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#11
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Well, I went with the 6" Orion SkyQuest XT6 Dobsonian. Thanks to all of
you for your help; in the end, I think that showing her some really cool stuff, with enough brightness to actually SEE it, will be the best way to keep her interested. It's big, heavy, and a lot less portable than the, say, Orion Apex 102mm Mak-Cass that looked so tempting (but didn't include a tripod - so a bit out of budget). I'll deal with it, though. Of course, I'm going to have to take a quick-n-dirty astrology course to help her get started. So, my last question for all of you for now. What do you recommend as a beginner's book? I've heard that "Turn Left at Orion" is a good one for beginning kids; is there something better for an 8-year-old? What else is available that's appropriate for a complete beginner, with some suggestions for objects that'll keep her busy for a while? Thanks again, ECM |
#12
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Given her age, I'd echo your notion of the StarBlast or perhaps the 4.5"
Orion dob, if she can handle something bigger and bulkier. Alternatively, buy a used Astroscan. Just be sure to accompany it with some good intro materials (Orion sells a nice bundle with a red light, Moon map, and a basic "atlas" Discover the Stars). Then, in a couple of years, if/when the interest is still there, upgrade to a 6" or 8" dob. Larry Stedman Vestal |
#13
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astrology ? You don't need a telescope for that. I think you missed the
boat. -- SIAR www.starlords.org Telescope Buyers FAQ http://home.inreach.com/starlord wrote in message ups.com... Of course, I'm going to have to take a quick-n-dirty astrology course to help her get started. So, my last question for all of you for now. What do you recommend as a beginner's book? I've heard that "Turn Left at Orion" is a good one for beginning kids; is there something better for an 8-year-old? What else is available that's appropriate for a complete beginner, with some suggestions for objects that'll keep her busy for a while? Thanks again, ECM |
#14
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Of course, I'm going to have to take a quick-n-dirty astrology course
to help her get started. The first thing you should do is re-think what you just said. astrology -vs- astronomy -- Michael A. Barlow |
#15
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On 17 Jan 2005 14:48:46 -0800, wrote:
Well, I went with the 6" Orion SkyQuest XT6 Dobsonian. Thanks to all of you for your help; in the end, I think that showing her some really cool stuff, with enough brightness to actually SEE it, will be the best way to keep her interested. [snip] Congratulations on the purchase! I personally think you made the right choice but I'm hardly an expert on these things. I've always used an SCT and only know about Dobs from the occasional star party. Of course, I'm going to have to take a quick-n-dirty astrology course to help her get started. So, my last question for all of you for now. What do you recommend as a beginner's book? I'm sure you mean "astronomy". Be careful using the word "astrology" (horiscopes and so on) around astronomers. You'll get dirty looks :-) My personal feeling is that before you do anything else you should just familiarize yourself with the night sky in general. Learn some constellations. With a good guide they're not hard to pick out and, once you've learned a few, they'll transform the way you look at the night sky. Never again will you look up and simply see a random scattering of stars. You'll see the constellation patterns instantly and they'll become old friends. I'm serious about that. The effect is kind of startling. Now, in order to learn the constellations many people recommend an all sky chart (like those published monthly in popular astronomy magazines) or something like a planisphere. Those are certainly workable but the best aid to finding and learning the constellations (for me at least) that I've ever found is a thin, magazine-sized paperback book called "Star Maps for Beginners" by I.M. Levitt and Roy K. Marshall. The book was first published in 1942 but has been updated and re-released numerous times since then. It is available from amazon.com for just under 9 bucks new and under 4 bucks used. See the following link. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...724773-4255213 I first got a copy of this book when I was about 11 and found it very easy to use. My original copy is long since gone but a few years ago I bought another one for nostalgia value if nothing else. The first and last parts of the book present general astronomy information that will be of interest to anyone new to the hobby but the focus of the book, the center portion, is its 12 all-sky star maps. There is one map for each month of the year and they're presented in a unique "Maltese-cross" configuration that minimizes the shape distortion you often get with circular all-sky maps. They are incredibly easy to use and the shapes of the constellations in the book match exactly their shapes in the sky which, as a kid, I found really, really helpful. So, in my opinion, learn the constellations as a first step to visual observing. That will help you enormously when trying to locate objects in the sky or describing where things in the sky are located. You'll know that the Orion Nebula surrounds the center "star" in the three stars below Orion's belt (Orion's sword) and that the Ring Nebula lies right between the bottom two stars in the "parallelogram" portion of Lyra or that the bright globular cluster, M-13, in Hercules is located on a line between the two stars that make up the right side of the Hercules trapazoid, not far below the top star. As for a beginners book targetted at kids, I'm afraid I don't have any recommendations. I'm sure there must be good ones out there. I just don't know what they are. I'm sure someone else in the group will know though. As for yourself, you might want to get an issue or two (or a subscription!) to one of the popular astronomy magazines. "Astronomy" and "Sky and Telescope" are the two I'm familiar with. In my opinion "Sky and Telescope" is targetted slightly more toward the advanced amateur and "Astronomy" slightly more toward the novice but the difference is slight. They are both excellent magazines and I read them both. I should also point out that I read through a lot of back issues of Sky and Telescope at the local library when I was around age 12 and up and got an awful lot of good out of them. Sure, there was stuff in there I didn't grasp but I guess that sort of just increased the wonder for me. Once you know quite a few of the constellations well, I don't think you'd be amiss investing in a high quality star atlas like Sky Atlas 2000.0 (available from Sky Publishing at the following link). http://skyandtelescope.com/shopatsky...=SAUNLAMPARENT The maps in this atlas give a very detailed view of the sky including constellation boundries, the locations of deep sky objects to point that new Dob at (galaxies, nebulae, star clusters) and they show more stars than are visible to the naked eye (but not *too much* more if you know what I mean). That last can help when trying to match up what you see in the finder scope with what you see on the atlas. I like the deluxe, unlaminated version myself because of its large size, the color printing and the ability to write on it in pencil. But there are other, smaller (and less expensive) versions as well. The deluxe, unlaminated version runs about $50 US. I used to keep a copy with me at the telescope on a card table I'd set up next to it. I lived in an area where dew was the norm and my atlases have seen their share of soggy nights but I kept them closed when not in use and sometimes threw a towel over them. They're still going strong! By the way, I was initially under the impression that you were an amateur astronomer who was interested in getting your daughter interested. But it seems now it's actually the other way around. I really respect you for taking an interest because your daughter is interested. I think that's great and my hat's off to you. |
#16
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Charlie Hubbard wrote:
On 17 Jan 2005 14:48:46 -0800, wrote: Well, I went with the 6" Orion SkyQuest XT6 Dobsonian. Thanks to all of you for your help; in the end, I think that showing her some really cool stuff, with enough brightness to actually SEE it, will be the best way to keep her interested. [snip] Congratulations on the purchase! I personally think you made the right choice but I'm hardly an expert on these things. I've always used an SCT and only know about Dobs from the occasional star party. Of course, I'm going to have to take a quick-n-dirty astrology course to help her get started. So, my last question for all of you for now. What do you recommend as a beginner's book? I'm sure you mean "astronomy". Be careful using the word "astrology" (horiscopes and so on) around astronomers. You'll get SNIP Heh... Yeah, sorry, I meant "astronomy". Slip of the fingers. By the way, I was initially under the impression that you were an amateur astronomer who was interested in getting your daughter interested. But it seems now it's actually the other way around. I really respect you for taking an interest because your daughter is interested. I think that's great and my hat's off to you. I've spent a bit of time reading and looking at sites and reviews on the net, so I've learned a bit of the jargon. All I've really done in the way of astronomy is look through binocs with her to pick out the visible planets, and we've gotten a bit familiar with some of the summer constellations. I am doing this for my daughter; she's one of those kids that seems adrift unless she's got a direction - even when she's not looking at astronomy books, her head is in space..... She's smart, though, she's been reading well above her level since kindergarten, and she's a sponge when it comes to science. I do think it'll be fun for me too; I definitely had an interest as a kid but couldn't afford even the most basic department-store scope to get started. I remember Comet Kohoutek in the 70's - I was about 10 years old when it came through, and I spent hours looking for it with an old pair of cheap binoculars. My personal "thing" now is photography at an amateur level - one of the reasons that the 102mm Mak-Cass was so interesting. I understand that reflectors like the one I just got aren't much good for astrophotography, but it'll be the best starter scope for all of us, I think. Who knows? Maybe with "good air" way up in the mountains I'll get a decent pic of the red spot.... Anyways, thanks for the help everyone! ECM |
#17
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Charlie Hubbard wrote:
On 17 Jan 2005 14:48:46 -0800, wrote: Well, I went with the 6" Orion SkyQuest XT6 Dobsonian. Thanks to all of you for your help; in the end, I think that showing her some really cool stuff, with enough brightness to actually SEE it, will be the best way to keep her interested. [snip] Congratulations on the purchase! I personally think you made the right choice but I'm hardly an expert on these things. I've always used an SCT and only know about Dobs from the occasional star party. Of course, I'm going to have to take a quick-n-dirty astrology course to help her get started. So, my last question for all of you for now. What do you recommend as a beginner's book? I'm sure you mean "astronomy". Be careful using the word "astrology" (horiscopes and so on) around astronomers. You'll get SNIP Heh... Yeah, sorry, I meant "astronomy". Slip of the fingers. By the way, I was initially under the impression that you were an amateur astronomer who was interested in getting your daughter interested. But it seems now it's actually the other way around. I really respect you for taking an interest because your daughter is interested. I think that's great and my hat's off to you. I've spent a bit of time reading and looking at sites and reviews on the net, so I've learned a bit of the jargon. All I've really done in the way of astronomy is look through binocs with her to pick out the visible planets, and we've gotten a bit familiar with some of the summer constellations. I am doing this for my daughter; she's one of those kids that seems adrift unless she's got a direction - even when she's not looking at astronomy books, her head is in space..... She's smart, though, she's been reading well above her level since kindergarten, and she's a sponge when it comes to science. I do think it'll be fun for me too; I definitely had an interest as a kid but couldn't afford even the most basic department-store scope to get started. I remember Comet Kohoutek in the 70's - I was about 10 years old when it came through, and I spent hours looking for it with an old pair of cheap binoculars. My personal "thing" now is photography at an amateur level - one of the reasons that the 102mm Mak-Cass was so interesting. I understand that reflectors like the one I just got aren't much good for astrophotography, but it'll be the best starter scope for all of us, I think. Who knows? Maybe with "good air" way up in the mountains I'll get a decent pic of the red spot.... Anyways, thanks for the help everyone! ECM |
#18
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wrote:
Well, I went with the 6" Orion SkyQuest XT6 Dobsonian. Thanks to all of you for your help; in the end, I think that showing her some really cool stuff, with enough brightness to actually SEE it, will be the best way to keep her interested. It's big, heavy, and a lot less portable than the, say, Orion Apex 102mm Mak-Cass that looked so tempting (but didn't include a tripod - so a bit out of budget). I'll deal with it, though. Of course, I'm going to have to take a quick-n-dirty astrology course Assuming you meant astroNoMy: I am green as grass and love _Star Watch_ by Phil Harrington. Focuses on star hopping from here to there to see what you want, with some sidebars of who discovered it or that such and such is really 5 stars. This guy (http://www.davidpaulgreen.com) has some various free observing astro-ware. But what might be real helpful is the PDF catalog of the Messier List: each item has a mini star chart and picture of it so you know when you have found it. Look in the TUMOL section. The Astronomical League has a number of observing clubs: lists of things to see, find and log all published on the web. Several of them like "Star Puppies", the "Planetary Club" and maybe the "Universe Sampler Club" and "Urban Observing Club" might be appropriate at least to start. to help her get started. So, my last question for all of you for now. What do you recommend as a beginner's book? I've heard that "Turn Left at Orion" is a good one for beginning kids; is there something better for an 8-year-old? What else is available that's appropriate for a complete beginner, with some suggestions for objects that'll keep her busy for a while? Thanks again, ECM "astrology", humph |
#19
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Just wanted to say "thanks" to all of you who took the time to reply to
my question a few weeks ago - the 6" Dobsonian was the right choice. It was easy to assemble, and, although it's awkward, it'll be portable enough. Finally had clear(ish) skys last night; we got a good look at Saturn and Titan - didn't really catch Cassini's division very well, but we did see thegap between the rings and planet clearly, and a faint orange band on the planet. We also caught Orion's Great nebula. This from our backyard, under an inversion (think orange glowing haze up to about 40 degrees from the horizon). My 8-year-old was so excited, she couldn't sleep! ECM |
#20
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On 3 Feb 2005 11:48:15 -0800, wrote:
Just wanted to say "thanks" to all of you who took the time to reply to my question a few weeks ago - the 6" Dobsonian was the right choice. It was easy to assemble, and, although it's awkward, it'll be portable enough. Finally had clear(ish) skys last night; we got a good look at Saturn and Titan - didn't really catch Cassini's division very well, but we did see thegap between the rings and planet clearly, and a faint orange band on the planet. We also caught Orion's Great nebula. This from our backyard, under an inversion (think orange glowing haze up to about 40 degrees from the horizon). My 8-year-old was so excited, she couldn't sleep! ECM Congratulations, and thanks for the update. It is good to see that some have the wisdom to ask for guidance before they buy. Best wishes, larry g. |
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