Alexiaqq2

My plan is a telescope and a small pair of either 8x30 or 8x42... as mentioned it's quite hard to find decent binoculars that have a small enough IDP for a 7 year old. I've gone with the Meade 82 dobson for now and I'm on the hunt for a not too expensive small set of binoculars to go with it. I'm hoping that if he keeps the interest we can upgrade to a better scope when he needs one when we have time to wait for a good choice to be available. It's been a whirlwind of a learning curve and this forum has been amazing for helping me with decisions!

Does anyone know if this one would be better than the Celestron Firstscope - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meade-Dobson-telescope-LightBridge-Mini/dp/B077W7KN4R

I'm in Dublin, not right in the city but I imagine light pollution is a problem here too!

Hi, So like the title says I'm looking for recommendations for a tabletop telescope for Christmas for my son. The main issue is it needs to be in stock and able to deliver to Ireland!! I've seen lots that I like, the Heritage ones have been mentioned to be on another thread and I'd love the Heritage 100p or the Heritage 90 but there's none to be found. I'd be happy enough to go with a 76mm and upgrade in a year or so if he stays interested. I can get a Celestron Firstscope easy enough but I've been told there might be better ones out there so I'm hoping I might get some recommendations here. If I was going with a 76mm I'd rather keep it under £100/150 but I could stretch to around £200 if it was a bigger one.

Hahaha, my thoughts exactly! It doesn't need to be returned till January and was bought locally so we'll be hanging on will we're sure we have something. Lots more reading has me liking the look of the Heritage 100p which is, of course, out of stock everywhere. I like the Heritage 76 but also seems to be out of stock. I'll keep searching! I have found the celestron firstscope locally and I'm considering buying that while it's available while still looking for a heritage. If I can get one in time I can return the firstscope and if not I think I'd rather have paid less for a basic tabletop and upgrade soon if he keeps interested than have paid even more for a more complicated one that might not work out to be handy for him. At this rate I may have a collection of telescopes to return by Christmas. As for binoculars, I'm definitely on the hunt for a small, cheap pair that he can hold and use easily. I was looking for 8x42 but finding it hard to find ones that have the IPD listed, is 8x30 going too small to still be of any use to him? I'm seeing a lot of kiddie binoculars that are even smaller (8x21 I think) which I'm guessing really won't show him much at all. And thanks for all that Alan, I think we'll probably be returning the Polaris but I really appreciate you taking the time to explain about the tripod!

Thank you! So now I'm thinking maybe we could get him both? A pair of 8x42s and maybe a cheaper tabletop telescope for now and as he gets older we can invest in a better scope. Would something like this be of any use? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/celestron-firstscope-signature-series-moon-by-robert-reeves.html

Thanks everyone, you've given me so much to think about! One things decided though, I'll be sending the Meade back! I think if we end up getting a telescope (whether it be now or in the future) a tabletop with motorised tracking sounds like it would be better for us! Would the 10x50 be too big for a 7 year old? I'm not too worried about him not being careful with them, he can be pretty good about that sort of thing. Can the smaller binoculars really give them much to look at? I thought I read somewhere that 10x50 would be the minimum recommended for stargazing (Though honestly I've been reading so much about it all I can't even remember where I read that). Thanks so much for the suggested youtube stuff, Girders... we're living in Dublin so light pollution is pretty bad. I definitely need more than stargazing alone to help expand his interest! Would there be other tabletop telescopes with a motorised mount for in and around the same price range that you guys would recommend? At this stage unless I can actually find something in stock that will deliver to Ireland in time I'll be sticking with a binocular set up and leave a telescope till another time.

Hi, I'm looking for a little tripod advice! My 7 year old son is hoping for a telescope or binoculars for Christmas. It's all completely new to me and lots of reading online has led me to decide that binoculars are a better starting point. I'm currently hoping to get him the Opticron Adventurer 10x50 T WP as I'm hoping I've done my measurements right and the 53 min IDP will be small enough for him! Anyway my next problem is finding a tripod. I'm hoping not to spend a fortune if I don't have to but obviously don't want to end up with rubbish either. I've seen that height is important for binoculars but as he's only 7 does that change things or are most height adjustable anyway? Before deciding on the binoculars we had purchased a telescope (unopened and we have plenty of time to return), a Meade Polaris 114 EQ. Would it be mad to consider holding on to this and using it's tripod for the binoculars with the idea that he would use the telescope as well down the line or would the tripod not be compatible? I suppose I'm wondering that if a tripod is going to cost me €100 or so, would it be more cost effective in the long run to fork out for telescope and binoculars now and only have one tripod? Thanks!