(March 10, 2013 at 4:49 pm)Chuck Wrote: I might suggest Edmund scientific Astroscan. It retails for around $200. It is designed for portability, durability and novice use. You can use it without a tripod. It is bomb proof. It is reasonably good for a novice scope. Your son can see moons and cloud bands of Jupiter, rings of Saturn, and many craters on the moon, and andromeda. It requires no set up, comes with should strap, and is better than you can achieve hand holding a pair of binoculars.
Good suggestion. I had forgotten about the Astroscan.
One suggestion I can make is this - manage expectations. The view through any amateur instrument is not going to look like an astro photo. This is especially true of smaller instruments. The largest telescope I have ever owned was a reflector with a 12" (300mm) diameter objective, with optics hand made by a skilled optician, the mount and rest made my myself. Even with such an instrument, you're at the mercy of sky glow and atmospheric conditions.
It takes both patience and practice to coax the best views out of any instrument.
I don't intend to discourage - you will see some truly amazing things if you learn where and how to look.
