Starting equipment for 6 years old

[EliinAfrica]

Hi,

I am looking for starting but decent equipment for my 6 years old.

She would use the telescope with me and I would like to enjoy it too

Would probably be nice to have something reasonably portable, if theres anything decent on the market.

I live in Africa so no support here - I would need to take care of the basic maintenance myself, but the least maintenance is required the better it is...

Thanks a lot in advance for your help!

[Franklin]

Two pairs of binoculars, a couple of deckchairs and a planisphere. Learn to recognize the constellations (star-patterns) and find your way around the night-sky. There is tons of stuff to see with simple binoculars and they're so easy to use, especially for the little'n.

[Stu1smartcookie]

25 minutes ago, EliinAfrica said:

I would need to take care of the basic maintenance myself, but the least maintenance is required the better it is.

I would suggest a refractor on an alt-az non computerised mount would be a good starting point as it would be casically maintenance free . Not sure what your budget is though , so that is a key factor . How easy is it to buy astronomy gear where you live ? Here i the UK i'm sure we sometimes forget that buying scopes etc can be somewhat challenging in certain places .

[Carbon Brush]

Attention span 5 minutes is often the case for a young child.
Instant results are called for. Nothing too big or heavy for a child to handle.
The first 4 scopes in this list are worth thinknig about.
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html
 

[Naughty Neal]

One should add that one won't see the views often seen in pics on the tv , magazines or via NASA etc,etc.

Good Binoculars are a good shout.

Qne shout if a good smart phone is owned is a celestron telescope with the starsense system, attach a phone to the starsense and be guided around the sky.  One can check via the starsense app which phones are compatible.

[John]

Hi and welcome to SGL 🙂

I'll be watching this thread with interest. My grandson is 6 years old and is showing an interest in astronomy. I'm giving some thought to which of my scopes he might find the easiest to use so suggestions here might help steer me too.

 

 

[Elp]

If you want something like you see in images, is easy to use, portable, get a ZWO Seestar (they're in high demand at the moment and fulfilling backorders). I was going to suggest binoculars but A, you really need to mount them onto a tripod otherwise it's hard seeing pinpoint stars as dots as you can't hold them still enough, B, you might be focal length limited which "can" potentially make the views underwhelming. I've suggested the former dispite its cost because a camera sees over time, visually you can only see at the time so you'll see far far more with the camera system, and they'd be able to control it via the mobile app which they'd enjoy. Cheapest cost of entry however is the binoculars. You'll get lots of different answers here, take it in and decide for yourself what will be best.

Edited November 2, 2023 by Elp

[Shimrod]

2 hours ago, Naughty Neal said:

One should add that one won't see the views often seen in pics on the tv , magazines or via NASA etc,etc.

Good Binoculars are a good shout.

Qne shout if a good smart phone is owned is a celestron telescope with the starsense system, attach a phone to the starsense and be guided around the sky.  One can check via the starsense app which phones are compatible.

I think the challenge with binoculars is getting a six year old to point them in the right direction. Something that gives a wide field of view (with appropriate eyepiece) such as @Carbon Brush has suggested would be more appropriate. This gives time for the adult to align on an object for  the six year old to view. In this case something which can track the sky (either goto or simply motorised) would keep the object in view for longer.

[Peter Drew]

Understandably, binoculars always get recommended in this scenario, small, light, inexpensive and largely hassle free.  Unfortunately, a six year old rarely possesses the required hand/eye coordination for astronomical use and the magnification won't be enough for that wow factor.  A small, well mounted telescope of whatever design will be better but the greatest route to success will be the amount of time and assistance the adult is able to provide.   🙂 

[JeremyS]

https://britastro.org/2018/what-telescope-should-i-give-a-child

[MartianHill]

Hello @EliinAfrica and welcome to SGL,

This is quite a capable scope, easy to set up and use, affordable too and First Light Optics are reputable and may ship to Zanzibar……

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/evostar/sky-watcher-mercury-707-az-telescope.html

There are other options too but would cost more, the above is a budget choice but decent (you may have to buy better eyepieces).

I find it more comfortable to sit down when viewing.

You may have to limit your expectations though as many of the impressive images you see are made with professional telescopes.

If your budget is higher then do let us know as it’s always great to spend other peoples money 😁

Hope that helps

Edited November 2, 2023 by MartianHill

[bomberbaz]

I am with the seestars (or similar)  by @Elp, sorry but however much us dinosaurs hate it, that is the future for a significant majority number of the upcoming astronomers. Kids these days live in their phones, if she hasn't got one already, she will by 14.

I bought then sold an evscope, sold because although I liked it, I didn't use it enough to validate it's investment but I got how it would be "cool" for the newer generation. Tech is the future for many. 

Cheers all

Steve

[Stu1smartcookie]

Whilst I am 100% behind the seestars and dwarf smart scopes ( I have both ) I am not sure that it’s a good starting point , although I will say that the fascination of seeing things the eye cannot see materialise on a screen is magical but from what I read I think the target initially is planetary , having read Elisa’s intro on the forum.Those scopes just do not cut it on planets . I stick by my suggestion of a refractor .. maybe a StarSense 80mm from Celestron .. a decent focal length for planets and the StarSense unit attached to find other objects and what’s more , it’s not too expensive . After all , a 6 yo may not keep interest in the hobby . 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Stu1smartcookie

[Albir phil]

30 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

I am with the seestars (or similar)  by @Elp, sorry but however much us dinosaurs hate it, that is the future for a significant majority number of the upcoming astronomers. Kids these days live in their phones, if she hasn't got one already, she will by 14.

I bought then sold an evscope, sold because although I liked it, I didn't use it enough to validate it's investment but I got how it would be "cool" for the newer generation. Tech is the future for many. 

Cheers all

Steve

I agree the new technology telescope's will only get better,I remember when you had to star hop to find objects,then came go-to ,film replaced by digital, So the seestar types are just one more step.Im glad that I've seen all this development and I'm sure there much more to come😃

[John]

Looking at where the poster is located, I think something simple, reliable and robust is required. A smallish refractor on an alt-azimuth mount perhaps ?

 

[bosun21]

I’m still sticking to the Skywatcher Heritage 130P.

[AlcorAlly]

My daughter loves her Heritage 150. Although she got it when she was 10. I think 6 is a little young and something a little more compact may work better (100p Heritage?). Ideally she would be able to pick it up and carry it around comfortably. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that some (most?) children prefer to sit on the floor at this age rather than stand or perch on a chair, so a small dobsonian placed on the grass and waterproof blanket may work better than a refractor on a tripod. But of course it depends on the individual child.

[Naughty Neal]

It may help a bit more if Eli can give an idea of her budget and her expectations of what she thinks they will or might be able to see viewing wise.

The latter will  be likely  somewhat far from what she thinks they will see,  if a suitable phone if owned the a starsense equipped scope would be a good option given the targets that it will quite accurately lead them to.

[bomberbaz]

i would add that last year I used the now sold evscope with my grandson ( age 8 ) and his dad who were both amazed by the unfolding image before theirs eyes. Whilst this was happening I was able to explain what they were seeing, how far away etc and this allows a far more interactive experience.

I think the interactivity of such equipment allows you to remain far more engaged with an audience over looking through an eyepiece and will be more likely to lead to a positive and longer experience for the child involved. (PS sorry for sounding like a salesman 🤣)

[Elp]

No, I think this is true. Kids these days, let alone a 6 year old have little to no attention span, they're not going to remain patient whilst you locate a target, fix focus then (if a manual setup) have to keep nudging the telescope to keep the object in view and then be underwhelmed the view is not like the "images" they've seen elsewhere. I don't know about your climate but it usually also gets cold at night at times, another aspect which will stop them wanting to stay outside. A robo scope (or an imaging setup in general) can be used whilst in the comfort of indoors, granted it's not the same as a visual experience but it certainly removes most, if not all the frustrations we have all been through, which for a beginner is enough to put them off the hobby for good.

The robo scope won't give good planetary views due to their short focal lengths this is true, but you'll see a lot more on the majority of other targets (detail) via the robo scope than you will ever see visually, it's just visual observations tend to stick in your memories more, but you have to be the long term type astro nut for this to mean anything.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Elp

[Stu1smartcookie]

5 minutes ago, Elp said:

The robo scope won't give good planetary views due to their short focal lengths this is true, but you'll see a lot more via the robo scope than you will ever see visually.

Can't argue with your point , but , kids like to see planets and the moon , as they are visible to the naked eye . And thats what Elisa said she wanted to do in her introduction . 

The SeeStars and dwarf , are brilliant , Binos are brilliant but nothing beats looking through a traditional frac , especially when children are involved . there is just something about a traditional looking scope that provokes a wow factor to kids ( and adults alike ) . 

[Elp]

It depends on the people. The majority of people I've shared my views with have been underwhelmed, (planets due to size despite using an SCT and Barlow and not being patient enough with an eyepiece to get a comfortable view) and (light pollution is also a big factor here). Others have been wowed by just seeing a dark sky with their own eyes. All have been put off by the cold and quickly retreat whilst I've stayed outside perplexed.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Elp

[Stu1smartcookie]

Not sure Light polution has much effect on viewing planets really . but , i agree its a "horses for courses " thing .

[Elp]

16 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Not sure Light polution has much effect on viewing planets really . but , i agree its a "horses for courses " thing .

It was a reference to what you're able to see in general other than planets. Once you've seen the solar system objects how often are you going to keep looking at them over and over (I know people do like doing this, I personally don't and have been trying to see DSOs like clusters from home instead, even saw Andromeda but it was very very faint), this is where LP plays a larger role in whether you keep doing visual. Camera setups can go further in this respect going into electro assisted astronomy and astro photography with LP having a smaller impact, filters can mitigate this somewhat but background sky is background sky, I'd assume the OP has better skies than we typically do here in an urban setting lit up by LED lights.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Elp

[mr_belowski]

my niece got a cheap 72mm short Celestron refactor on a basic alz-az mount / tripod and she *loves* it. It gives reasonable views but more importantly (for a 6 year old) it looks like a real telescope and she wants to use it and enjoys using it