just joined question

[starlite71]

Hello everyone, i just joined the forum !!

I have a question my 14 yr old is into stargazing and has asked for a telescope for xmas , im totally lost can anyone suggest a good starter kit at a reasonable price that she will actually see things trough !!

long i know for a first one thanks in advance x

[Astro_Baby]

Hi and welcome from me - its would be better to ask your question in the beginners questions forum because you;d get a better response in there I think.

[starlite71]

thank you i'll repost x

[Bizibilder]

Hello Starlite and welcome to SGL!!

[SwadBaggie]

welcome from me

[Rusty Strings]

Hi and welcome from me, I'm sure you'll find the forum very helpful.

[brantuk]

Hi Starlite and welcome to SGL

[Celeste]

Hi and welcome from us

[JamesM]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Clear skies

James

[BAZ Senior]

Hi Starlite, welcome to you and your daughter.

Enjoy the forum.

[phillc]

Hello Starlite and a warm welcome to SGL.

phillc

[nobbytate]

Hi and welcome to sgl

[Pete Presland]

hi welcome to sgl from bedfordshire

[glowjet]

Hi Starlite,

A very warm welcome to SGL, hope you enjoy the forum.

John.

[johnh]

You and your Daughter will be at home here so welcome.

JohnH.

[Brendan of Borg]

Hello and welcome!

[oldfruit]

Hi and welcome to SGL.

[E621Keith]

hi Starlite71

Welcome to SGL. We live in a wonderful time for astronomy. Thanks to the Chinese optic industry, you can buy very good telescope for less than £300.

10 yrs ago when I was 13, I got my first serious telescope, a 120mm refractor and a EQ5 mount. I loved it, I observed the planets, 2 solar eclipses, a number of lunar eclipses and one Venus transit (with solar filter). I took it with me on observation trips when I was in university and I'm still using it to this day. That said, a 5" F8.3 refractor on a EQ5 was a bit heavy when I was 13, and nowadays there are many scopes that will be much more manageable to a 14 yrs old. The Skywatcher Skymax 127 mak should be a good choice for moon and planets, and you won't have to worry about collimation. The Eq3-2 and Alt-az goto version is around £300.

I'd recommend getting a scope with a decent equatorial mount, like a EQ3-2 or EQ5, because they can be a good staring point for imaging in the future. Also, a pair of 10x50 binoculars and a planisphere can be very useful for learning your way around the night sky.

Hope you and your family enjoy astronomy

Keith

[SeedyF]

Hello and welcome from me too

[mark7331]

Hello Starlite and welcome to the group from me