Best scope for looking at planets under £80

[Lillyjane15]

I'm looking for a beginners scope also suitable for a child to use for looking at planets, I have a budget of £80. Or am I asking the impossible with my price range?

[bambuko]

Depends whether you want brand new or second hand?

[brantuk]

Hi Lillyjane and welcome to SGL

You're not asking the impossible at all - this is a working instrument that would seem to tick the right boxes for you - just so long as your expectations are realistic.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-76-mini-dobsonian.html

You'll have a little budget left over to obtain one or two extras as soon as you and your little one are comfy with using the scope (eg an astronomy book, or planisphere, etc). It's very easy to set up and get using almost straight out of the box.

And the retailer in my link will give you superb service both before and after the sale.

Hope that helps.

[Lillyjane15]

Depends whether you want brand new or second hand?

Don't mind decond hand

[Ags]

I bought one of those (firstscope) - good on the moon but of course planets are tiny even with a 4mm eyepiece. Good for star clusters and andromeda from a darker site. Very easy to use and kid friendly.

[bambuko]

Don't mind second hand

OK, than the next three questions will be:

- how young is the kid? or is he/she just an excuse for you to indulge in a hobby

- how much in a hurry are you? i.e. can you wait for the right deal (they sometimes take a bit of time...)

- how much do you know? (buying secondhand is a minefield if you don't know what you are doing)

In the meantime, perhaps have a look at this to see, what you can expect to see

[ronin]

Someone asked similar a few days back, try: SKYWATCHER MERCURY-707 TELESCOPE

Sherwoods do it at £75

http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/sky_watcher/skywatcher_refractor.htm

Supplied eyepieces are usually not great but may be OK with that scope as it is f/10 (long in comparison to its diameter).

Could save a bit more money and try tye 60mm (£55) that is on the same page.

70mm would be better.

[bambuko]

and... just to give you an example of what's possible secondhand:

secondhand add

This is not recommendation, I am not the one selling, and Caveat emptor applies, but this type of scope would be possibly something that you are looking for?

I would not recommend ebay (even though I got some great deals there), simply because it is more risky option.

Adds here on SGL will not be visible to you until you accumulate at least 50 posts (I think?)

[cantab]

I like my Heritage 76, but it's not well suited for planetary observation. The supplied eyepieces barely reveal the bands on Jupiter, and I believe the mirror doesn't give clear views at high magnification. The Moon's great even at 30x though.

A long-tube refractor like the mentioned Mercury 707 I expect would do better on the planets, but gives up the widefield capability that I find makes the Heritage really easy to use.

[Lillyjane15]

OK, than the next three questions will be:

- how young is the kid? or is he/she just an excuse for you to indulge in a hobby

- how much in a hurry are you? i.e. can you wait for the right deal (they sometimes take a bit of time...)

- how much do you know? (buying secondhand is a minefield if you don't know what you are doing)

In the meantime, perhaps have a look at this to see, what you can expect to see

It's my daughters 6th birthday in 2 weeks so I was hoping to get one for then. I have always had an interest but never done anything about it. I know where the moon is! And a few stars but that is it! Also never owned a telescope.

I have looked at the skywatcher mercury 707 and celestron astromaster 70az. I presume these are very similar?

[Lillyjane15]

and... just to give you an example of what's possible secondhand:

secondhand add

This is not recommendation, I am not the one selling, and Caveat emptor applies, but this type of scope would be possibly something that you are looking for?

I would not recommend ebay (even though I got some great deals there), simply because it is more risky option.

Adds here on SGL will not be visible to you until you accumulate at least 50 posts (I think?)

I have had a look at this and to be honest I it looks a bit complicated for us, maybe we could progress to this in time. When we know what we are doing:-)

[Nigele2]

LillyJane welcome.

I go a bit against the general view here  but for what it is worth:

I'd go for a refractor because:

It looks like what a child thinks a telescope is.  A bucket with a mirror in the bottom has no child street cred.

You can use a refractor through double glazing.  Never had success doing that with a reflector.  And a 6 year old won't to often appreciate the cold in my experience 

I bought one for £39 incl P&P secondhand on ebay.   60mm width, 700mm long, with tripod.  Have seen Jupiter and its' 4 moons, saturn and its' rings, and a red disk called Mars.  All small but fascinating that they are your views.  And it should stimulate further investigation.  It doesn't stop with the view.  Once you've seen it you want more.  And I've seen Orion's Nebula and the Seven Sisters like you cannot see with the naked eye.  And I've seen crators and features on the moon.

A refractor is easy to set up.

There are dozens on Ebay.  Just find one and post here and these good folks will tell you if it is a toy or the real thing.

Just my humble opinion of course.  In coming, duck    O yes I forgot, a refractor is good for watching ducks and other daylight objects.

ps Did I mention I think a refractor is the way to go 

[Bobby1970]

I used to have a Skywatcher Skymax 90. I sold it for about £90 just for the scope itself. It can fit straight on a camera tripod if you have one and will give great views of the planets and some brighter dso's in my experience.

[bambuko]

I have had a look at this and to be honest I it looks a bit complicated for us, maybe we could progress to this in time. When we know what we are doing:-)

Yes, very sensible

Given what we know now about your daugther's age, time left to get it etc, I would follow advice about the refractor.

Simple, quick and easy.

Good luck, have fun and don't forget to read about what you can expect to see.