ALDI have a telescope on Special on Sunday

Denton,

I have read and re-read this tread a few times to see if I could find what exactly sparked you to fly off the handle the way you did. I am still unable to find it. I can therefore only surmise that you are in fact, more than a little sensitive. While the Aldi scope may be little more than a toy, we are talking about a 7 year old girl. My first scope was a 60mm Tasco, (bought for me by a well meaning relative) that could show me no more than a few craters on the moon, that rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter, it was, however enough to spark an interest that I still have today! The same telescope sparked the same interest in my son, who as it happens, was also 7 at the time. He also, is still interested today.

To be honest Denton, I found your quick tempered remarks offensive and not in keeping with the spirit of these boards. I feel Michael’s observation was correct, and your remarks were phrased to be argumentative. I am also delighted to see that no-one was provoked to retaliate in the same manner. Your qualifications and associations do not give you the right to be condescending and bad mannered. I personally feel that an apology to Dave McD is due.

We are all on the same side, right?

Perhaps you should heed your own words....

The Starblast looks good - but that's a real shame about the Astroscan - it looke a lot more funky. But Celestron do a scope that looks the same as the Astroscan - www.celestron.com/prod_pgs/tel/explorascope_index.htm
Now that's a good a spec and funky too. Say - would there be a shop in North Dublin city that'd sell this? If so, could you post up the price?

Dave,

Neat! Didn't know about this little scope and don't know yet what price a certain North Dublin shop might sell it at if prepared to get it in. It's under $50 in the US but the UK price is £49.99.

Gordon

Gordon - I did spot precisely what you said and was disingenuous in inferring that you were saying 'throw the lot in the bin' - sorry.

And by the way, I agree totally. The Skylux eyepieces were not of good quality. Passable, but best replaced ASAP and then thrown in the bin. Luckily, I had a couple of Celestron eyepieces and when coupled with the Skylux, made the optics perform well.

In general, I think that cheap 'scopes (in terms of hard cash, not as a description of their quality) are usually sold with sub-standard eyepieces. That's why they are (monetarily) cheap - its a cost the supplier can cut to the bone and make the whole package attractive. And thus lead to disappointment and the attic... But someone like you or I could, for the price of a decent plossl, make a silk purse out of sow's ear. And get a bargain.

Dave L - you mean as a spotty teenager you didn't have the foresight to use your new technically advanced optical instrument to check out yer one in number 17 in the daylight? As a spotty teenager, my first look though anything that magnifed the sky was courtesy of our local vicar. He had a pair of WWII spotting binoculars that he showed us at dusk one summer evening. After about 3 minutes looking at the moon, the penny dropped and yer one in number 17 came to mind... He cottoned on and that was the end of our first observing session. But the image of yer one has remained with us all to this day...

Dave

All comments are welcome, and all persons are entitled to their opinions, as I was. I would respect such opinions, and should I disagree with them, that could be expressed in a polite manner. But scarstic slagging is something I consider out of bounds and something I would respond to in a suitable manner.

Denton P. Walter

Astronomy Ireland

12-inch D.T.G. DOB
10-inch Celestron Starhopper
8.75-inch D.T.G. dob
C-8 motorised
C-8 manual
3.5-inch refractor
3.1-inch Celestron refractor
2.4-inch refractor
Binoculars:
7x35
7x50
8x30
10x50
20x60
30x70

Wow, someone really loves themselves...

Well, I guess it depends on how much you want to encourage your young niece in entering the world of amateur astronomy. You could buy the scope, test it and then decide if you really want to give it to her for Christmas. Throw it away if (or when) you find it's useless and then go out and buy her a decent one. It's only €49.99 so won't kill you.

Even in my shoes, I wouldn't throw it away! As an example, the 75mm Tasco reflector I got from Santa many moons go, which I still have, is piggybacked on my 8" reflector, which I made almost from cratch, so the piggyback was purposefully made for it. That way, as a comparison, one can see the 'small' version of an object, and really appreciate the 'large' version of the same object! Doesn't matter if you don't see somehing great with the 3" Tasco, the point is, you CAN see something, but its just not brilliant.

Seanie.

Wow, someone really loves themselves...

looks like it :lol:

12" LX200.
6" Intes Mak
4" Celestron Refractor
ETX70
60mm refractor
10x50 binos
7x50 binos
carpets
wooden floor
kitchen sink.