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An interested six year old

wulfrunian

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wulfrunian

wulfrunian

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My nearly 6-year-old nephew has decided he likes the look of this hobby. Naturally, therefore, a telescope has appeared on his Christmas list. His dad has asked me if I think a scope he's seen in Argos would be any good, a 50mm refractor for £30.

My reaction was that he'd be much better off starting by looking at the sky with a pair of binoculars, as he'd get the same aperture, comfortable viewing, and might be surprised at how much he could see. Meanwhile, he could come round and view through my scope while we've got the dark winter early evenings. Then he could see whether he was really going to be interested enough to take it further.

Was I right do you think? Or do you think that just the fact of owning his own telescope, whatever the quality, would make him more likely to keep his interest up?

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jgs001

jgs001

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Michael, I think you're right. I don't know about the Argos scopes, but it's probably one of

Buy National Geographic Compact 50mm/180x Junior Telescope. at Argos.co.uk

I think it'll probably put the lad off...

one of the reviews...

"Not really a toy but was very good for my 8 year old to be able to see the craters on the moon. Had trouble seeing the stars but apparently this is quite hard to achieve anyway unless your a professional"

which I think speaks volumes....

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John

John

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For £30 or so the sensible choice is binoculars however there is the risk that they simply won't fire the imagination and enthusiasm as much as a telescope would with a child. Trouble is that a £30 Argos scope will have that short term "wow !" as it's unwrapped but once pressed into use, with the exception of the moon, won't impress.

At least the binoculars can be used for other hobbies ......

Perhaps suggest investing in a good book as well on what you can see in the night sky with binoculars so that hopefully some quick "wins" can be had.

On a linked topic, I can't understand why respectable institutions like National Geographic and the Science Museum lend their name to such poor products :headbang:

John

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michigander

michigander

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.....

Perhaps suggest investing in a good book as well on what you can see in the night sky with binoculars so that hopefully some quick "wins" can be had.

John

I frequently recommend H.A. Rey's book - 'The Stars - A New Way to See Them'

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0547132808/sr=1-3/qid=1242337954/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1242337954&sr=1-3&seller=

as a first primer to study the sky and things astronomical. It's reasonably priced and absolutely ideal for children

Dana

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Neon

Neon

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I'm going to actually NOT recommend binoculars for a 6 year old as an introduction to astronomy. My experience with binoculars is that they're great if you're willing to stand there scanning the heavens and get excited at seeing a smudge, but I doubt that would impress a 6 year old.

Also, think about trying to tell him where to look to see Andromeda. I can see frustration creeping in when he can't find what he's supposed to be seeing.

I think with kids you need something with a tripod that you can point at Jupiter (or whatever) and then they can look at.

I know that Skywatcher do a kids scope for about £35, but I've no idea what the quality is like. It's got 30x mag and comes with a base that you can use as a mount:

Sky Watcher Infinity 76 Deluxe 76mm (3") Newtonian Reflector kit

I'm guessing with won't give a Takahashi much competition, but it might be child-friendly enough to kick off the hobby and let him see a few things.

HTH

Neon

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Chris H

Chris H

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I agree with Neon a telescope would be better, if a six year old wants a telescope then a pair of binos will not do (thats if they are like any other kid I've ever met.) There is this scope launched for the international year of astronomy it gets good reviews and comes with 2 eyepieces, a finder scope, a carry bag and a moon filter. Infact everything you need to get started and is good value too.

Celestron Firstscope 76 Mini Dobsonian IYA2009Telescopes | Rother Valley Optics

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brianb

brianb

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I'd go for the Mini Dob ... the Infinity is actually reasonable (& very easy to use) but the eyepieces are non standard whereas the Celestron is standard 1.25" fitting. It's amazing how they can do that spec for about half the price of one mid-range eyepiece! Should give good views of Moon & brighter star clusters, which is about all one would expect from 3" anyway.

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FLO

FLO

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I am not convinced that any telescope costing around £50 will satisfy a 6-year-old, or anyone else for that matter.

at this time of year dealers traditionally stock up on <£100 'starter' scopes knowing that they will sell well as presents for kids. It is sad to think that every year we have a fresh crop of young and enthusiastic minds taking up astronomy only to have their new hobby crash and burn on the runway when the telescopes fail to deliver impressive views. Perhaps this new £50 telescope will be the exception to the rule. If we start hearing positive reviews (from owners, not magazines) then we'll put them into stock.

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iamjulian

iamjulian

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Tricky one. I can see it from both sides, but then how likely is it that a 6 year old will stay in the hobby? Not very. I bet the majority of us took it up then dropped it for years. We are also in danger of applying the same advice to an adult interested in getting into the hobby as a six year old. An adult shouldn't buy a child telescope that will show rubbish views, but I don't see it as being the same for a child. They want the telescope as an object more than for the ability of it's optics to split the double double, or show a clear colour contrast on Albeiro.

I could well be wrong, but I imagine a pair of bins isn't going to excite a child as much as a bit pointy tube, whether they give better views of the stars or not. If the child was more like ten or twelve that would be different. At six they just want to imitate you don't they?

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jgs001

jgs001

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I think one of the mini dobs is probably the best bet... easy to use, being a reflector you aren't going to be hampered by plastic lenses etc... I was asked for advice from a friend looking at doing much the same and the Skywatcher Infinity, considering how small it is, and can be used handheld... has positive reviews.

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TheThing

TheThing

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I've convinced my sister-in-law to buy one of the mini dobs for her daughter (my neice...but you knew that) and tried to steer her towards FLO. I think she's buying it shortly.

When I had a look round, it appeard good value for money and had pretty impresive specs for a scope that size. Newton's first reflector was about the same size IIRC. I'd start the little lad out with one of those and see how you go (and if it's not any good, you can always flog it over on the S@N forum!)

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brianb

brianb

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I am not convinced that any telescope costing around £50 will satisfy a 6-year-old, or anyone else for that matter.

Fair point, but TBH it it wise to spend say £300 on a proper "starter" scope which is (a) a good deal more fragile than anything a 6 year old is likely to have been entrusted with and (:headbang: far too heavy for a small child to handle on their own.

Tricky one, but then I didn't have a scope till I was 15 & I earned the money to buy it delivering newspapers come rain or shine for 18 months....

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brianb

brianb

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Newton's first reflector was about the same size IIRC.

Actually I think the original "demonstration" Newtonian had an aperture of around 40mm ... and the mirror was speculum metal, which has a reflectivity of at best 60% (when freshly burnished) i.e. ~35% for the two mirrors combined.

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kniclander

kniclander

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I bought a minidob from somone on sgl for my nearly 5 year old son and I think he will love it- it's just the right size for a small child, it is aesthetically very appealing (I would say cute if I wans't a bloke) and the moon looks very nice at 75x (and strangely appealing at 15x, crystal clear and all alone in a huge field of view). to be fair, the view through the supplied e/ps was much inferior to £30-£60 range e/ps that I already had and if you wnat to knock it, at F4 or thereabouts it's not nearly well enough collimated and you can't adjust the primary at all (well, i haven't tried yet). I paid £35. Would I pay £50? at a push, yes but it's basically a nice scope for a small child, not a cheap scope for a grown up, if you see what I mean.

ps it's much much easier to use than a cheap scope on a tripod as the movement in alt and az is smooth and there's no need to tighten or loosen anything.

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FLO

FLO

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Hhhmmm... FLO is built around SGL's members preferences, which ensures that we cannot contemplate selling something that does not meet with SGL's approval. When we first saw the mini Dobsonian we dismissed it as under-specified but perhaps we have missed the point. Looking through this thread it certainly appears to have a few friends, knowledgeable and experienced ones too.

Okay, I'll add it to FLO's site later today and order some for stock :headbang:

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