1st telescope (gift for nephews)

bacon?

They're 8 and 10. Is this a good choice for a first telescope?

https://ktectelescopes.ie/collections/telescopes-in-stock-under-750/products/celestron-astromaster-80az-short-refractor-telescope

dmcdona

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058349546/1st-telescope-gift-for-nephews

Yes - good choice. But bear in mind that planetary views will be "average" - nothing like NASA photos. Moon will be good. For the nebulas and clusters, you'll need a dark site - doesn't have to be pitch black though.
It should pique their interest though. It does take a little bit of patience finding where the objects are that they want to see.

Another great tip is get them to join a local astronomy club. They'll get loads of help and encouragement plus the club may do astro evenings which is a great learning exercise.

The best of luck!

bacon?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122086873#Comment_122086873

Thanks, good tip with the club.

bacon?

Would either of these 2 be better?

https://ktectelescopes.ie/collections/telescopes-in-stock-under-750/products/celestron-astromaster-70az

https://ktectelescopes.ie/collections/telescopes-in-stock-under-750/products/celestron-astromaster-lt70az-refractor-telescope

dmcdona

swings and roundabouts….

The two 70mm scopes have a smaller aperture which means less light gathering power. the 80mm can gather more light (brighter looking objects) but is a short focal length so the magnification with a given eyepiece is not as great as either of the two 70mm scopes. but higher magnification is not necessarily better - I think a new budding astronomer would hardly notice the difference between 70 and 80mm in terms of magnification to be honest. But they notice the difference in brightness for sure. Saturn would look a lot better in the 80mm but it would be marginally smaller. The 80mm should show the Galilean moons of Jupiter quite well - they might be quite dim in the 70mm

One thing both 70mm scopes have that the 80 doesn't appear to have is a red dot finder. This makes finding objects to view a little bit easier (if you have a fair idea of where they are in the first place).

If it were me, I'd go with the 80mm refractor. Shorter scope, easier to carry around, better light gathering and it can be used as a daytime spotter scope.

If I could only choose one of the 70mm scopes, I'd go for the shorter of the two (shorter in length and therefore shorter in focal length). More convenient to transport around.

That all said, whatever you choose (they're all reasonable scopes) it's more important to get the use out of them. Learning the skies, where stuff is, the changing of the seasons and what's visible, which planets are up, the moon phases etc. is as enjoyable* as simply looking at random objects.

*finding or rather not finding stuff can be frustrating too.

Bear in mind also that it can take a good while (months) to learn the basics. Many step away because of the frustration. But if you stick with it, the rewards are priceless. Working at it as a beginner is more important than the scope (your choices are all good) - if they take to it, you can buy them a bigger one for their birthdays or Christmas…

Hope that helps…

bacon?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122091118#Comment_122091118

Thanks, that's very helpful.

It's kind of like buying a new phone… and for a bit more you get better features and so on… After more research, this on looks like a better option. Not sure if there will be import duty from the UK.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html#faq

dmcdona

The skywatcher dobsonian (dob) would give much better views. If import duty is payable, I doubt it would be much.

The downside of the reflectors are portability and, for dobs, collimation (setting the mirrors). Neither is insurmountable but I reckon an 8 and 10 year old will need a good bit of help at the least if not someone just doing it for them.

The refractors are way more simple and portable than the dob. the Dob will give much better views but is a less portable and a bit more finicky to setup.

There are many scopes out there each with their own nuances, advantages and disadvantages. The best scope though is the one that actually gets used - especially for beginners.

I must've gone through 5 or 6 scopes before getting the one I wanted. But even then, I have a second grab and go refractor for the on-the-spur-of-the-moment viewing which is necessary given the quickly changing weather and other competing activities.

For the prices you are looking at, your nephews will be delighted with whatever you choose and they'll hopefully get to see some cool stuff.

mossie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122092251#Comment_122092251

I've purchased from the UK recently (focusser, also from FLO) and I did have to pay import duty. With the exchange rate and import duty it made quite a difference to the price. With the current exchange rate it's €227 and you need to factor in the customs charges as well. The same scope from Ktec is €270 and all in you'll probably end up close enough to that if you order from the UK.

https://ktectelescopes.ie/collections/skywatcher-dobsonian-telescopes/products/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope