Hi Everyone,
So glad i found this site and it seems i have a bit of reading to do!
Well i thought i would introduce myself and hope at the same time that i can score some advice.
Im a 39yr old male with wife and 2 kids and have lived in sydney all my life until now. We have just moved to Yass. The look of amazement on my sons face when he saw an unpolluted sky was priceless and without looking down he has asked me for a telescope so here i am!
What im looking for is something cheap (even second hand) that will alow my son (with my help as he is almost 8yrs old) to view the moon and our planets without them looking like a smudge. The only experience in astronomy i have is looking through my friends 8inch (i think) meade and was very unimpressed when he focussed on galaxies that were no more than a smudge on screen.
I want my son to get hooked on astronomy so emphasis is on our planets and moon that can be seen as clearly as possible. Can you guys suggest a telescope for this purpose? How clear would say mars be in the viewfinder?
Sorry about the length of this post too
Any suggestions and advice is welcome!
Regards
Rob