I just wanted to share with all the astromart patrons my positive experience showing the wonders of the heavens to my 11 year-old daughter, Tessa.
My daughter has been interested in astronomy since she helped me test some eyepieces on Saturn at 1:00am in the morning a few years back.
I decided to fix up my old Meade #285 refractor for her and her younger sister to use(60mm, f/15, EQ mount, 6x30 finder)
I used a laser collimator to align the optics (Finally, a circle out-of-focus!), and aligned the finder at triple-digit powers, to help her along. The result? She found Mars, the 7 sisters, even Albiero on her own! she never got impatient, even though the set-up is notorius for testing one's patience (good thing I didn't let her try my etx-90!) And I couldn't be a prouder papa! It goes to show you that those long hours we amateurs spend alone in the back yard can have positive consequences. You should have heard her when the Pleides came into focus!
Chris Brown
P.S. Wait till she tries my XT-8 with the red-dot!
My daughter has been interested in astronomy since she helped me test some eyepieces on Saturn at 1:00am in the morning a few years back.
I decided to fix up my old Meade #285 refractor for her and her younger sister to use(60mm, f/15, EQ mount, 6x30 finder)
I used a laser collimator to align the optics (Finally, a circle out-of-focus!), and aligned the finder at triple-digit powers, to help her along. The result? She found Mars, the 7 sisters, even Albiero on her own! she never got impatient, even though the set-up is notorius for testing one's patience (good thing I didn't let her try my etx-90!) And I couldn't be a prouder papa! It goes to show you that those long hours we amateurs spend alone in the back yard can have positive consequences. You should have heard her when the Pleides came into focus!
Chris Brown
P.S. Wait till she tries my XT-8 with the red-dot!
There's something on the Moon! 8O