Scope for young beginner

[EddieDog]

Hi all, I have a friend with a 6 year old girl interested in Astronomy. He would like to buy her a scope. I have given him some info and a copy of advice from the 'Backyard Astronomer;s guide'. But it is difficult to know. A bad scope may well put both off. And my friend is now generating an interest. I have invited them over to look through my 6Se but work schedules and weather are a delaying this. He is on a tight, small budget. My thought are that if he can afford, a goto scope is the way to, well, go. But they are not cheap. I know dobs are popular, but probably way too big for his needs. And I am concered re the 114mm newts having see a friend's cheapie years ago. Portability, easy set up and reasonable view are probably the main aim. He has seen on 'Gumbree' a local 5" Seben with EQ mount , but methinks that despite it rasonable price, it is not really suited to his needs. At/Az mounts are easy to use but bad for tracking, the old ones with various nobs and that horrible bar were suited only to octupuses. So, what are the groups suggestions.....would appreciate some good advice.
Thanks

Eddie

[Gem]

Not sure the budget... but here is a suggestion.

114mm Celestron GOTO ... $499

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

http://www.celestron.com/c3/category.php?CatID=8

I believe the 114 is a reflector on the SLT mount judging by the price. It isn't specifically on the Celestron site, so double check with Andrews.

My 7 year old enjoyed looking through an 80mm with me, so a 114mm should be fine as a first scope. Celestron is a good brand.

:)

[Polmear]

Since she's only 6, the support, opporunity and encouragement she gets from the adults around her is just as important as the scope she uses.
I wouldn't *immediately* recommend a Tak.
But you want to give her some quality optics to look through otherwise, as you have mentioned, she'll soon grow tired of the crummy views. A small collection of quality oculars would enhance the experience.
I'm not certain about a GOTO, but then again, she's 6, soon to be 7, 8, 9, and at the upper end of childhood the GOTO would be a bonus.


If it were my child I'd be tempted to go for a small aperture tabletop GOTO AltAz reflector with a few plossls and see how things go from there. A setup like that would have the capacity to grow as the child develops.

[Brian W]

Hi, everybody has an opinion and here is mine. I have used my 8" dob mounted reflector to show some of the neighbourhood munchkins the heavens and it worked... but not all that well for the shorter ones.

If one could be found I suggest an Orion 4.5" table top type. Or a 6" dob mounted reflector with a tall stool.

Personally I do not use GOTO. It takes about 3 minutes to learn how to move and track by hand.

Just my opinion... but for me if it is too complicated, big, or fragile you could have problems.

Brian

[michaellxv]

I'd stay away from a GOTO for a 6 year old. Even a relatively short setup time with quick and dirty alignment will lose their interest. At 6 your not going to be setting up for an all night session.

Remember kids like to grab hold of things. A small DOB (6" or maybe 8") would be more suitable. Put it on the ground and let them go for it.

[Brian W]

Cautionary note, Celestron is indeed a good brand but some of their 4.5 (114mm) reflectors come with a built in Barlow and that particular model has a bad bad rep.
Brian

[Suzy]

Hi Eddie,

+1 to what Tim & Brian said about a tabletop scope.

I'm about to get one myself as a quick grab'n'go. The nice man at Bintel said the Orion SkyScanner 100mm was of very good quality as it has parabolic mirrors and made of glass and not plastic (as many of the tabletop ones are apparently). It even has a red dot finder! Bintel sells them for $200.

-Easy enough for a 6 year old to handle.
-Minimal set up.
-Takes up little room to store.
-Nicely priced.
-Nice 4" worth of aperture.
-You can also mount it on a simple camera tripod apparently, if you want more height or convenience than using a table.

Can I sell ice-cream to eskimos or what?! :P :lol:

This is the scope that I plan on letting children run free with when I take it out with me.

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=15218&tb=2&kw=orion skyscanner&st=2 (http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=15218&tb=2&kw=orion%20skyscanner&st=2)

[Brian W]

Suzy may have no luck tracking down Travolta but she has tracked down a very nice telescope at a great price.

I have a 4.5" short tube Orion reflector and it is a good scope. All you will need to complete the package is a collimation cap which is a minimal cost and a little practice collimating.

Brian

[EddieDog]

Thank you so far for your info please keep the suggestions going. Much matches what I had been thinking of; though my goto was based on my friend, not his daughter. I am actually encouraging them to go to Keith's viewing nights in Malaga. If clear this Thur I might try to persuade them to go. A small portable scope such as Suzy has suggested looks good and with a good price may well be enough boos further interest.

[renormalised]

Everyone is going for dobs...how about your typical beginners scope...

Skywatcher SW80AR AZ4

80mm achro refractor. $479 from Bintel. With the tripod lowered to its minimum height, the eyepieces would be at the right height for a 6 year old and it would be exceptionally stable. She could even use it to spy on the neighbourhood boys to watch out for attacks by "boy germs":):P

Being on a tripod, there's no need for using a table as you would with tabletop mounted dobs and she wouldn't have to lean across a table to look into it. She could use the table for her astronomy books:)

[niko]

my 2 cents worth

I started with an 8" dob and loved it - no steup, plonk it on the ground and go for it.

6 is very young and I agree that attention span will wane with the set up of a goto. I would have thought the 4" orion tabletop etc was really only going to be good for the moon...? But then perhaps the moon is the big draw card for a 6yr old (avoid the full moon - partial moon so much more interesting)

I have a celestron 130SLT it's a good little goto BUT very noisy and quite unsteady seeing in any kind of wind. Only takes 10mins or so to align etc but in that time with a dob you could have had 10mins looking at the moon

.....

niko

[Brian W]

With an Orion 4.5 short tube I did the M110 and about 2/3 of the H-400. With the rich field and low mag colours are fabulous (even colour in M-42 and E.C.) and there is a real wow factor in seeing the whole thing and not just part of what you are looking at.

Brian

[EddieDog]

Yes, thanks, Carl, looks good, small, easily portable to pack up etc. Not too complex. Indeed, I recall back in the '50s' that a 3" refractor was the minimum good starting scope. This is certainly one that I will bear in mind as it's for both a young girl and her father.

Eddie

[EddieDog]

Ta Niko, main prob I see with dobs for my friend is size, could be difficult to take out and in. But will be consulting more. Heck, might get him to buy a big dob, then I can buy it from him! :)
Eddie

[madbadgalaxyman]

Personally, I think 6 may be a little too young to learn to handle a telescope.

When I was ten, I got my first telescope, one of those notorious badly mounted and optically poor Tasco 50-60mm refractors, instruments which have put millions of people off astronomy for life. It is a wonder that I did persist with it.

About two years later, I got a Unitron 3inch F15 refractor, which was a serious well-mounted instrument with decent optics.

It was not fiddly, as are some reflectors, and it could be set up in a minute or two. I think these are essential attributes of any childrens telescope.

[EddieDog]

Yes, 6 young, but she is keen and what is equally important, so is her dad, so don't want to put either off. You are correct in the cheapies doing that. What is needed is something small enough not be encombanat, with the old adage, the best scope is the one you use most, but big enough not to disappoint but wilthin a reasonable budget so money is not wasted on poor quality or on an instrument that at the end of the day remains unsused through declining interest.
Eddie

[EddieDog]

Carl, et al. How about this at BTOW Perth,
http://btow.com.au/Skywatcher_SW909_producing_excellen t_Refractor_telescopes_great_high_q uality_products_from_Australia

Eddie

[renormalised]

That would be a good choice...something that dad could use and show his daughter how to use as well. Although, the Dec and RA cables could irritate a youngster by making it a little difficult to control where the scope points.

[EddieDog]

Possiby Carl, but kowing children and adults, it is likely that the daughter will quickly get the hang of it, twirling in two directions at once, and the father much, much, later.

Eddie

[renormalised]

That's true:)