Bins or Telescope for Children / Beginners

[ziggi]

Hi

I'm totally new to astronomy. We home educate our children who are aged between 6-11 years old. We spotted Jupiter and Venus recently and the kids really want a telescope. I did some research and thought binoculars would be best but understand I would need to get a tripod as well as the fact that the bins might not fit the younger ones so well. Then I looked into getting a Skywatcher Heritage 76

Skywatcher Heritage telescopes

plus the accessory kit but again have read that this is quite limiting.

I really don't understand all the jargon, we just want something basic that would help us see the moons of Jupiter etc. Ideally I don't want to spend more than £60. I'd love to get the Skywatcher Heritage 130 but even at £140 it's out of my budget right now and we really do want to star gaze in this month!

Could anyone suggest anything without me having to do anymore research as i'm beginning to feel we'll end up not getting anything. I hate to buy anything without researching but really don't have much time to do it at this moment.

I could stretch my budget to £100 at the most?

Thanks in advance

Ziggi

[onesmallstep]

Hi and welcome to SGL

Given the age-range of your children the SW Heritage 76 will be fine to teach them the astronomy basics. This scope is ideal for the following reasons:

The 76mm aperture is considered the minimum for practical observing unless you upgrade to apochromatic refractors which are a whole different ballgame!!!

The scope design is based on the Dobsonian reflector - a scope and mount combo which is extremely easy to use.

The scope itself is a Newtonian reflector which will show a wide range of objects including the Moon, planets, and deep sky objects (DSOs) including galaxies, nebulae and clusters.

Get the acc pack to go with it as the extra eyepieces and the moon filter will add to the flexibility and useability of the scope. The CD-ROM software will also help as a teaching aid.

You can search elsewhere on SGL for reviews and advice on this scope. Check under the Members Scopes and the Beginners Advice subsections.

HTH!

[richbyers]

hi i just want to say i have the heritage 130 and if you can wait and save get it!!!

its great seen galaxies, star clusters jupiter(you can just make out the a cloud ring or two) saturn (with the ring), mars, venus, the moon is AWESOME through it

theres plenty of deep sky objects easily within its reach if you have good patience and can learn to look with peripheral vision

for its price you cant go wrong- ive had it two years - im not very well off but even if i could afford to uprgrade i woulndt (ok thats a lie- i always want better stuff )

but yes...im 21 so its good enough for adults, but its small enough to put on a sturdy table for the kids to

[kniclander]

bins are no good for kids as they can't hold them steady. the heritage 76 is pretty much a toy (i have one) and the supplied eyepieces are toys. Defo worth saving for the 130 as mentioned.

[182570]

I think you would be better off looking to buy second hand,you can usually get the 114mm astromaster at reasonable prices on e-bay,not the best in the world but better than the 76mm heritage.it would give you more to see and be a reasonable intro to astronomy to your children.

[richbyers]

i know ive already posted, but i thought id agree with two posts above- 76 is a toy, and if you're gonna spend that amount of money on that its worth going the whole way, as the 130 will last you- and i promise you, once your hooked there's no going back and you'll wish you'd went that little bit higher

rich

[ziggi]

Thank you all

I thought the answers would be as above!

I'll speak to my husband and see if we can stretch the budget a bit.

Many thanks again

Ziggi

[richbyers]

use your womanly powers of persuasion

[Katen]

Just a thought for you to consider. You could see if theres an astro society anywhere near you that holds open evenings where you could go along with the children and have a look through some scopes and see how their interest lasts. There are some great societies around depending on where you live. And a planetarium show is a great way to stat to teach about the sky too. Katen