telescopes

[BUIZILLA]

I need to purchase a good beginners telescope on a tripod for a youngster under 10

where do I go???

budget is about $400 + or - a few bucks

[mikev]

Astronomy is my other hobbbie so I will be happy to answer any questions you have. To be honest anything you buy at a department store or walmart ect are pretty much junk. You can get a decent scope for $400.00 but to be honest unless he really has show a huge interset in astronomy i would start out with a good set of 7X50 or 10X50 binoculars. real easy to use and learn to navigate the stars and see alot of stuff and if they loose interest you can use them for a ton of other stuff where a telescope will collect dust in a closet. once they show they are truley intersted then i would look at getting a scope for them. all that said if your heart is still set on a telescope the place with the most info and good telescopes is Orion (http://www.telescope.com). read all the stuff on choosing the right telescope and let me know which ones you are intersted in i will be happy to help.

[Scott Pearson]

One like this?

[BUIZILLA]

I suppose something like that would work

[Ed Donnelly]

I bought my kids the Celestron Starseeker 70 mm
for Christmas 5 yrs. ago.. It is still used on a weekly basis.
Under $400.............Ed

[pmreed]

I've got a 3" Unitron, Meade ETX 90, Meade ETX 125, and a Meade LX200 GPS 10", and I wouldn't recommend any of them for your youngster. The first thing you need is a good Planisphere. You know, those round things with a rotating wheel that you line up with the date and the time to give you a map of the night sky at that time and date. Be sure you get one that's appropriate for your latitude. I like this one (http://www.amazon.com/Night-Sky-20%C2%B0-30%C2%B0-Large/dp/0961320761/ref=sr_1_4/103-0907915-3700609?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194664552&sr=1-4). If he's computer literate, there are some free planetarium programs that are pretty good, Cartes du Ciel (http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/) comes to mind. After all, you need to know where to look before you aim an instrument at something.
Binoculars are good tools for beginners. If you want a telescope, your best bet is a small Dobsonian, probably a 6". Orion, as mikev said, is a good source for inexpensive hardware. Their Orion StarBlast 4.5” Dobsonian Telescope Package is ~ $180, and the XT6 package is ~ $270. The 4.5" is really a richfield telescope. Not much power capability but a relatively large field of view. You'd be happier with the 6" (the XT series goes up to 12"), but the 4.5" would probably be as good a starter scope for the kid. Don't get hung up on "power". Rarely can we use high power in Florida skies,and then mostly on the moon and the planets. Remember, you can't see galaxies and nebulas the way they look in the magazines, but there are a lot of sky wonders available to even the unaided eye, and lots more with a small scope.
A really good source for help would be your local astronomy clubs. They'll be going out to dark sky sites once or twice a month and are always enthusiastic to let you and the kid, look through their instruments. They can also talk knowledgeably about equipment. If the kid joins, they usually have loaner scopes available for a month at a time. My club has 8 ranging from a little 6" dob up to a 12" Meade LX200. If you want to talk about all this, give me a call.

Phil

OK, Jim. I just assumed the telescope was for astronomy. A Dob is useless for terrestrial viewing. If you guys are going birdwatching, that's whole different ball of wax. :)

[gcarter]

OK, Jim. I just assumed the telescope was for astronomy. A Dob is useless for terrestrial viewing. If you guys are going birdwatching, that's whole different ball of wax. :)
What kind of "bird"?
I was always frustrated as a teenager that the image was upside down!!!:yes:

[pmreed]

It's just an extra piece of equipment George, a cute little prism assembly that inverts the image and switches right to left. It's called an"erecting prism".

Phil

[DonziJon]

What kind of "bird"?
I was always frustrated as a teenager that the image was upside down!!!:yes:

I was always interested in the "****bird". Havn't seen one yet.:nilly:

I spent 9 years in the Navy dealing with telescopes....and Periscopes. "Celestial" telescopes are an inverted image. It's upside down. "Terrestial" telescopes show the image errect. Good for looking at stuff on earth...like birds...and Hot Babes in ..well...whatever. :lookaroun: John

[TXDONZI]

My next door neighbor is in to astronomy and has a website. He seems to have a very nice setup. Check it out I attached a link to his page.

astronomydude.com

or

http://www.randybrewer.net/

[mikev]

I agree with Phil on the dobsonian telescope most bang for your buck I have a 10" and love it. One word of warning with the dobsonian is you will need to collimate it on a regular basis becuase when you move it and bang it around the mirrors do get out of allignment and need adjusted. if you have the tool to do this its a simple process once you get the hang of it but can be frustrating till you do and the images will be blurry till you do. if you dont want to mess with it at all i would go with a refractor and get atleast a 90mm one.

[BUIZILLA]

Phil, the scope is 100% astronomy usage

vector line is Cayman Islands

we're thinking 100 to 140mm

ready to buy today, I need it here a week from today at the latest

[mikev]

ok in that case i would get this. 6" orion dobsonian (http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09182) its in your price range most bang for the buck as what you can see i would also get this LaserMate Laser Collimator (http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=scope_tune-up/~pcategory=accessories/~product_id=05680) to make sure you keep there mirrors lined up for best perfromance.