what to advise the neighbours on scope for son

[mgirdwood]

hi all, a little advise would be appreciated on what direction to point my neighbours on a scope for their son. i dont know them particualry well, but he is 13 i think and very keen.

i have lent them my sw 200 flex so that they can see if the bug stays or petters out after a few nights.

now i know the standard thoughts are to go for a dob however i notice in their garden that there arent may open views due to trees house etc. the dob will be very restricted i think. they do have a very good balcony however that would great views of the East, North East and South East.

so something on a mount would prob give more view if less light capacity. i dont suppose theyt will look at buying a huger scope to begin. there are a few types to be found on ebay etc, dobs, newts, refractors,

for ease a refractor but the apperture is less perhaps than a newt for the same money. coliimation etc prob with the newt though.

Thanks for any sage advise

Mark

[Ganymede12]

I would recommend either a Heritage 130 or a Mercury707. The heritage can be easily lifted/raised and I have read good things about it. The mercury was my first scope and It got me into astronomy for under £100. Cheap and yet a brilliant quality!

[RT65CB-SWL]

I have borrowed from my local astro society "Astronomy With Small Telescopes". It praises the Orion ShortTube 80" and its some of the clones. I don't think the ST80's are that expensive either. Back to the book it covers all types of telescope (ie refractor, reflector & catadioptric upto 5inch/125mm aperture).

[sam mayo]

iuse stargazing for beginers it great for a 1st timer i still use it now

[Mcphisto]

I'm over the moon (quite literally) with my Heritage 130P, the price, portability and quality are great for a starter scope. The kid can take it camping, sleepovers etc.

[paul schofield]

I would have to go with the 130 Heritage also, cheap easy to use and set up in a relatively small unit with very reasonable optics. Then again I think at age 13 I had a cheap refractor and loved it even though it was rubbish. I think nowadays most of the main telescope manufacturers make very respectable budget refractor scopes mmm I think I am on the fence with this one, I think at age 13 I preferred a refractor.

[mgirdwood]

thanks for the ideas, i am sure his dad can find some books in german to get him going, not sure if backyard is only in english.

the heritage 130 could be a suggestion, but of course the logistics of having a table to place it on could be a pain. there is also the AstroMaster 114EQ for around the same money , or TS have http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p685_Newtonian-150-1400mm-on-Mount-EQ3-1-Beginner-Scope-Age-10-.html this if it is any good.

[sam mayo]

would be a good starter and if he does loose intrest its not going to break the bank but if it does spark intrest then it will defo break the bank,but its so fun doing so

[JamesF]

"cotterless45" Nick has modded his Heritage 130 to fit on a tripod so it can be used that way or on it's own as Skywatcher intended. He posted about it somewhere here. I'll see if I can find the details. A second-hand tripod should be fairly cheap to pick up I'd have thought.

James

[JamesF]

Here you go:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/157228-heritage-130p-mounted/

James

[jonathan]

A good pair of wide-field binoculars can show a lot that the naked eye won't see, they may cost the same as a Heritage 130 and not show as much, but are far more portable and easy to store, and can be used for other things too.

[JamesM]

"I'm sure his dad can find some books in German to get him going, not sure if backyard is only in english" - I wonder if a digital version of the Backyard Astronomer can be purchased if his parents own a kindle type reader, as there is plenty of free translation software out there that can translate it into any language.

James