Telescope for an eleven year old

[Jill]

Hi

After asking for a telescope for the last three years we are giving in and buying our 11 year old daughter a scope for Christmas. The trouble is we know nothing really about them. Having asked various people for their advice we think we have narrowed it down to one of two scopes - a Skywatcher 130P or a Celestron130 SLT. We thought GOTO would be a good investment so she could find stuff quickly which might be encouraging although some advice has been that it isn't too hard to find your way around and you get a better scope for your money without GOTO.Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jill

[lunator]

Hi Jill

Welcome to SGL

The GOTO question is a tricky one. If your daughter would be happy learning the skies using an introductory book like 'Turn left at Orion' then you could forego GOTO but if you think she might get frustrated if she can't find objects due to light pollution then it will be worth the investment.

I don't use GOTO myself but I know many members on here do and find it a real benefit.

I hope this helps

Rgds

Ian

[GazOC]

I think maybe for an 11 year old a GOTO system might be a tricky thing to learn in itself. You have to level the mount, learn the setup stars, learn how the handset menus work etc....

Does anyone still sell those 6" f8 Dobs? Thats what I'll be looking at for my nephew around that age....

[John]

I tend to agree with Gaz on this - my 14 year old son soon got bored when I showed him how to set up a GOTO mount wheras with my simple alt-azimuth mounted scope he can just plonk it down in the garden and point it at what looks interesting - does not need me around at all, which is probably a bonus from his point of view

A 6 inch dobsonian scope would be a good scope that is simple, and above all perhaps, quick to use. One like this:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=dobsky150

John

[Rob]

A 6" dob is a super suggestion. That with a copy of 'Night Watch' would be a great start point, if she then moves into the hobby a little more (1/2 years down the line) a bigger more complicated scope would be on the cards!.

Here is a link to confirm the book + free sky maps to print.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rhughes.xp/basics.html

All the best

Rob

[MartinB]

Dob plus a red dot finder would get my vote. Then back that up with some decent star charts

[barkis]

I concur with the other Dob.advocates here Jill.

Years ago, I made myself a 6inch. Dobsonian Rich field telescope. Rich field is just another way of saying a short focal length scope.

I loved that little scope, both for it's ease of use, and the wonderful bright views it provided.

I then sold to a lady who was looking for a cheap telescope for her 7 year old son.

After a while she came to visit me to ask advice on buying another telescope for him, as he had been reading about Goto instruments, and decided he wanted one. With the money she could afford, I knew she would be limited to a small aperture Goto instrument, and I advised against buying it. Unfortunately, the boys insistence won the day, and she bought it for him. Guess what. It now lies gathering dust in the garden she. When I got around to asking the youngster why he did not use the goto instrument anymore, he said, "I can't see things too well in it when I do find them. I see them a lot better in the old telescope"

Goto telescopes are a wonderful addition to astronomy, but they can be expensive in the larger sizes.

So please don't spend large sums until it is established that the hobby is not just a whim.

Ron.

[Stephen Green]

Hi Jill I started of with asmall telescope and as the others surgested a 6" Dob is agood one to start with, allso not being a Goto it makes you learn the sky, I have a Goto now but I will put in to maual and take my self around the sky which gives me agreat deal of pleasure

Stephen

Eastbourne As East Sussex

[Tiny]

As an 11 year old I started with a telescope that was pretty much a Dob - though they hadn't been invented then. It worked for me - that was 50 years back.

[The Warthog]

A friend of mine who is an advanced amateur astronomer has never used anything other than his SkyWatcher 6" dobsonian. It is an excellent little scope, and very sensibly priced. I have seen good views of Jupiter through it, and my friend swears by it. If you go with goto or an equatorial mount before she is ready for it, she may find herself swearing at it.

A 6" issn't all that small, either. It is larger than most entry-level scopes, and when I was a kid it was considered the practical maximum size for an amateur scope. Of course, we had to be able to move our scopes quickly if there was a Tyrannosaurus Rex about.

For an eleven year old, who seems to have the interest, I think it would be a good purchase, along with a planisphere, a book like Nightwatch or Turn Left at Orion, and a subscription to a good astro magazine. Binoculars are not a bad idea, either.

Tell her about this forum, too, if she has questions.

[Jill]

Thank you all so much. These comments are all really helpful. We are going to have a good look at one of the Dobs as it seems quite a good idea to start simple. Do you need tripods for them - what do you put them on in the garden (I'm sorry it is such a basic question but I know absolutely nothing about them and from the picture it looks as if you put them on a table or something).

Thanks

Jill

[dweller25]

Hello Jill.

Dobsonians are floor standing so a patio or flat grass area would be fine.

The 6" Dobsonian mentioned above is complete, no tripod is required. It is an excellent choice - I just sold a very similar one that I had for 19 years - it is a very good price too.

Best wishes.

[Jill]

I think we might be getting nearer to a purchase. Do I need a red dot finder too? (I'm not sure what they do but I have seen them mentionned). I already have a copy of Turn Left at Orion on order. What about star charts - any particular publisher or books or are they in Turn Left? I'm sorry my questions are so basic but all help is gratefully received

[dweller25]

The finder scope supplied gives an upside down and wrong way round image and can be VERY confusing. A red dot finder is much easier to use as it just transposes a red dot onto a piece of glass that you look through at the night sky. They are fairly cheap too.

Turn left at Orion is a good choice, for now the only other thing I would recommend is a Philips Planisphere, which shows what constellations are visible at all times of the year. Also check out Stellarium - a free PC planetarium.

Regards.

[Stardust]

What about a Telrad, I got one from ebay USA for £27 delivered

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220181681416&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RCRX_Pr4_PcY_BIN_IT&refitem=220173616631&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&usedrule1=CrossSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget

The same company do a set of charts designed for use with this finder. We've just bought this to go on an 8" dob for the astro club at a primary school. I think it's going to be the easiest thing for the children to use.

good luck

Dave

[GazOC]

I got my telrad from those people, nice company and no problems at all. The three best accessories for a Dob are skycharts, a pair of binos and a red dot finder of some description.

[The Warthog]

A standard red dot finder should be OK. It's a bit of a contortion to see through a straight finder, but an 11 year old should be up to it. Later, you may want to invest in a right-angle finder. I believe there is a 6x30 one on the market. I put a 7x50 one on my Newtonian, and I love it.

I would suggest a planisphere (starfinder) as well as the book. Get one in about a 10" size. It will show the constellations for any day and hour of the year, but is not expensive.

[steppenwolf]

Jill,

I have replied to this on the Sky at Night Forum where you have also posted, complete with photographs of what we are talking about here!

http://forum.skyatnightmagazine.com/tm.asp?m=54545

[Jill]

Thank you everyone. We have really appreciated all your comments and have finally ordered a Dobsonian scope - a Skyliner 150P and a red dot finder and moon filter and a planetarium so hopefully we are all set. I've also got a copy of Turn Left to start us off with. I can't wait to see it all in action - I'll let yoi know how we get on with it. No doubt I'll be asking lots of questions once we get going.

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Perhaps I'm too late as I've missed a few posts recently, but I would add my vote for a Dobsonian type 'scope. Dead simple to set up, dead simple to use and dead simple to put away when the clouds come. Just please tell her, don't look at the sun, ever, not even for a bit.

The nice bit about a Dob. (having borrowed a go on one for half an hour) is that you can wave it about until you find something, then have a better look at it. With the red dot finder you can work out where you are pointing it and look up what you have found later when its cloudy.

If you were to get a goto mount, the goto would point at stuff which is so faint that its not visible anyway (unless you live somewhere really dark and its a monster 'scope) most of the time.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[supernova]

Perhaps I'm too late as I've missed a few posts recently, but I would add my vote for a Dobsonian type 'scope. Dead simple to set up, dead simple to use and dead simple to put away when the clouds come. Just please tell her, don't look at the sun, ever, not even for a bit.

The nice bit about a Dob. (having borrowed a go on one for half an hour) is that you can wave it about until you find something, then have a better look at it. With the red dot finder you can work out where you are pointing it and look up what you have found later when its cloudy.

If you were to get a goto mount, the goto would point at stuff which is so faint that its not visible anyway (unless you live somewhere really dark and its a monster 'scope) most of the time.

Kaptain Klevtsov

MY feelings to Go big .

[barkis]

Perhaps I'm too late as I've missed a few posts recently, but I would add my vote for a Dobsonian type 'scope. Dead simple to set up, dead simple to use and dead simple to put away when the clouds come. Just please tell her, don't look at the sun, ever, not even for a bit.

The nice bit about a Dob. (having borrowed a go on one for half an hour) is that you can wave it about until you find something, then have a better look at it. With the red dot finder you can work out where you are pointing it and look up what you have found later when its cloudy.

If you were to get a goto mount, the goto would point at stuff which is so faint that its not visible anyway (unless you live somewhere really dark and its a monster 'scope) most of the time.

Kaptain Klevtsov

A very Important remark within your post KK. It's almost a throwaway line, but the terrifying consequences of this ladies child pointing the newly acquired scope at the sun, simply because it is the only object visible in the day sky, is frightening. I know most people are sensible about this sort of thing, but I wonder if this lady is aware of the danger, and takes every step to ensure her little girl never ever is tempted to do it. I am hoping the warning is very prominent somewhere in the literature of the scope she eventually buys.

I may be acting a bit paranoid here, but I would be happier if someone sent a PM to this lady on this subject. This is in case she does not read this particular post. Better not left to chance I reckon.

Ron.

Edit: I have sent Jill a PM on this. In case she doesn't read this.

[Tiny]

I use to feel the same when telescopes used to arrive with a sun filter for the eyepiece end. Do they still do them for cheap scopes does anyone know?

[The Warthog]

If you were to get a goto mount, the goto would point at stuff which is so faint that its not visible anyway (unless you live somewhere really dark and its a monster 'scope) most of the time.

Kaptain Klevtsov

That's a very good point about goto, and one that I had thought of. Of course, if your goto says you are looking at incredibly faint galaxy 1001, and you can't see it, you know that it isn't that you can't find it.

[Jill]

I promise we won't look at the sun!!! Thank you for your concern.