scope for 10yr old to see planets -moon, venus jupitor

[maz6870]

Is this telescope :

Newtonian Telescope 700 x 76mm.

any good ? My 10 year old is desperate for one and I said I would treat him, only have Argos or Jessops to go to, he wants it now as he got a good school report and can't wait to use it!

thanks

[stafford_stargazer]

I would to be honest avoid any high steet type telescopes,they are usaully very poor quality.They will make your job usually harder than it needs be and therefore can be off putting to the consumer.

I would look for a used telescope,maybe off here.

I am about to put a nice little vixen 70mm achromat tube assembley on the for sale section.

Where are you located?

Thanks Gary

[maz6870]

Hi Gary

Not really used to the astronomy terms, is the vixen 70mm achromat tube assembley a full telescope or is it just a piece to go onto a scope? Sorry to appear thick ! We live in Nottinghamshire

Thanks

Maria

[pbyrne]

How much are you prepared to pay?

[stafford_stargazer]

Sorry of cause my fault:D

It is the big tube that you look through,but it does need a tripod of some sort to support it.

It can actually be fitted to a photograhic tripod if needed aswell as a proper astro tripod.

I am not trying to sell this to you or push it on you,im just giving honest edvice and letting you know.There are plenty of other deals abouts too.

The main thing is it will give excellent views which will inspire your son further.

Just put advert on the for sale section,cant remember if you can see that section with you having less than 50 post!

Try and look at the for sale part see if you can view it.

Thanks Gary

[maz6870]

Hi Gary

Nope can't view it, can you pm me please with the price?

thanks

Maz

[dweller25]

Hi maria,

This is a very good telescope that a 10 YO could just manage ....

Dobsonians - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian

Please stay away from high street telescopes - there are better options for the money.

[yeti monster]

That would be one awestruck 10 year old, getting a 150 Dob!

I agree, stay away from the high street shops.

Try FLO (headline banner/sponser of SGL) and have proven good service and fast despatch, also Scopes n skies have some pre owned scopes.

[Capricorn]

Can I suggest a slight wait and if possible contact and get along to the Nottingham Astronomical Society.

Details I can get are:

Nottingham Astronomical Society: Home Page

Meet on the FIRST Thursday of each month (except August) at:

The British Geological Survey,

Nicker Hill,

Keyworth,

Nottingham NG12 5GG

So this coming Thursday they should be gathered there.

If the link doesn't come out right the go to The Federation of Astronomical Societies look up member societies and scroll down to Notts.

Could be worthwhile contacting and asking if they would have a few small/beginners scopes available to be seen. One club may have a public observing night soon, if lucky.

Oops just read that you say Nottinghamshire not Nottingham.

Others in Notts are:

Bassetlaw Astronomical Society

Mansfield And Sutton Astronomical Society

After that I wouldn't like to say, at 10 he may not get on with a dob, although they collect light you have to locate the objects and that isn't any where near as simple and foolproof as people say. I guess he wants to see thing and not spend the time learning how to locate them so that he can then see them.

Unless you are going to take up astronomy as well I would also say not an EQ mount. Bit technical to set up at first.

Shops are around you but not close to you, but a visit to one would be useful. As also said contact FLO and ask them. Thoughts are tending to a Meade 80mm Goto or similar offering from SW. But then you have the set up of them also.

[Ogri]

If you look at it as treating the whole family, including yourself, then the 150p dob would be a terrific investment and tremendous value for money.

I think it would get a lot of use and therefore be money well spent.

Also, given the f7.84 specification, it will be very tolerant of less expensive eyepieces, so steadily acquiring a range of magnifications (which a x 2 Barlow will help with too) won't be that expensive.

Download the free Stellarium software too, it's outstanding, and will help find your way around the sky Stellarium

The only bad telescope is one that doesn't get used. A good telescope will definitely get used, so quickly becomes the best value of all, and as the old saying goes, its quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten (which doesn't mean go mad with your money ).

eta: there's always something like this on the AZ3 mount, which would perhaps be easier to use for the time being? Supposed to be very nice 'scopes for the money too. http://firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ev90az3

[Capricorn]

Depending on how you feel, and the budget involved, it seems that michaelmorris of this forum has his Meade ETX90 for sale at £250.

It is a goto and will need aligning at the start of any observing session. The alignment is straightforward but it is not a case of plonk on the groud in roughly the right direction and get observing. A few more steps are part of the process.

If/as you cannot see the for sale section a PM to him may be useful. It is at time's like this when the 50 message rule falls down I am afraid.

From his signature he is in Cheshire it would seem.

After that it is visit a shop, visit a club, ring FLO and ask.

[brantuk]

Hi Maz and welcome to the group

Just a suggestion - join up to the East Midlands Stargazers group in the "Community" tab at the top of this page - choose "Social Groups" and you'll see our link on the right of that page. We meet regularly when the weathers clear at Sawley.

Come down to one of our meets (there's one tonight if you're intersted) - and have a look at a few different scopes and see a few nice views.

We'll give you lots of advice and you'l get a much better idea of what you want to buy. Currently the meet is scheduled for after 9pm due to not getting dark till later. You don't have to stay all night but an hour or so will be well worth it for you.

All the best

[xboxdevil]

If the size of the 150p puts you off take at look at this one: Dobsonians - Skywatcher Heritage 130p Flextube all skywatcher dobs seem to get good reviews, the beauty of this type of scope is that they are very easy to use.

[Moon Lander]

Whatever you do settle on, if your 10 year old is anything like mine, you will get involved in his hobby whether you want to or not! Since we had our scope delivered a couple of days ago, he has read every handbook, learnt how the mount works and how and where the eyepieces go - it's just a pity it goes dark so late and we have had clouds every night! My personal recommendation would be, dependant upon your budget, buy a scope that the whole family can use. This really is a good hobby for all ages and you can get some great family time together.

[Astro_Baby]

If its this one Buy National Geographic 76mm Newtonian Telescope. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for . run a mile. It will be pretty dreadful and its £134.

You could get a scope like this Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130 for the same money or like this Dobsonians - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian for just a bit more.

Either would blow the Argos scope out of the water in every respect.

Please, please, please avoid places like argos for telescopes which will be exepnsive for a very 2nd rate product that will do more to put your 10 year old off than anything else.

[pvaz]

If his main interest is planetary I have recently given this scope as a birthday gift to my 13 yo sister and she's been enjoying it a lot:

Evostar - Skywatcher Evostar 90 (AZ3)

It doesn't need maintenance, unlike a newtonian and it responds better to the pre conceived idea of a telescope (increasing the chances a child will like it). The finder scope ain't very good but otherwise it's an excellent scope for the price. I wouldn't mind having one myself. You'll need to add a barlow or an extra 5mm eyepiece to enlarge planets enough to make it interesting.

If you can add a bit to it, then a rigel quick finder would be an excellent extra but if you don't, you'll still be able to have decent sessions with the stock finder.

[Astro_Baby]

I agree with that too pvazv - refractors are a bit more child friendly and without an EQ mount can be a bit easier to use.

The Dob might be good though.

[pvaz]

No doubt the dob is great, definitely the choice I would make for myself or someone around 14yo+. However it will need frequent collimation (alignment f the mirrors) which is too much for a 10yo (IMO) and I'm not sure if you'll have the patience to learn the process and do it. If you do then the problem is solved.

Otherwise the refractor may be more suited for a young one. The AZ3 mount ain't too complicated and it's pretty steady. After adjusting the focus/tracking it stops shacking really fast making it comfortable enough to enjoy. It looks pretty cool too and I bet it will get some wows out of his friends.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I've said it before and i will say it again:

For kids you can NOT go wrong with a SkyWatcher Heritage 130P. Its small,easy to use and CHEAP BUT VERY VERY GOOD.

I know kids want instant "WOW" moments with no work involved. It is up to us adults to nurture them in the hobby and teach them.

If you think a small Dob such as the Heritage would be too much for the kid to handle then i suggest a small refractor on an Alt-AZ mount. I personally would avoid EQ mounts as they are heavy and complicated to use for many.

How about a very nice pair of 10X50 bins and a good starter book. Most here i would guess started in to the hobby with a pair of 10X50 bins and STILL use them today (maybe not the same pair).

I think a nice pair of 10X50 bins would be very rewarding and it will allow him to see things in a different light and let his passion for the hobby grow.

If he finds that astronomy is not for him then there is very little money wasted.

[Steve922]

Don't waste your money buying a telescope. There are a bunch of local astronomical societies very close to you who will be delighted to demo their equipment to you and your son and show you what you will be able to see and perhaps more important what you WON'T be able to see without thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

I can recommend The IDAS guys who meet in Ilkeston and also in Shipley Park. Also, read again what BrantUK said above; there is a local group from this forum who meet often and any one of these will bend over backwards to help you.

If you absolutley MUST have your own telescope, I'll lend you one until you come to your senses. :-)

Where are you?

Steve

[msinclairinork]

For some years i used a 'high street type' telescope, it was a tasco 70x600 with a goto mount, and you know what? I really enjoyed it! I found it was really crisp on the moon and the planets, and even with the diameter i could make out quite a few fuzzies too. You could set it up in 30 seconds and do a quick 2 star allignment and the computer slewed her round to all the highlights in the sky at the time. For a begginer...what more could you want? especially for the little money i spent on it

Maybe i just got lucky with that model? But for the planets i thought it was great!

Best of luck and good on your son for having an intrest and good on you for helping him!

Michael