Telescope for a kiddy?
04 February 2004, 12:23 PM
#1
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 9,307
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Telescope for a kiddy?
My kid, 7 years old, wants a telescope. Nothing superfancy but equally nothing crappy. Will 40-50 get something that will do- this is probably just a fad so i dont want to spend a lot- equally i dont want to spend a penny if a 40 scope is useless (it looks cool on the box in toys r us!
T
T
04 February 2004, 02:22 PM
#2
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Nobbering about...
Posts: 16,067
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There's a really useful guide to telescopes here http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/scopes/
Most of the cheaper models tend to boast about magnification but it's really aperture and light gathering abilities that count, as well as the quality of the optics.
If you've got a good set of binoculars they may be just as good as a cheap telescope so, it may be worth buying him a simple planisphere and star chart (if it's astronomy he wants the telescope for) and seeing if he gets really into it before splashing out on a telescope. If he really is keen then you can buy him a better quality scope which will last him into adulthood. Even though I've got a telescope I spend more time having a quick session out in the garden with the bins than I do with my telescope due to the effort of heaving it in and outdoors and then having to leave it an hour to adjust to the night temperature etc.
Bear in mind that the image will appear upside down in some telescopes too (like my Newtonian reflector) which is fine for astronomy but pretty useless for bird watching
Sal
Most of the cheaper models tend to boast about magnification but it's really aperture and light gathering abilities that count, as well as the quality of the optics.
If you've got a good set of binoculars they may be just as good as a cheap telescope so, it may be worth buying him a simple planisphere and star chart (if it's astronomy he wants the telescope for) and seeing if he gets really into it before splashing out on a telescope. If he really is keen then you can buy him a better quality scope which will last him into adulthood. Even though I've got a telescope I spend more time having a quick session out in the garden with the bins than I do with my telescope due to the effort of heaving it in and outdoors and then having to leave it an hour to adjust to the night temperature etc.
Bear in mind that the image will appear upside down in some telescopes too (like my Newtonian reflector) which is fine for astronomy but pretty useless for bird watching
Sal
Last edited by Scoobychick; 04 February 2004 at 02:27 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
