver the magnification as you will need about 100x, maybe a bit more. Jupiter should be fine in it.

Looking at the options I would likely say try the next one up from the 60mm and consider the 70mm (Celestron AstroMaster 70), it has a 900mm focal length so a 10mm plossl would give 90x and an 8mm would give 112x. Sorry to lighten your wallet.

As said, it is the arrival at sometime of Saturn that I am considering.

Must go look up when Saturn appears.

[John]

Hi ya abigailyardley,

Have a look at this thread:-

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/256835-man-on-the-moon-telescope/

I had a scope just like the one linked to above as my first scope. I was quite a bit older than 6 though !

It showed enough to get me started in the hobby and I'm still here 35 years later and still have that scope, plus a few others now

A scope of this type is pretty intuative to use and will show spectacular views of the Moon, it will show that Saturn has rings and that Jupiter has 4 bright moons and a couple of cloud belts around it's disk and that Venus has phases like a small version of the Moon. It will show some of the show piece double stars and star clusters rather nicely and I even managed to find a few of the brighter galaxies with mine.

Jupiter, Saturn and Venus will look small through the scope, nowhere near as large as the Moon but thats the same with any scope to be honest with you.

The one warning I would give is not to let your son use the scope unattended when the Sun is above the horizon. One glance at the Sun through any type of optical instrument is enough to cause either blindness or serious eye damage virtually instantly and 6 year olds are curious.

[abigailyardley]

Thank you everyone for your help!!

It looks like we'll be going with a Celestron model, 60mm or 70mm and I'm really looking forward to having a go of this myself now!!

He will be thoroughly delighted!!

[John]

I think he will be "over the moon" with it. Quite literally

[pipnina]

A 6 y/o... I remember when I used to get telescopes around that age to around 9 they ended up in pieces before a few months... Though admittedly I was a very "destructive" child.

That celestron "man on the moon" scope would be ideal for someone of that age... Just make sure they look after it so it doesn't end up like the ones I abused. (it's better than the ones I got anyway! I had crummy national geographic thing from argos)

For someone older (i.e. 11+) I would normally recommend a SkyWatcher 130 heritage. Perhaps when he's older and maintains his interest (or if his parents take further interest ) that could be considered an upgrade option.

[ecuador]

Although that one is a nice choice, the best telescope at that price point is definitely the Skywatcher Heritage 100P. The Celestron uses a camera tripod with the tightening screw that might not be the most convenient mount for a 6 year old, while the Skywatcher's dob mount offers pretty much the best way for a kid to move a scope.

[pipnina]

Although that one is a nice choice, the best telescope at that price point is definitely the Skywatcher Heritage 100P. The Celestron uses a camera tripod with the tightening screw that might not be the most convenient mount for a 6 year old, while the Skywatcher's dob mount offers pretty much the best way for a kid to move a scope.

I might agree, it would be the superior option... Though you have to factor in the destructive capabilities of a 6 y/o. I guess as long as it is used with supervision it will be fine though.

[Dave Lloyd]

I do think kids would rather look up a tube than down (as a microscope). Looking up at the sky is instinctive.

[Putaendo Patrick]

More than any but the very worst scope, what will keep your son interested is your enthusiasm and guidance. Try to plan continuing activities - observing the complete cycle of the moon for example. Perhaps teach him the stories and mythology of the constellations. Not everything needs a telescope - watch out for meteor showers at certain times of the year. Consider buying/ subscribing to an astronomy magazine (they generally have a section on what to see for the month). Look for suitable children's books on astronomy. On the internet some astronomy sites have great material for kids, NASA for example.

[Fozzie]

Hi,

Last year I set up my Newtonian reflector and an evo90 refractor up in the garden because I knew my brother was calling round with his Kids, my nephew, who was 7, at the time knew straight away that the little evo 90 was a telescope, but wasn't so sure over the Newtonian.. 

The only reason he knew the evo 90 was a telescope is because it looked like a telescope such as they see in cartoons and kid's programmes.

I think on this alone the two refractor types you have chosen will be a winner, which ever you choose!

Merry Christmas (first time I've said that this year!)

Ta

Fozzie

[ecuador]

I do think kids would rather look up a tube than down (as a microscope). Looking up at the sky is instinctive.

Wait, you don't use a star diagonal? 

About the aforementioned StarTravel 70. I have it, but when I said the other Celestron 70mm has a mount that is hard to use for a kid, the StarTravel 70 has a mount that is impossible to use for anyone. I actually love the little StarTravel 70 OTA, but I tried to use its tripod a couple of times, on the first try it was very frustrating, on the second try it simply broke (let's just say... don't try to tighten the screw too much).

And I find the idea that a telescope that "looks like a telescope" is kind of silly. I mean, we are trying to teach a kid what a real telescope is, not just further any idea and misconception they might have gotten from TV.

OK, I frequent in another forum where everybody tells anyone asking about telescopes "get a dobsonian" and I am always the dissenting voice (dobs are not for everyone), so I can't believe I am going the other way hear, but for the price and the fact that it is a small kid, I think the Heritage is the best choice. Now, if you have a kid that might go throwing things in the tube and break the mirror, I guess there might be a problem, otherwise it is not much more delicate than a refractor, in fact a refractor will probably get all smudgy fast.