Short tube refractor for 9 year old

[Hemi]

Dear members,

The c925 evo is a fantastic scope, but a bit big and complicated for my 9 year old son, so he simply looks down the eye piece once dad has setup and pointed. I'd like him to learn and get involved more (he would to) as he is a space nut watching and reading everything in Nat Geo.

I was thinking of buying a short tube refractor for him. A good all round scope for planetary and deep sky. One that we could take camping, and one that may potentially double up as a reasonable imaging OTA and or guide scope. He is a small 9, and I want him to be able to do everything himself in gems of weight etc.

Your advice would be great.

Cheers

[RB (Andrew)]

When my daughter was eight I asked the same question here.
The advice I got was to get an 8" dob.
I bought her an 8" Lightbridge and she absolutely loved it, still has it after ten years.
I'd say get an 8" dob.

RB

[Wavytone]

Yes I'd also suggest a dob, an 8" will be fine - it will show the moon and planets well enough and its big enough to how some DSO's and galaxies nicely if you're in a dark location.

I'm about to build one for my little boy over the next year.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Originally Posted by Hemi

Dear members,

I was thinking of buying a short tube refractor for him. A good all round scope for planetary and deep sky. One that we could take camping, and one that may potentially double up as a reasonable imaging OTA and or guide scope. He is a small 9, and I want him to be able to do everything himself in gems of weight etc.

Your advice would be great.

Cheers

Can't really have both, planetary and DSO, they have different optical requirements. Guide and travelling will work but probably not imaging unless you buy an APO.
I'd suggest simplicity, a basic 80 F5 Achro refractor and AZ tripod, point and shoot set up. I'd almost suggest a good photo tripod with a control arm rather than an astro one with knob controls. He can just push it around. Add a red dot finder and a couple of maybe the GSO SV eyepieces, 15 or 20mm and he's away easily. Long term it makes a good guide scope and always a great grab & go option. No collimation required either, those things are built like the brick proverbial.

The 8"dob is good but not really for travelling unless you have plenty of spare space in the car, not always possible with a family. DSO's require widefeild mainly but planetary needs a longer focal length to see any detail. You will still see Saturns rings and Jupiters moons, great clusters and some nebulosity on brighter DSO's (M42 eg). Brilliant on the moon of course and I've spotted comets, satellites and meteors with mine. And a few planes ..

My 80F5 and a photo tripod with adapter has travelled in the boot 1000's of km around NZ and is now mainly my guide scope. But next big trip it's off the mount and travelling again. I reckon as a first scope they are brilliant and have many uses long term.

[Hemi]

Thanks for the advice so far. The Dobs out because of travel. What do you think of at the Skywatcher 105 or 120 F5 Achromatic?

[Bombardon (Eugene)]

I tended to buy elaborate dobs for my grandkids which were soon discarded. In hindsight the 3" Aldi Dob which appears from time to time and has been tested by some of our Shoalhaven Astronomers members get good reports and show moons of Jupiter and rings of Saturn. The big question is how keen is the viewer and will the interest last.\
Eugene

[kittenshark (Cheryl-Ann Tan)]

Table-top dobs are nice and compact. Skywatcher makes a collapsable 5" table top dob and it is better than the ones currently at Aldi.

[doppler (Rick)]

Originally Posted by Hemi

Thanks for the advice so far. The Dobs out because of travel. What do you think of at the Skywatcher 105 or 120 F5 Achromatic?

The 120 f5 achro is a great scope for visual, no problem seeing the faint fuzzies and was my favourite finder scope on my 10'' newt, until I gave it to my daughter. You can pick up a secondhand one for around $250.