WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 55
MY INTEREST IN ASTRONOMY
began in third grade, when my parents
bought me a set of constellation f lash
cards. We couldn’t afford a telescope, but
I was able to borrow a neighbor’s small
refractor from time to time, and when-
ever I could get my hands on it, I would
spend hours exploring the night sky.
Back in the ’60s, the Milky Way and
its many wonders were easy to spot from
my backyard even though I lived in a
small city. In high school, I joined an
amateur astronomy club and viewed
through a borrowed 10-inch ref lector
many times. It wasn’t until I was
graduated from college that I finally
owned my own scope. But my case is
unusual — most amateur astronomers
I know owned their own small telescope
when they were young.
I can’t say that buying your child a
telescope will make them an amateur
astronomer. But even if it doesn’t, it will
help ignite a spark of curiosity that may
bloom into a science-loving f lame. And
who knows where that will lead?Baby steps
When you set up your child’s scope, be
prepared, as excited kids will touch any-
thing new and might even grab the scope
to help steady themselves. Fortunately, all
the scopes I list here can take mild han-
dling. And once you’ve bought a scope,
remember it’s their telescope. The best
thing you can do is stand back and let
them explore the night sky.
One thing I’ve learned during my
years in the planetarium field is that
when you’re at the scope with a child,
go easy on the numbers. It may fasci-
nate you that Jupiter is large enough
to hold 1,300 Earths and is only
one-thousandth the size of the Sun,
but numbers like that can quickly
overwhelm a child. It is important
to get the facts straight, but
don’t lose sight of the ultimate
objective. You’re not trying toCELESTRON
FIRSTSCOPE
The FirstScope is an inexpensive way
to foster a child’s love of astronomy.
This 3-inch reflector is attached
to a small Dobsonian mount. To
observe with it, simply place the
telescope on a table and move the
tube in the direction of the target. Do
note that the quality (in this case,
steadiness) of the view will depend on
how sturdy the table is. A shaky table
will make viewing nearly impossible.
One solution might be a platform made
from two or three concrete blocks,
whose height is determined by the
child’s height. The FirstScope also is
quite small, making it an ideal compan-
ion for an outdoor adventure.SPECIFICATIONS
Optical design: Newtonian reflector
Mount: Dobsonian
Aperture: 3 inches (76 mm)
Focal length: 300mm
Focal ratio: f/3.95
Eyepieces: 20mm (15x) and 4mm (75x)
Weight: 4.3 pounds (1.95 kg)CELESTRON
EXPLORASCOPE
70AZ
The Explorascope 70AZ is a 2¾-inch
refractor on a simple alt-azimuth
mount. With its 700-millimeter
focal length, this telescope delivers
higher magnification than the other
models listed here. It also features a
slow-motion control rod, which lets
the user guide the scope without
grabbing the tube. The scope comes
with two eyepieces, a 3x Barlow
lens, a 90° erect-image diagonal (for
viewing terrestrial objects “right-side
up”), a finder scope, and an accessory
tray.SPECIFICATIONS
Optical design: Refractor
Mount: Alt-azimuth
Aperture: 2.76 inches (70 mm)
Focal length: 700mm
Focal ratio: f/10
Eyepieces: 20mm (35x) and 4mm
(175x)
Weight: 6.1 pounds (2.8 kg)SCOPESSCOPES
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