Father of a future astronomer....

[LIGHTSabre]

Hi,

I've signed myself into this forum for information as to how I can nuture my sons interest in astronomy.

He is 8yrs old this year and everyday he is reading books on space and goes on and on about space .......hubble , gallileo moon discovery, olympus mount etc...

I would like to encourage his interest and hence seek your views as to how I should go about doing that......

As a first, I hope to get a tool for him to view the skies at night. Would a bino suffice as a start? If so what do you recommend for something around $100?

I've seen the equipment mentioned in the forum and the prices are really beyond our budget for now......:eyepop:

Thank you.

[alistairsam]

Hi Ed
That's really great to know and even better that you're taking the effort to encourage him
Binos are a good start but not too sure what the light ones can reveal
Planets are a great startt and views of Saturn and Jupiter are bound to keep hum hooked
See if you can take him to your local astro society where he can look through some scopes
Books and videos are always good
You could also post his questions here

I'm not sure how good the small table top reflectors are, but they might be a good start for $99
I was hooked when I saw the moon through a 50mm refractor I got off eBay for $30 so there are a few options there, but I think his questions and curiosity need o be answered and a once a month trip to your local astro club would really help where he can ask and learn

[Shiraz]

good advice from Alistairsam.

Binos are great, but my grandkids find them a bit too hard to use - too wobbly. They were much more comfortable with the intuitive feel of a small refractor on an altaz mount.
Had a quick look around - Andrews have a Skywatcher 70/700 on an altaz for $150. That is a bit above your budget, but a properly made scope like this should show the moon very well, with a bit of detail on the planets and the brighter DSOs (especially with young eyes). Some examples that give an idea of how much a low cost refractor can resolve (on a tracking mount though) are at http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=637471#post637471. A 70mm scope will not be quite this effective, but will not be far behind.

[wavelandscott]

If you go the Bino route please consider a "mount" for them...my boys got tired holding the Binos steady over periods of time...

Check around and see if you have any Astro Clubs in your area...many run telescope rental programs and that might be a good place to see if your child can maintain his interest over time...

[Visionoz]

You can also join as a "guest" to one of ASWA's conducted activity for the first time to gather information - http://www.aswa.info

Which suburb are you at? A monthly Lunar Nite is held at Whiteman Park; other club activity details can be found on the website

HTH
Cheers
Bill

[Poita]

See if you can join a group and then rent or borrow a scope. If you were closer I'd loan you my C8.

[malclocke]

A few things that don't require any visual aid:

- International Space Station fly-overs
- Iridium flares
- Meteor showers (Delta Aquarids peak at the end of this week)

You can get predictions for the ISS and Iridium flares for your location from http://www.heavens-above.com/, I find these are great fun for watching with my space mad 4yo daughter as they tend to occur in the early evening before bed time.

[sheeny]

G'Day Ed,

Congratulations on having a well balanced, healthy boy! When I was 8 I, and all my mates, were into space! (Same year as Neil landed on the moon;)).:D

I had a small refractor telescope on an alt az mount when I was that age, but the trick is to buy a quality one. Nothing disappoints quicker than a poor scope.

My usual recommendation when people start astronomy is buy:
1. a planisphere. The IIS shop has them :).
2. a good pair of 7x50 binoculars. Don't go too high in magnification (the 7) as this increases vibration and wobbles. Maybe consider a slightly smaller size binocular (say 7x 40 or 7 x 35?) might be easier to manage.
3. Sounds like he's got access to some books/magazines, so that's good.
4. a red light torch is good so he can look at the planisphere or star charts without destroying his night vision.

Satellite passes are good to view even without binoculars or a telescope. As said before, there are great websites for pass predictions (Heavens-Above and Calsky) or you can down load free software to predict passes yourself (I use Orbitron http://www.stoff.pl/).

I think I did astronomy for nearly 5 years with binoculars before I splurged on a scope:).

Al.

[ZeroID]

I know they are not the 'ideal' astronomers scope but how about looking for a secondhand 80mm f5 Achromatic on a tripod. I have one as a 'Grab & Go' and with a couple of reasonable eyepieces, 20mm and 15mm wideviews they give good viewing without breaking the budget but are proper scopes. I carried mine away on holiday, could not take the 10", and it was just awesome in dark skies for globs and even nebula dust lanes. I added a counter balance weight to mine to make it easy to use and adjust and it sits on a robust photo tripod I had. The short focal length and decent aperture is quite a stunner on the moon and I added a solar filter to watch the recent transit. Took it inot work and impressed the staff.

Here's my 'Little Blue' refractor. It's sitting on th big EQ6 mount before it got all moved to the OB. Cost, about $200 second hand including a case and a few EPs and a 90* Diag.

[Nortilus]

i would say go for some 7x50 binos on a mount and a good star map...and just get him outside at night...even goto a dark site so those binos really get to peak performance...thats all I started with when I was about his age...
avoid the cheap wobbletronic refractors you get at most hobby/toy shops as these arent much better than a good set of 7x50 binos...and ask questions of us if you dont know yourself...the only stupid question is the one not asked...

[2stroke]

http://www.stellarium.org/ 100% free and a notebook which you probably own if not your PC and a pair of binos, now that will keep him going for sometime with a ton of fun and enjoyment to be had :)