Would this be considered too childish for a 16 yr old boy. He is considering astronomy and I thought this would make good starter scope.
362336
No this scope is a great scope for all ages to try. The scope is beautifully wrapped with an image of the eye nebulae from Cosmos a space time odysse show. The scope itself is well built, and great for not only beginners because if you want you can purchase stronger magnification eye pieces, and filters. I hope he enjoys it as much as I enjoy mine, and I am nearly 30 years old.
500160
yes if you want to tinker. If you want to be serious then buy a real quality mount, the mount of this telescope is crap.
1025720
This scope is good for the price and you will not be able to see the planets as you might with the professional ones. It is great watching the land marks and the moon. I hope this helps.
1932885
Yes. I am a novice, and I love it. I would suggest that whenever possible, use A/C power instead of the battery option. Batteries have limited power and it seems to move slower. Batteries are good though when you don't have access to A/C power. The moon is awesome to look at. The detail of the craters are truly impressive and you can see the rings of Saturn. The other night we were able to see the Andromeda galaxy. I really like this telescope. I would also suggest that you buy the accessory case with teh filters and additional lenses. It gives you more viewing options.
538283
no, the moon is not too bright for this size scope. Optional I'd say, unless you're looking at a nearly full moon at low power and you have very sensitive eyes.
2032382
Sorry, I cannot respond. The telescope and accessories were a gift. I know nothing about the bits and pieces.
1050769
Absolutely, My grandson is 11 and its perfect for him, not to overbearing. The scope isn't the best so we removed it. He cant fire it unless a grown up is with him just cause kids are kids.
2119555
Absolutely. This is a fine telescope for any astronomical use. The only drawback is it's size. It's a bit of work to get it somewhere and set it up, but I love mine. For detailed planetary study, a large refractor is better, but for deep sky, this is MUCH better than the refractor, so a good all around scope.
387966
It is a great choice for a 11 year old boy and a grand-pa for discovering the universe. Solid contruction, quick and easy transportation. Add a set of eyepiece, and you're good to go
2238328
I have a pair and use them almost every night since to gaze at the stars. The Moon will Fill up your view nicely. If you view say Jupiter with them it will appear quite small but if conditions are good you can actually make out Jupiter's moons even. Very good for starting Astronomy from a starter and will be used once I get a good scope also.
890302
That is a hard question to answer. The telescope is nice but very hard to adjust. If someone is willing to adjust for her and then let her look you will be okay. We bought for a 6 yr old and there is not enough patience to look in a direction and then adjust. We all thought that it was not working because we couldn't "see" anything but fuzz. Grandpa was the only one that could take the time to look in the direction of something and then adjust the focus until something appeared. I can't place blame on the telescope but the age is the problem. It is a decent telescope for the money and looks very cute. Just be ready to have an adult ready to find the moon first and then let her look! That is a hard question to answer. The telescope is nice but very hard to adjust. If someone is willing to adjust for her and then let her look you will be okay. We bought for a 6 yr old and there is not enough patience to look in a direction and then adjust. We all thought that it was not working because we couldn't "see" anything but fuzz. Grandpa was the only one that could take the time to look in the direction of something and then adjust the focus until something appeared. I can't place blame on the telescope but the age is the problem. It is a decent telescope for the money... » Read More That is a hard question to answer. The telescope is nice but very hard to adjust. If someone is willing to adjust for her and then let her look you will be okay. We bought for a 6 yr old and there is not enough patience to look in a direction and then adjust. We all thought that it was not working because we couldn't "see" anything but fuzz. Grandpa was the only one that could take the time to look in the direction of something and then adjust the focus until something appeared. I can't place blame on the telescope but the age is the problem. It is a decent telescope for the money and looks very cute. Just be ready to have an adult ready to find the moon first and then let her look! « Show Less
1978041
jmich; Like you, I certainly was not trying to be glib. I just did not encounter the problem you did. I do have one idea, though: The scope comes with two eyepieces. One of the eyepieces is useful, but the other one I found useless. The target could not be centered or even seen. Hope this helps.J
1920694
The coatings actually helps the light to pass and make the images brighter. But I feel magnification of 16 may not be powerful enough for astronomy purpose. And still, a tripod will be helpful to get stable images, unless you have very steady hands.
111589
This scope is more suitable for Jr. High and younger. For a high school level scope I recommend the AM scope 150C that Amazon sells for just $20 more and it's a much better scope.
2061841
Fred, I think this optic would fit the bill perfectly. It's high quality but relatively low cost, and variable power. A great way to teach the youngins how to shoot through a scope.
1920021
I would use a telescope that is specifically for that. I have taken these things out to the mountains in southern New Mexico for star gazing and they did work well. The biggest challenge with these is that sometimes it is difficult for them to hold their focus.
177101
You can see them fairly clear, i'll put a link at the bottom of my comment to a guy who takes photo's with his 4se. Keep in mind, when you're looking through the scope, the view is not as fuzzy as his photos and video. You can't magnify much more than 150x with the 4se but you can see Saturn with it's rings, and Jupiter very clearly. I'm not sure what the other person is talking about the motors jumping, mine tracks beautifully. This is a great starter scope, but, I also agree there are way better ones out there. For a first scope just to get you familiar with the sky and Astronomy, the 4se works great. If you're like me though, you'll probably want something bigger and faster within a year. I'm actually thinking about selling my 4se to step up to a much higher end scope for Astrophotography. May I ask where you're from? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7LIfGL0G50jj7sP_aktkHA