I have some curious kids at home and want to give them the wonder of seeing Saturn's rings live.
I think some online places will ship you smaller ones, but I'm looking for something a little stronger. Will drive and leave a deposit.
Any ideas? Would like to just use it for a single night.
TIA
Yeah, we have one in our library of things.
You could also go to one of the public telescope viewing nights at BU (I think?). Museum of Science also had some nights as did Lynn Woods
That’s probably a better way to start. The telescope(s) will probably be higher power for more spectacular views and you don’t have to fiddle around getting the scope aimed and tracking correctly while your kids shift from foot to foot then start complaining that it’s too cold.
Mine in the minuteman network also has a telescope to check out. OP, look up the library of things for the libraries near you.
Boston public library is doing a “star party” event next Tuesday (3/28) at the Boston Nature Center in Mattapan. They will have telescopes available for use there and it’s geared towards kids/families.
I know the Mattapan branch of the library was supposed to start renting out telescopes but I am not sure if that is underway yet.
Here’s a list of Boston Area Amateur Astronomy Clubs.
Clubs often have public viewing parties where members set up their gear for anyone to look through. Lots of knowledgeable folks who love to share their love of the night sky with kids and families. If your kids start to get serious about Astronomy, these clubs can be a valuable resource for buying the appropriate and affordable gear for the hobby. There’s lots of junk out there that will not only drain your wallet, but kill your kids’ enthusiasm.
Now is a good time to look up—especially at twilight and just after dark, where you can see multiple planets like Venus, Mars & Jupiter in the same part of the sky along with a pretty crescent Moon.
BTW, a nice pair of binoculars are also great for looking at the night sky, and are very portable and affordable.
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How are these events for young kids that are impatient? Is it mostly geared to legit stargazers or are there usually kids running around etc?
The ones I’ve attended have been pretty casual. If it’s a fairly decent-sized club with lots of members with their respective scopes set up, it should be pretty easy to accomodate kids with short attention spans. Of course all clubs are different, so your actual mileage may vary.
Atmob member: We're kid friendly, but the scopes are owned by volunteers who do assess a kid's age and ability to follow directions when looking through the scope sometimes worth thousands of dollars. Every kid is different and it's a tough one to feel out, but I've literally seen someone try to swing on a telescope like it was a monkey bar and that's going to be a hard pass.
For access to public observing nights on professional telescopes:
The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge has had public viewing evenings in the past, but it's still a virtual event at the moment.
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/events/public-events
BU has public observatory nights most Wednesdays.
https://www.bu.edu/astronomy/community/open-night-observatory/
Wellesley College has public observing events
Merrimack College observatory has a public night too once a week, you have to sign up in advance.
Not sure if they still do it, but museum of science did rooftop observations on Friday nights open to public.
Mass Audubon has had telescope viewing events.
The library is a good suggestion as I just thought about borrowing one from our local library.
Maybe Hunts in Melrose!
I used to go to the BU one as a kid and it was a bit underwhelming, but fun nonetheless.
Fwiw, I see a used dob for $250 on Craigslist. They are a bit clunky, but easy to use and the hardware doesn't really age so you can sell it down the line.
Is there a Buy Nothing page in your town? People use the one where I am for things they need to borrow (in addition to passing things along)- maybe you could ask on there if someone has one they could lend you for a few nights?
Boston Museum of Science has a scope on their roof, as does one of the harvard buildings- both open for public viewing with frequency.
I think MoS is open every weekend?
Try Bob’s Telescopes on Mass Ave in Cambridge.
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About_Yeah_High t1_jdk1x1d wrote
Ask your public library. I’m serious. In my central MA town the library has a pretty decent telescope that card holders can borrow.