Telescopes

Archive for the ‘Kids Telescope’ Category

I want to personally thank wilde_space, StarGazer, Digquick, Surveyor and Randy for your timely and informative responses for both of my questions. Now, to inquire a bit more, I did an amazon search for a toyscope as suggested by Randy and I am finding monoculars and spyscopes. They seem to be more used for bird watching, hiking, concerts, etc (although I did see someone posted they had a great view of the Milky Way). What power would I get…(monoculars seem to be a nice middle ground if the view is right, no?) Thanks again, folks!
I’m not from Australia, I live in New York. I think that the binos will work just fine for now…just waiting for a clear night to try my luck. Thanks, and I will remain in touch!

Thank you very much for your kind words. BTW, I’d stay away from "trash" scopes like those on Amazon, Ebay, or in department stores. They wont hold up over time and will not yield the advertised views that they claim. You should only buy a scope from a reputable company that makes Telescopes for a living. BTW, the 10X50’s that we described earlier will perform as well as many of the scopes you saw on Amazon.

I’ve attached an article (See the first link below) that will help you with some info on buying a scope and scope ownership. In the astronomy world we don’t think about magnification (power) as much as we do about Aperture (Size of the primary lens or mirror). We like to say that "Aperture is King" and for the most part that is true. For example, I rarely observe over 97x with my scope. It’s a large aperture scope so it doesn’t need that much magnification. Also, the skies where I live typically won’t support more than 200X (mainly because of the weather and light pollution). I’ve included a link below of some scopes that are easy to setup, operate, and are very durable. You might want to consider one of them for a future purchase. I don’t recommend any scope less than 6" (primary mirror diameter) for a beginner. 6" to 8" on the primary mirror is ideal.

Finally, consider joining your local astronomy club. They’d be more than happy to help you with your questions concerning telescopes and would be able to show you first hand how to operate and care for one.

I want to buy my first telescope. My budget is around $300. I was looking at this one
Orion StarBlast 6 Astro Reflector Telescope.
http://www.telescope.com/control/telescopes/dobsonian-Telescopes/orion-starblast-6-astro-reflector-telescope

Would this be a good choice? It would mostly be for a hobby thing to do with the kids and for myself to view the sky at night…

The Starblast 6 is a nice 6"
I have an Orion Starblast 6 also the XT 10 and love them both.The Starblast is a short tube and light n easy to transport.This scope will always be my favorite grab n go.I did build a 3 leg table to put it on,you could also use a picnic table or the hood of Your car.I have some photo’s of the Moon Jupiter and Saturn that I took a-focal here-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28857682@N00/
Wally

There’s an epidemic sweeping the world in today’s technologically enhanced world. And it is affecting our children at an alarming rate.

Kids just do not get outdoors anymore. The Nature Conservancy and other organizations have produced studies that show that all of us, and especially children, are drastically reducing the amount of time spent with outside activities in favor of television, movies, Net surfing and video games.

A Kaiser Family Foundation study said that children spend 6.5 hours of quality time daily with electronic equipment. Another study put children aged 6 to 11 in front of the TV or a computer screen 30 hours a week on average.

While some time with electronic gadgets isn’t so bad, consider this: if children do not make a connection with nature at an early age, they may never do so. And that is a frightening fact that can have major implications for our environment as the younger set grows into adulthood.

There is no denying that a Wii, Playstation or cool cell phone will certainly be drooled over gifts this Christmas, but it might be a good idea to balance those desires with gifts designed to get children introduced to the outdoors. Here are a few ideas to jump start that thinking:

Something with wheels. A new bike, rollerblades, scooter, skateboard, wheeled shoes. The outdoors doesn’t have to be the deep woods or a quiet pasture. Cruising down the sidewalk or up the road is a good start.

Binoculars. A good set is not very expensive and opens up a new world outside.

Telescope. Also fairly inexpensive for a starter set and one look at the surface of the Moon, the rings of Saturn or Jupiter’s moons may just be enough to get them interested for a long time to come.

Fishing rod and some tackle. Fishing gear comes in all different sizes, even kid-sized. Throw in some tackle, lures and a box to hold it all and you could introduce those children to a lifelong passion.

Kites. Name your price range and you are likely to find a kite to match. Remember how much fun it was to catch a breeze running and feel the tug of the wind on your string? What child could resist?

Night vision goggles. Believe it or not, they are available for under fifty bucks at some large department stores and they let kids see up to fifty feet in total darkness. How awesome is that?

A sled. It won’t take much snow to make a sled go. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and there are few kids on the planet who wouldn’t jump at the chance to fly down a hill on a sled.

Inexpensive digital camera. Some of the lower megapixel models have gotten very affordable as higher end models saturate the market. It’s an electronic device, but one that can be used outside to capture all kinds of bugs, birds, or maybe you sledding down a hill. All right, so they will have to upload the pictures to MySpace or Facebook later on, but at least they spent time outside taking the shots.

A canteen. Hiking, biking or just walking to a friend’s house can work up a thirst and it’s good to stay hydrated.

Backpack. Great for stuffing a take along lunch, snacks and gear for a long hike outdoors.

Net and a bug jar. For the younger ones, but a great way for kids to find out about bugs and stuff.

So put down the remote, turn off the computer, step away from the couch and get outdoors. Explore. Breathe. Relax. And feel good about introducing children to nature and to their own backyards.

Robert J. Korpella
http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/great-outdoors-gift-ideas-for-kids-690300.html