beginner telescope

A friend called me to ask advice about getting a first telescope for
her 9 year old son. I have casually been interested in astronomy for
30 years and have a C5. I've been very happy with the C5 and haven't
looked at any equipment in over 10 years and don't really know
anything about what's on the market now. I'm tempted to recommend an
80mm refractor. I'm also wondering about goto scopes - I have no idea
how well they work and if there's any significant difference among
brands. I know there's value in learning to read charts and star hop
(that's all I've ever done) but I know others may get frustrated with
this.

I don't know their price range, but I assume low end.

Any thoughts on what I should suggest?

Thanks.

Charles Lerner

Any of these would be fine, and will be a "keeper" even if they later
decide to upgrade to a better / more expensive scope.

Orion Observer 70mm alt-az ($130)
Orion StarBlast mini-Dobsonian ($180)
Orion Short Tube 80mm EQ-1 ($285)

Orion is good value-for-money, pretty decent quality and has good
customer service (in case they need help with the product or need to
replace a defective/broken part).

A go-to scope will be probably too complicated for a 9 years old. The
cheapest one (Celestron StarSeeker 70mm) sells for around $290. For
that amount of money, I'd rather "invest" in better optics and buy the
Short Tube 80mm.

A good planisphere and a book are "must-have" accessories. The best
observation guide for a small telescope is, by far, "Turn Left at
Orion" by Guy Consolmagno. Easy to use with precise instruction on
how to find interesting stuff in the sky, with nice explanations of
space objects. It also gives useful tips on how to care and use the
scope for beginners.

Another good option for a kid is a pair of decent binoculars (7x50 -
around $100), together with "Turn Left at Orion". The kid will be
able to see many of the objects described in the book with binoculars,
and they are cheaper and easier to use than any telescope.

Orion scope can be bought on-line at www.telescope.com. I have been
buying from the regularly over the last 4 years and never had any
issue.

katekebo



On Mar 27, 9:01 pm, wrote:
A friend called me to ask advice about getting a first telescope for
her 9 year old son. I have casually been interested in astronomy for
30 years and have a C5. I've been very happy with the C5 and haven't
looked at any equipment in over 10 years and don't really know
anything about what's on the market now. I'm tempted to recommend an
80mm refractor. I'm also wondering about goto scopes - I have no idea
how well they work and if there's any significant difference among
brands. I know there's value in learning to read charts and star hop
(that's all I've ever done) but I know others may get frustrated with
this.

I don't know their price range, but I assume low end.

Any thoughts on what I should suggest?

Thanks.

Charles Lerner

Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord


--
There are those who believe that life here, began out there, far across the
universe, with tribes of humans, who may have been the forefathers of the
Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. Some believe that they may yet be
brothers of man, who even now fight to survive, somewhere beyond the
heavens.


The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Sidewalk Astronomy
www.sidewalkastronomy.info
The Church of Eternity
http://home.inreach.com/starlord/church/Eternity.html


wrote in message
oups.com...
A friend called me to ask advice about getting a first telescope for
her 9 year old son. I have casually been interested in astronomy for
30 years and have a C5. I've been very happy with the C5 and haven't
looked at any equipment in over 10 years and don't really know
anything about what's on the market now. I'm tempted to recommend an
80mm refractor. I'm also wondering about goto scopes - I have no idea
how well they work and if there's any significant difference among
brands. I know there's value in learning to read charts and star hop
(that's all I've ever done) but I know others may get frustrated with
this.

I don't know their price range, but I assume low end.

Any thoughts on what I should suggest?

Thanks.

Charles Lerner

On Mar 28, 4:56 pm, Borked Pseudo Mailed repeated cyber bullying
offense.

BULLY ALERT

NAZI ALERT

COWARD ALERT

PERVERT ALERT

CYBER BULLY NOTIFICATION FOR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION:

STAMP OUT ONLINE BULLYING BEFORE THEY STAMP ON YOU!

shut up stupid , what a fag

% wrote:
shut up stupid , what a fag



He was a bully, I think.

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spam spam fawking spam all fawking day long day after fawking day
every fawking five minutes and gerbils too

i am dennis bishop i live at the antelope valley trailer trash park for
drunken bums spammers and dishonourably discharged fawking arseholes at

470 20th st w rosamond ca 93560 gerbil felching unit number 23

telephgone 661 256 2175 for res3rvcations spam fawking spam stalk spam
stalk spam

i felch gerbils all fawking day long between my spamming sessions and
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with my ickle red fawing toy radio flyer wagon in tow

i will post my fawking weather center report after i spray paint
my prosthetic hockey puck foot spam stalk spam stalk spam

yes we know you will ****etard have you waxed your arsehole yet today
we can wax up our chubby telescopes and investigate uranus together ooh aah

please keep spamming ****etard the gerbil felching hard ****ed drunk driving
dishonourably discharged convicted pedophile you give astronomy such a fawking
good name spam spam fawking spam every fawking five minutes with your

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saa and aa loves the fawking spammertard of rosatard




Your mommy called said to stop using her computer

hi

Please note that the message below is 100% false and I did not post it. Who
ever wrote it is very poor in their way of writing and they seem to have
something again anyone that lives in a trailer park. I do not belive that
whoever it is, is worth even replying too. They are nothing but a low life
scum.


--
There are those who believe that life here, began out there, far across the
universe, with tribes of humans, who may have been the forefathers of the
Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. Some believe that they may yet be
brothers of man, who even now fight to survive, somewhere beyond the
heavens.


The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Sidewalk Astronomy
www.sidewalkastronomy.info
The Church of Eternity
http://home.inreach.com/starlord/church/Eternity.html


wrote in message
ps.com...


Your mommy called said to stop using her computer

On Mar 30, 6:10 am, "Starlord"
wrote:
Please note that the message below is 100% false and I did not post it. Who
ever wrote it is very poor in their way of writing and they seem to have
something again anyone that lives in a trailer park. I do not believe that
whoever it is, is worth even replying too. They are nothing but a low life
scum.

--

What these scum will eventually cause is strict governmental
limitation on internet use.

It will end up with everybody requiring registration of name, date of
birth, recent photograph and home address before they can even go
online.

Governments don't do anything without charging for it even if they
don't lift a finger themselves. Look at European VAT!

Privacy will soon be gone with everybody requiring an approved online
passport signed by a lawyer or doctor for a fat fee. Or requiring
queuing for hours in some miserable, governmental office on an annual
basis to hand over more money just for a license to surf.

Once they get their way the surfing license fee will escalate to cover
the cost of a huge online security ministry. Then you'll be required
to have a webcam in every room of your home and place of work.

These anonymous. cowardly scum will have finally brought 1984 to
reality by the back door!

Governments worldwide are all just itching for an excuse to curb the
freedoms we presently enjoy online or to find a way of taxing it.
Terrorism is an easy excuse but needs a better handle. Curbing online
bullying would appeal just enough to the brain-dead masses for the
legislation to be rushed through.

Here's a true story: Every time I see a bully I remember two large,
strapping bullies at school. They went around together like evil
twins. After being expelled for insubordination and assaulting a
teacher they both went into a life of petty crime to support drug and
alcohol abuse. I saw them a year or two later after they had been
released from a term in prison for burglary and was shocked to the
core by their skeletal appearance and hideous facial sores. They
hadn't a brain cell left between them. It was like talking to two,
ashen-faced zombies.

I have always considered this perfect natural justice for the years of
misery they caused to younger and smaller kids than themselves. They
looked and behaved so like two evil characters from the Supernatural
TV series it really wasn't funny! The only thing missing was the black
smoke pouring out of their foul mouths. Judging from their terrible
physical condition I presume they both died young from an overdose.
Another triumph for the Darwin Awards. What an utter waste of two
lives. All that potential squandered on bullying their way through
school. For what? For nothing at all really. They finally proved
themselves as worthless as they themselves considered their many
victims.