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Sledgehammer925 t1_j4il6he wrote

Please don’t waste your money on a cheap telescope for one event. I’ve been an amateur astronomer for over 30 years and can confidently say that viewing a comet through a telescope is actually disappointing. Comets are best viewed through binoculars.

If you really want a close up view of the comet head, the people in any local astronomy club will be more than happy to let you look through their large, expensive scopes for free. The people already suggesting this are 100% correct. Plus, most will be delighted to show you more of the skies wonders if you ask.

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FreekBugg OP t1_j4jgfdl wrote

Thanks. I see several people saying binoculars, not telescope. They say it will be more blurry or something with a telescope. What exactly makes that occur. I wouldn't have thought there would be any difference.

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aspheric_cow t1_j4jx6yv wrote

Comets are large so you need a low magnification. Big telescopes can only work at high magnification - and also, cheap amateur telescopes are designed only for high magnification, because most people just look at the Moon and Saturn and that's about it. Binoculars usually have reasonable low magnification, like 8x to 12x. (Don't buy zoom binoculars that go up to very high magnification like 30x, those are trash.)

Comets are also dim and diffuse, and we can see dim objects much better if we use 2 eyes rather than just 1.

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izzo34 t1_j4jjggj wrote

Man, I am strapped right now. But if I had the cash I would just buy you a decent telescope for you and the kids or even send the money for you to get it. Its nice having one around to look at any time, and it's nice seeing the kids exploring and learning.

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FreekBugg OP t1_j4jn23b wrote

I appreciate the sentiment anyway. I don't even know how interesting my kid would find it. She has glasses but still has a hard time sometimes seeing stuff. Folks have been saying get binoculars instead of a telecope. Something about it being blurry? If I get some binoculars I'm going to get some sort of tripod or something, because there's no way I could find it, and then have her find it as well. I would have to set it up before hand.

She's 9, and she reads at nearly a 7th grade level, and she's smart but she also has adhd. Not so much with the hyperactivity, but her attention span and short term memory is bad (mine too). I think she may have some undiagnosed autism (we don't really live in a place with the best medical care.we had to dive like 3hr round trip just for a doctor to see her for 30 mins and tell us ADHD a few years back). Lots of reasons, trouble telling others emotions and tone of voice, other stuffx but the relevant thing is that issue where when you are trying to point to where a thing is and she can't figure out where you are pointing to. It's the weirdest thing, especially considering how smart she is ,(not just the parent in me talking. Her teacher says she's like, really smart.) Anyway, unnecessary tangent aside.....

I think I need to get a pair compatible with some sort of tripod like contraption that I can affix them to. I think I can find one for about 10 bucks, and it'd be small enough to move it around to see other things. More overshairing with internet strangers, but we definitely will be checking out the moon, as her name is Luna. 🌙 Hopefully we can find some decent enough to see other things 🪐 , if nothing else we can watch birds and stuff. 🐦

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Menteerio t1_j4l6orm wrote

Do you have a recommendation for a good beginner but not toy telescope?

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BuffaloBoyHowdy t1_j4ln631 wrote

Look for a small reflector; 4"-6". With a Dobsonian mount. (Up/down and sideways.) They grab enough light to see neat things, but are easy to carry and set up. Most will come with a 20mm -22mm eyepiece. That's a great wide angle, low magnification choice. Maybe you'll want a 10mm-12mm or something to get closer looks of the moon, but I prefer the lower power ones for nebulae and clusters.
I think Sky and Telescope had a 4-1/2" beginner scope that was nice. Look at Telescopes.com and see what they have. Try a local astronomy club. They love to share and someone might even have one to sell.
And a good finder scope. I like the TelRad but the Rigel is nice. (You can ignore this if you can make the one that comes with the scope work.)
Then find a decent book for small telescopes. I like "Turn Left at Orion", but there are others. These will help you actually find nebula, star clusters, etc. rather than just trying to find stuff.
Go to astronomy web sites and see what they say. Figure a few hundred dollars at least for the whole thing.
You can store them in the garage or shed. Keep it covered so dust and mice don't get in it and it'll last for years.

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