Best telescope for me and my 6 year old son?

[thrax30]

Thanks again for your info guys, as soon as I have my first nights viewing I shall be reporting back!

[thrax30]

Hey guys

after much deliberating over the last week (and speaking to you guys), I can safely say that a dob will be perfect for me and my son. I was set on buying the Skywatcher 150p, but I am seriously thinking about pushing the cost up slightly and getting the 200p.

So what I want to know, is the extra £86 for the scope worth it?

What is the height of this scope when vertical, compared to the 150p? Is there a big size size/bulk difference between the two scopes, as I don't want storage to become an issue.

Arrrghh, I just don't know what to do now. I'm sat here now changing my mind every 5 seconds! Maybe the 150p is better for me and my son.

[just looking]

the 200p dob stood upright on its cradle I Would say roughly about 4 1/2 foot

depending how tall your boy is? as you look through the e.p at the top

or get a swivel stool..

http://firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=dobsky200

[thrax30]

Hi

thanks for that, think my son is going to be using a stool to view with either the 150p or 200p.

I'm going to be buying the scope and eyepieces from FLO, I was going to buy the eye pieces from SNS, but after reading some poor reviews on their service I've decided to order all from FLO.

What eyepieces from FLO's website does anyone recommend for the 150p and 200p? Looking to buy a couple of eyepieces as well as the ones supplied, and a nice wide angled one to keep the planets in view longer.

[red dwalf]

i looked through a 8" newt at Kelling last weekend and i must say that the view was very good the differance between 6" and 8" aperature is something like 78% more light gathering power.

the views where very black background and sharp stars and found loads of dso`s with it, but saying that this was at Kelling where you can see the milkyway so very clear skies

[thrax30]

I'm going a bit off topic here with the eye pieces, will post those questions on a seperate thread!

[AkiThePirate]

The 8" is definitely worth it if you don't mind a slight increase in weight and size.

I don't think your son would notice too much of a difference, but on those night where you go scouting for some nice little galaxies and clusters, the difference will definitely be noticeable.

As has been said, a wide-angle EP is a good buy. My most used is a 2" 40mm, but I'm more of a galaxy guy.

For the planets in a 6/8" scope, anything between about 80x and 200x is great depending on seeing and such.

[Moonshane]

I did a test on this for someone else the other night. with my 12" dob at 145x and in a plossl eyepiece with a 50 degree field, Jupiter took well over a minute to cross the field of view. the best bet when handing over to someone is to get it just out of field on the right (in a reflector) and it will then drift into view as they sit down or just after. then guide him as to how to move the scope (maybe by peeking into the finder) I bet he'll soon get the hang of it.

[brantuk]

Kids seem to display superb eye/hand coordination with fast moving shoot 'em up style computer games. I reckon slowly inching a dob around will be very quckly acquired and pose no problem.

My only concern would be balance on a raised platform in the dark. Make sure it's a sturdy one with no rocking and both feet firmly planted. Maybe make one with a handle to hold on to