telescopes.?

Question

my wee boy (7) wants a telescope, what would be the best kind to buy for him, and the best place to purchase it. i have a budget of £150. he will take it seriously. he's facinated with the night sky and stars, planets ect.

Answer 1

I would strongly recommend that you do not buy one of the cheap telescopes you see in your local department store or places such as Argos.

These telescopes are generally of poor quality and are frequently advertised by promoting their enormous powers of magnification. As a rule if the main selling point is its magnification avoid like the plague.

You would be better saving your money at first and simply go out and learn where the stars and constellations are in the night sky. If you have a pair of binoculars take those with you.

Find out when there are going to be meteor showers, there are several that occur regularly each year, and observe them.

If possible you and your son could join a local astronomy club where you are likely to be able to access much better quality telescopes than you could buy with your £150.

Once you have both really caught the bug you may be prepared to splash out a little more and get a decent reflector type telescope on an equatorial mount (this sort of mount makes following a particular Star/planet much easier than a normal tripod.

I have given some links below where you can get more advice and information that I think you will find useful:

Answer 2

Just to agree with someone else beware of magnification, the more emphasis there is on magnification the worse it will be. If they talk about 'area magnification' then run a mile.
For most purposes 7x50 binoculars are an excellent way to start. Remember that brightness is generally what you are after, brightness is increased with lens/mirror size and reduced by magnification. For a small telescope refractors are generally more efficient than reflectors but for anything above about 5" or so a Schmidt Cassegrain reflector is probably the most practical option (they are short and easy to manage).

Answer 3

John H is giving you some good advice. Another possibility that you may not have considered is instead of a telescope, buy a really good pair of binoculars - these can be a much better investment and aid to astronomy than a cheap telescope. Hope your boy gets the bug - I'm doing the same with mine.

Answer 4

Try www.uk-telescopes.co.uk. The company is called Evergreen Optics. I recently purchased over the Internet, an excellent 4.5 inch reflector telescope that was delivered to my door 28 hours later. This cost me £95.00 + £4.50 delivery charge. Look at starter kit telescopes. You will get best value for money buying a Reflector rather than a refractor.

Answer 5

Money-wise, a reflecting telescope would be best. I.e., a 3" reflector would cost less than a 3" refractor. Sometimes the Home Shopping network has scopes for good prices. Or check with local camera stores.

Answer 6

Don't just get him a telescope. They sell telescope kits where you get a CD or DVD about astronomy.

Answer 7

the department store ones are ok as long as they have a sturdy mount. check box for any signs of force impact. As long as the store offers a customer satisfaction guarentee return policy you will be OK.

Answer 8

my mom got me a really nice one a toys r us it has different lenses and everything

Answer 9

I don't know if they ship to the UK, but if they do, I suggest this one.

Answer 10

try the meade web site...or it might be mead...its a very good brand and website.