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manwiches · 12-05-2019, 08:07 AM

I've always been a huge astronomy/space nerd. So much so, that for a good part of my life growing up, I wanted to have a career in space/aeronautics or anything of the sort. My mom got me a toy telescope when I was 8/9 years old, and even though I couldn't see anything through it, I spent as much time as I could even trying. I still have it in a box somewhere. I always wanted a good telescope growing up to explore the stars. Still to this day, anytime there is a clear night, I will stop the car somewhere there is little light, and just lie on the hood of my car and get lost in the stars. If I'm home, I'll go the backyard and just lay on my couch.

When my son was born, I spent a lot of time with him at night just pointing at stars, showing him the moon, etc. I've done that at least once a week or more with him. With the advent of smart phones, I have the SkyView App (I do realize there are others, but this is what I have for now), and that has helped with my son's interest in being outside longer and understanding what he sees.

This past summer, we spent at least 4-5 nights after the sun went down, and just laid outside in the backyard on the outdoor couch, where there is minimal light, looking up in the skies and telling each other what we see. We'd spend 30-45 minutes before bed time just talking and telling stories about what we think we saw up there.

I'm surprised, but he loves watching anything to do with space, including documentaries. I took him to see Interstellar this summer when it was on IMAX, and he sat through the whole thing, completely enthralled. After, he wouldn't stop asking me questions about what happened and why. It absolutely blew my mind that he was so interested. He keep saying he wants to be an astronaut for the past 2 years too. And he's asked for a telescope since the summer, after telling him about what it could do, and also going to the science center to look at what they can do.

All this being said, I think the purchase will be a good investment for him and me. I was hoping to get a bigger and more advanced scope, but I think this is perfect for him, and I hope he will learn to love space and the stars as much as I do. If he loves star gazing and exploring still when he's a teen, maybe I'll invest in a more advanced and better scope then.

Thanks for everybody's opinions and thoughts. It meant a lot.

12-05-2019, 08:07 AM	#20
manwiches Powerplay Quarterback Join Date: Oct 2009 Exp:	I've always been a huge astronomy/space nerd. So much so, that for a good part of my life growing up, I wanted to have a career in space/aeronautics or anything of the sort. My mom got me a toy telescope when I was 8/9 years old, and even though I couldn't see anything through it, I spent as much time as I could even trying. I still have it in a box somewhere. I always wanted a good telescope growing up to explore the stars. Still to this day, anytime there is a clear night, I will stop the car somewhere there is little light, and just lie on the hood of my car and get lost in the stars. If I'm home, I'll go the backyard and just lay on my couch. When my son was born, I spent a lot of time with him at night just pointing at stars, showing him the moon, etc. I've done that at least once a week or more with him. With the advent of smart phones, I have the SkyView App (I do realize there are others, but this is what I have for now), and that has helped with my son's interest in being outside longer and understanding what he sees. This past summer, we spent at least 4-5 nights after the sun went down, and just laid outside in the backyard on the outdoor couch, where there is minimal light, looking up in the skies and telling each other what we see. We'd spend 30-45 minutes before bed time just talking and telling stories about what we think we saw up there. I'm surprised, but he loves watching anything to do with space, including documentaries. I took him to see Interstellar this summer when it was on IMAX, and he sat through the whole thing, completely enthralled. After, he wouldn't stop asking me questions about what happened and why. It absolutely blew my mind that he was so interested. He keep saying he wants to be an astronaut for the past 2 years too. And he's asked for a telescope since the summer, after telling him about what it could do, and also going to the science center to look at what they can do. All this being said, I think the purchase will be a good investment for him and me. I was hoping to get a bigger and more advanced scope, but I think this is perfect for him, and I hope he will learn to love space and the stars as much as I do. If he loves star gazing and exploring still when he's a teen, maybe I'll invest in a more advanced and better scope then. Thanks for everybody's opinions and thoughts. It meant a lot. Last edited by manwiches; 12-05-2019 at 08:10 AM.