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Celeste

By Celeste
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Celeste

Celeste

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Hi guys, I have been stalking this forum for a little while now in hope of helping me and my special needs son. He has had an interest in 'the sky' since he was 6. I bought him the usual el-cheapo 9.99 jobby scope for him to see the moon with, he was overjoyed with it and I was happy he found a hobby :) Well until one day he had taken the thing apart screw by screw :p There was mirrors, screws lenses the lot in bits on the floor! He said he wanted to know how it worked and asked if I could put it back together :eek: Erm, pass on that son lol! So as an xmas present he had a more expensive scope (still only 29.99) which he has had for the last 2 years now sat on his desk for moongazing. He is now VERY interested in spotting the planets and galaxies etc so here we are in search of your experience and advice RE 'scopes. TBH I am feeling quite excited at having the opportunity to see the wonders of our sky too, I am astounded by the pictures I see you all taking and would dearly love to see it for myself. So I guess you will be seeing me around asking the usual newbie stuff (I will read the forums first :eek:)

Oh I do have a few 'scopes in mind for our first go...I shall find the approriate forum to ask about/read about these.

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Celeste and welcome to the forum.

One thing I would like to point out is that what you see through the scope will be slightly different from the photographs. You won't see much colour if at all, the shape and density of nebulosity is greatly enhanced using digital cameras with a lot of time spent gathering the exposure data. However that does not mean there is nothing to see because there is lots - just don't want you to imagine you'll be seeing hubble type images. :eek::D

Clear skies

James

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Celeste

Celeste

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Thanks James, yeah I understand I won't be seeing great details, I have been watching Youtube vids of the 'scopes I am interested in to see what they are capable of. There is also a few vids on using Registax and a few other apps so I have at least an idea of what I may need/want. I will be needing a camera attachment so we can all see on a PC and take pics/films of our journey. All these things you need/want lol I shall be spent out!

Sorry edit here to say....noted almost ALL vids/pics I see are of Jupiter, is there a reason for this? is it the easiest to find/see?

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Paxo

Paxo

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Hi Celeste,A very warm welcome to SGL. Please feel free to ask away with any questions you have, there's usually someone along fairly quickly with an answer, or often several. Hopefully this jump to a more "expensive" scope will enhance the hobby your son already enjoys, and will allow your interest to grow also.

Steve..

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JamesM

JamesM

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A lot of pictures are of Jupiter because its prominent in the sky at the moment. If its clear tonight, take a look up at the south eastern sky and you will what looks like a very bright star, can't miss it - that's Jupiter!!! :eek::D

I'm not an imager only an observer but I would ask you to check out with the imagers on their section of the forum for guidance on what the minimum requirements are for obtaining images. Astrophotography can very quickly become expensive and has its own requirements with regards to kit as some types of set up (e.g dobsonian) don't lend themselves to image capture. If this is the way you want to go, please check with the imagers first before buying kit.

Clear skies

James

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brantuk

brantuk

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Hi Celeste and welcome to SGL :eek:

As mentioned above - see if you can find Jupiter - if you have reasonable 10x50 binocs you should also see 4 of it's moons. Imaging can be started quite cheap with just a webcam and some software - that'll get you some planets - but dso imaging whilst highly technical and expensive, can be built up over time. First step - learn the constellations to help finding stuff, and download Stellarium (planetaria software) - its free and an excellent astronomy tool.

All the best.

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Celeste

Celeste

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Thanks guys, I will certainly pop out in a bit to see if I can spot Jupiter. I did spy an old pair of bino's in a 2nd hand shop the other day, I may have to pop back and see what they are and perhaps have a go at seeing Jupiter and it's moons. RE the imaging, it's not so much about the fantastic images I have seen, more of a way for us all to enjoy the image in the viewfinder and share with family/friends. It may get a bit more serious but that's IF my son keeps his interest.

Well poop it's cloudy and raining out so no spotting Jupiter :eek:

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barkis

barkis

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A warm welcome to you and your son Celeste.

How great a mother you are, encouraging your son into astronomy.

This forum is teeming with good people just waiting to give you all the help you may need to further, and nurture your sons interest in this great way of life we call Astronomy.

If you do require any assistance on any aspect of astronomy, just ask away.

Ron.:eek:

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Celeste

Celeste

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Wow thanks for the warm welcome guys :) BTW my son is only 9 but his interest is huge. I did wonder if the amount of pennies spent is too much but on advice of the 'scope seller the best I buy now will last us longer than buying a cheaper one and then wanting more. My son has told me the job he is going to do is be the man who invents the spaceship that takes humans off the planet earth to planets beyond....what a dream huh :eek: that's why I am doing all I can to nurture his desire.

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

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Thats a worthy ambition - can you convince him to leave the politicians behind when he does :eek:

The dealer has a point in a way but only you as a parent (and I say this as a mum myself) will know whether its worth the cash. My youngest when he was a bit younger was VERY faddy and I would never spend much on his whims because I knew he'd change his mind ten minutes after he got whatever it was he said he wanted.

Your the best judge in this one - I'd never presume to make a judgement on what another parent should or shouldnt spend. All I'd say with younger kids is something that they can use/are allowed to use etc will provide some wonder - something thats too complicated or 'too expensive' which they arent allowed to touch might well put them off for good.

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