Could some one help me find a decent telescope for my daughter

[bethsmom (Sally)]

Hi All, i found this forum when searching telescope reviews on google, i know nothing about telescopes and dont understand all the technical stuff. anyway, i am looking for a telescope for my daughter, she is only 10 but has been into the whole astronomy for a year now when normally these 'fads' would have worn off by now. i wanted to get her something half decent that she could learn a lot from and possibly something upgradable as she gets older. she is quite the enthusiast and would like to do all i can to stop her from getting bored.
i have found this one http://www.wightbay.com/XCClassified....asp?ID=681528 its actually local to me so could make sure it isn't broken before i buy it but is it ok for what i want?
i really hope someone can help me as i am at a loss and dont want to spend £100s on a toy's 'r us special.
thanks in advance

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Hello Sally and to Iceinspace. You have started out doing the best thing you could have.....found an astronomy forum and asked for directions. So many budding enthusiasts end up disheartened because they chose the wrong scope for their needs.

First things first.....don't get that telescope. You will be disappointed. The telescope itself MAY be alright (though it's doubtful) but the mount it is on is an absolute disaster. It is too light and flimsy. It is what is commonly known as a Wobbletronic.

I would suggest as a starter a small 6" or 8" Dobsonian style scope, or possibly a small refractor on a decent mount. So that we can offer more targeted advice, what price range do you have?

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

I found a couple of UK links for stores that may be useful to you.

www.telescopeplanet.co.uk

www.telescopesales.co.uk

www.telescopeandbinoculars.co.uk

The 8" Dobs are a great starter scope.

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

Well just by what you sent us about what your looking at about 80 pound, that gives a fine idea of what it is that your budget is looking like. With that in mind. Yes you have done the right thing by coming to a forum (Nicely said 1ponders )

Basic terminologys you will encounter.

Dob = Dobsonian, all the money is spent in the optical side eg mirror.

Refractor = Unlike a reflector captures light at the front of the telescope and focus's the light to the eye peice at the back. are expensive to get something decent.

Reflector = the mirror is at the back and uses a small secondary mirror to focus the light out the side of the telescope (exactly like the link you sent us originally) basic principle of the dobsonian.

6", 10" 16" = This is the size of the main mirror/lens, what collects the light and what we will all say is the most important thing of all to us here.

a 6" dob would be in your price range, and a dobsonian would be spot on for a learner. They are very forgiving. unlike the rest of the gear that we love to use, the dobsonian mounted telescope is on a wooden base with like a lazy susan to turn it around. You manually push/pull it to what you want to look at.

Main things to get your daughter.

Planisphere - a rough guide to whats in the skys, almost like a street map.
Red light torch - So that your eyes stay good to look at the stars white light stuffs everything up.

And a good Astronomy book, all up (in AUD) this should be the most rewarding and chepest bit for you at <$50 aud. and for the dobsonian that we are talking about you can get them between $300 - $400 aud. So im thinking that you could get away with a GOOD set up that will serve your daughter for a long long time for 150 - 250 pounds.

Apart from talking to dedicated nuts like us I belive that it would be in your best interest to be able to go into a shop locally to look at your options and physically look at them. But for a beginners scope a Dobsonian isnt just recommended its almost mandatory... so to speak. Just stay away from department stores and the like, anything you find in a shopping center more than likely will not be the place you need to be in.

Thanks 1ponders.

This is the exact kind of telescope we are talking about! in fact this is probably the one you should get, (if your daughter doesn't use it you can always use it )
http://www.telescopeplanet.co.uk/Vie...e=PON07H000018

Thats my 2 bobs worth.

Brendan

[okiscopey (Mike)]

G'day Sally, welcome to IIS,

That telescope 'looks good' and seems to have all the technical bells and whistles and accessories at an amazingly low price. It is of course too good to be true as the previous posters have pointed out. The 'equatorial mount' will be too unsteady and needlessly complicated for (I imagine) your daughter's level of knowledge, and the performance of the optics will have been compromised by the costs of providing needless mechanical complexity. The mirror is only 4-1/4 inches in diameter ... 6 inches is the usual minimum size for effective viewing.

If you absolutely NEED to get a telescope, then the Skywatcher Dobsonians are the way to go ... I note from the UK websites that the 6-inch mirror ones are about £160. 'Dobsonian' refers to a simple push-pull mount that is easy to set up and use. This type of mounting is used by beginners, intermediate and advanced amateurs.

HOWEVER, the standard advice for anyone starting out in astronomy is to begin with a planisphere (e.g. the Philips one, available at some big book stores), a decent pair of binoculars (typically around 8 x 50 ... 8 times magnification, 50mm diameter objective lenses) and a red-light torch to get to know the sky better. (The reason for the red light is to preserve 'night vision' while looking at the Planisphere. This could be a hands-on project: a few coats of red nail varnish over the plastic lens of an ordinary torch works fine.) To this lot one might add a computer 'planetarium ' program ... there are a few 'free' ones available which are very impressive, such as 'Stellarium'. These items together are far more meaningful than just 'a telescope' by itself.

Here's another idea: there's an astronomy society in the Isle of Wight ( www.vectis-astro.org.uk/home.html ). Since the other bit of 'standard advice' is to join an astro society, perhaps this can be another way to keep the interest going. It may even be that one of the members has a suitable beginner's telescope for sale ... worth a call or an e-mail to the secretary!

Perhaps if your daughter is a good reader, a subscription to an astronomy magazine would be worth it. (I'm not sure what's available in the UK though ... you may have to do a bit of Googling.)

Patrick Moore's 'The Sky at Night' program on the BBC is perhaps a bit late for kid's' TV viewing, but each episode can be viewed anytime online at: www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/skyatnight/proginfo.shtml

Just one other point. Whatever optical device you end up with, make sure anyone using it doesn't point it at or anywhere near the sun ... a recipe for instant blindness. Some cheap 'scopes come with a small 'sun filter' which fits in the eyepiece (the lens you look through). These are VERY dangerous and should not be used ... they can shatter due to the sun's concentrated heat with disastrous results. There are safe ways to view the sun, but this is getting a bit off topic ... I think you have enough to be going on with for the moment!