- #31
turbo
Gold Member
- 3,154
- 57
My wife's co-worker looked up the Comet-Catcher on the Internet the night she gave it to him and he wanted to give it back because she didn't charge him enough money. When he got it home, his little girl hugged the tripod and wanted to go right out and use it when it got dark. He told her that she'd have to wait because he needed to order an eyepiece or two and she said "But Daddy, I hate to wait!" Good feelings! Her first telescope experience will be a decent one.
No WalMart 60mm/"500X" refractors for her. I bought that CC because I wanted something grab-and-go for deep-sky stuff even though we lived in a relatively light-polluted area. Her father grew up in a densely populated region of Indiana and never saw the night sky properly until he moved here to central Maine, so the 'scope will be just as fun for him as for his little girl.
The moral of the story: Hunt down some experienced amateur astronomers and indicate your willingness to buy a telescope. You might find that you get a hell of a deal, especially if the owner likes you and you have kid(s) involved. I didn't need the money, and putting a nice little 'scope on a lawn sale will get you nothing, so the nominal charge was just enough to make him feel OK about taking a 'scope and tripod initially, so his little girl could see some faint stuff from their driveway, and perhaps graduate to something better when he's got enough money saved up.
No WalMart 60mm/"500X" refractors for her. I bought that CC because I wanted something grab-and-go for deep-sky stuff even though we lived in a relatively light-polluted area. Her father grew up in a densely populated region of Indiana and never saw the night sky properly until he moved here to central Maine, so the 'scope will be just as fun for him as for his little girl.
The moral of the story: Hunt down some experienced amateur astronomers and indicate your willingness to buy a telescope. You might find that you get a hell of a deal, especially if the owner likes you and you have kid(s) involved. I didn't need the money, and putting a nice little 'scope on a lawn sale will get you nothing, so the nominal charge was just enough to make him feel OK about taking a 'scope and tripod initially, so his little girl could see some faint stuff from their driveway, and perhaps graduate to something better when he's got enough money saved up.