kids backpack gps image
Shawn
I have a girlfriend who's an avid fan of space and an amateur stargazer.
I'd like to get her a nice telescope. Not something that requires a scientist to operate. Not a dinky one to carry in a backpack, but certainly something we can load in the car and take to the mountains. Not some silly student/kid telescope, a good one. Like $200-$350.
Thoughts or recommendations?
Answer
I'm going to describe six options, focusing just on items from Orion: the big boy XT8, a guided XT6, the smaller XT4.5, a modest refractor, an astronomical binocular, and a portable planetarium. It's a wide range of options withing your $350 price range.
I'm one of the 'aperture is everything' guys, so I like mirrors. The XT8 (8" mirror) mentioned by another poster is a fine telescope, and a Dobsonian mount is certainly economical. I have one myself, though the current version has a nicer 2" focuser than mine. However, in your price range, it's going to be hard to buy both an XT8 AND a decent set of eyepieces; since it comes with a single 25mm Plossl. It's a bit harder to transport than my other choices. I have some upper-arm weakness due to neck injury, and find the XT8 a bit hard to move around.
If you can stretch your budget a bit, there is an XT6i (6" mirror) that has a guidance package attached. With two eyepieces, this might be your best overall balance of usability, aperture, and portability.
I know you warned against kid's scopes, but it's possible that Orion's XT4.5 kit might still be a good choice. Yes, it's a lot smaller mirror, so a lot less light is coming in vs an XT8. But at less than $300 shipped, it includes two Plossl eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) and a Barlow, and is very portable.
It's hard to buy a decent refractor in that price range, but it might be worth considering something like Orion's Short Tube 80 if she is mainly interested in planetary observation.
One other thing you might consider--large aperture binoculars. Right now Orion has a 20x80 pair on sale for $110 shipped. I'd recommend a higher-grade pair, except you need to mount something this big. True, a good parallelogram mount/tripod will cost more than the optics, but makes viewing a pleasure, and you're coming in at less than $300 total. Or you can go with a photographic tripod for cost savings.
Finally, there's one more item you may not have even thought of. Celestron makes a 'portable planetarium', a GPS-driven monocular that will identify 6000 celestial objects simply by looking at them. It's not a magnifier, though, but for someone just learning the sky it's a lot of fun. Can't say I own one myself, though, and YMMV. If she has been avid enough to have learned the constellations, Messier objects, planets etc herself, this might not be the best choice, but I though you should at least consider it.
Have fun!
I'm going to describe six options, focusing just on items from Orion: the big boy XT8, a guided XT6, the smaller XT4.5, a modest refractor, an astronomical binocular, and a portable planetarium. It's a wide range of options withing your $350 price range.
I'm one of the 'aperture is everything' guys, so I like mirrors. The XT8 (8" mirror) mentioned by another poster is a fine telescope, and a Dobsonian mount is certainly economical. I have one myself, though the current version has a nicer 2" focuser than mine. However, in your price range, it's going to be hard to buy both an XT8 AND a decent set of eyepieces; since it comes with a single 25mm Plossl. It's a bit harder to transport than my other choices. I have some upper-arm weakness due to neck injury, and find the XT8 a bit hard to move around.
If you can stretch your budget a bit, there is an XT6i (6" mirror) that has a guidance package attached. With two eyepieces, this might be your best overall balance of usability, aperture, and portability.
I know you warned against kid's scopes, but it's possible that Orion's XT4.5 kit might still be a good choice. Yes, it's a lot smaller mirror, so a lot less light is coming in vs an XT8. But at less than $300 shipped, it includes two Plossl eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) and a Barlow, and is very portable.
It's hard to buy a decent refractor in that price range, but it might be worth considering something like Orion's Short Tube 80 if she is mainly interested in planetary observation.
One other thing you might consider--large aperture binoculars. Right now Orion has a 20x80 pair on sale for $110 shipped. I'd recommend a higher-grade pair, except you need to mount something this big. True, a good parallelogram mount/tripod will cost more than the optics, but makes viewing a pleasure, and you're coming in at less than $300 total. Or you can go with a photographic tripod for cost savings.
Finally, there's one more item you may not have even thought of. Celestron makes a 'portable planetarium', a GPS-driven monocular that will identify 6000 celestial objects simply by looking at them. It's not a magnifier, though, but for someone just learning the sky it's a lot of fun. Can't say I own one myself, though, and YMMV. If she has been avid enough to have learned the constellations, Messier objects, planets etc herself, this might not be the best choice, but I though you should at least consider it.
Have fun!
Would you buy your kindergartner a phone?
Kristin
My husband just told me he wants our daughter to have a cell phone with GPS tracking in her backpack when she goes to kindergarten in the fall. He thinks it would be good for her safety to be able to know where she is, as well as in case of emergency be able to contact us. I think it's absurd that a 5 year old kid would have a phone, first because she'll be in the care of teachers from when he drops her off until when I pick her up, but mostly because I don't want her using it all the time like a teenager.
Has anyone bought their kindergartner a phone? Would you or wouldn't you and why?
Answer
No. You can't make a small child safe by giving her a phone - if there is _any possibility at all_ that she would ever be put in the position of being the one needing to contact you in an emergency, or that the answer to "where is she?" isn't "at school", find a better kindergarten!
No. You can't make a small child safe by giving her a phone - if there is _any possibility at all_ that she would ever be put in the position of being the one needing to contact you in an emergency, or that the answer to "where is she?" isn't "at school", find a better kindergarten!
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Title Post: What is a good telescope for a gift?
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Rating: 95% based on 981 ratings. 4,6 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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