kids telescopes advice

[Chrissie1507]

My 9 yr old is showing an interest in looking at the stars and planets.. I really don't have a clue where to start with all this and don't want this to hold him back. I would like to get him a telescope or perhaps binoculars for xmas.. can anyone make a recommendation please

[SnakeyJ]

Not sure I'm the best qualified to advise - my lads a bit younger at 6 and is having plenty of fun with a s/h Celestron Astromaster 114EQ, though the EQ mount is a struggle and the stock finder pretty useless.

I think I will look out for a 6-8" dob (Skywatcher Skyliner 150 or 200) or the Skywatcher 130P or 150P newts if he develops the interest and wants to keep on. For viewing and finding your way around I think the dob prob looks the favoured choice on a budget, or if budget no option then perhaps one of the SCT gotos, though I'll defer on these to someone with more experience

Best of luck - Jake

[andyman]

i would start off with binoculars you would be surprised what you can see through them then if he still shows a interest then think about upgrading to a telescope

[VigdisVZ]

Hello there Chrisse and welcome to SGL.

A few things come to mind. First of all, is it going to be something he will be able to do together with his parents? In that case pick something that the whole family might enjoy. Also, finding the interesting objects (and knowing what to expect), getting focus done right and knowing what it is that youre actually seeing can be a daunting task for a 9yo, so my suggestion would be to share his interest until he's proficient enough to find his way around the sky and who knows, maybe the parents find a new hobby aswell

To keep the interest there, I'd suggest a small scope over binoculars. Binos are great in many ways, but I think your son might be put off if it's not a "real scope".

It also depends a lot on what budget you've set.

Since we're talking about pure visual use, and not an imaging setup I'd really recommend getting one of the smaller dobsonians, specificly the 130p http://www.firstligh...0p-flextube.htm that is a really good telescope for the money. It's of enough quality and size that a lot of the old grizzeld forum users have it as their main light and portable scope, and with this hobby while we all love large apertures, something more portable is what sees most use because its easy to set up (hence the love for binoculars). The only drawback is that the instrument needs to be collimated at some point, either if you invest in a small tool or maybe get in touch with your friendly local astronomical society. Many of us would gladly help collimate for the simple price of Jaffa Cakes

There are alternatives ofcourse like the http://www.firstligh...tar-90-az3.html (I'm biased towards the dobsonians for pure visual use, however many astronomers would pick a refractor like this one instead).

Also, since many fall into the trap of believing you will get hubble class visuals from a small scope, and getting so put off they never touch the scope again (the thought of all the fince scopes collecting dust is sad), I would recommend this book: http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/0521153972 It's an excellent guide that you and your family can use to get to know the sky, and it will also give you a rough estimate of what you can expect from each object.

I think I've touched upon most points. I hope it helps.

[ronin]

Always difficult, it is a fine line between something too simple that they will abandon or something a bit to much that they will not get along with and so abandon.

Safety says a refractor, the Skywatcher ST 80, or the Evostar 90.

The ST 80 is smaller and gives wide views but will show some colour fringing around bright objects, the Evostar 90 is bigger but I suppose probably looks more like a scope to a 9 year old.

A 150P Dobsonian would be good but he may find it a bit difficult to get on with at first. The concern being they take some learning to use and if they do not see anything it gets no second chance. The other aspect of a newtonian reflector is that they will require collimating and a 9 year old isn't going to do that, which leaves you get the tool and do it.

Suspect that the Evostar 90 is probably the best option, the mount is up to you.

[Stevp]

Evostsar 90 on an AZ3 would get my vote. I have one and it probably gets more use than my reflector, purely because setup is easy and it's of reasonable size to move about.

[rowan46]

I don't think binoculars are a good astro tool for small children. A small pair is fine for daytime wildlife use if they are budding naturalists but it's harder to keep them steady at night and generally they don't have the coordination. They are better off with a wide field scope, mounted. Dobs are fairly easy to use and a 150p at about 1.2m high is a nice height for a 9-year old. Not the cheapest scope but if in a couple of years he is tired of astronomy you should get a fair chunk of what you paid back on ebay. more importantly it will be easier to move on as it is a respected and sought after starter scope. It has enough apparture to see many dso's and takes magnification well enough to see planets. Admittedly at nearly f8 it's not as wide as the skywatcher startravel 80 but the apparture is so much bigger and with a wide eyepiece on you will get nearly as wide a view. imo a much better scope all round. You may occasionally need to help him with collimation occasionally but it is not nearly as impossible as it sounds. forgot to put link

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

[Stu]

I'd go for one of these, a Heritage 130p

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

It's very simple to use, collapses down so it is easy to store, and has a big enough aperture to show plenty of objects.

I would avoid EQ mounts as they take time to setup and are not as easy to use for a beginner. Binoculars are also difficult to hold steady and focus in smaller hands.

Have a search on the forum, plenty of comments and positive reviews of the 130p

Cheers

Stu

[bigrbuk]

Another vote for the 130P. The fact you can collapse it down makes it very portable (slightly heavy for a small child perhaps) and therefore more likely to get used! I'm still loving mine.

[Helen]

Another vote for the Heritage 130. I've one on loan to friends for their 6-year-old, and the whole family are having fun with it - and previously it was with a teenage family member who also enjoyed it (until he grew too tall for it!).

Helen

[LukeSkywatcher]

The Heritage is a great scope for kids and even adults. Cheap enough too, if your kid loses interest. You could always use it yourself.

[Siriusmeg]

My kids have a 150p dob which works brilliantly for them as they are at the right height for the eyepiece (it's good for us too if we sit at the side with a stool). My 8 yr old can set it up & find jupiter by herself - definite budding astronomer! However it is too big for them to move about by themselves - pretty bulky.

[Rossco72]

+1 for the 130p

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

Should be a great starter scope and much better than the one I started out with!

Regards

Stuart

[Vince1963]

Hi chrissie...First welcome to SGL. Carl is right in every way with his comments, the Heritage 130p, i would say is a very good starting point for young children, without the commitment of spending too much money as some kids loose interest too easily