It's about that time of year again

[Spacewriter]

When all of us who work in known astronomical and space-science circles get the dreaded question: "I want to buy my <insert gift recipient here> something about astronomy, do we feel like running screaming in the opposite direction? Well, yeah, sometimes... I've tried tackling it in my blog (http://www.thespacewriter.com/2004_11_01_thespacewriter_archive.html#11010018802 7313160) and on one of my web pages (http://www.thespacewriter.com/library.html) with some discussion about how to get started in astronomy and what some thoughtful gifts might be, but not everybody reads blogs or web pages. What's tougher is when it's relatives doing the asking. You kinda hate to go into lecture mode, but you also don't want to let them down or make astronomy seem hard (especially when it's not!).

My personal unfavorites are the ones who ask about what kind of telescope to buy for a 7-year-old, and then after I go through my usual song and dance about bad department-store scopes they defiantly hold up an ad for one of these atrocities and proceed to tell me that they don't want to spend more than $29.99 for something that the kid might just throw in the closet after a month anyway. Never mind that if they buy the thing, it just about guarantees that it will be so bad that the kid will toss the thing aside and decide to major in astrology and oriental massage because they were so traumatized by their one experience with real astronomy. ;)

So, maybe we can help each other out here this holiday season and come up with some creative ways to answer those questions that are bound to pop up. What's your favorite question and answer?

[zebo-the-fat]

Can't beat a decent set of binoculars and a star atlas (plus a warm jacket if you live in the UK!) :D

[Spacewriter]

Oh, I absolutely agree with the star chart and binoculars approach. It's what I tell everybody unless they already have that and are ready to move on to something else.

I guess I'm kind of old-fashioned, but I do think that one should learn the sky before driving around in an unfamiliar telescope, etc. It just makes sense to know where you're going before you leave, eh?

;)

I'm also a big fan of books and other related goodies that help one explore with the mind's eye when the weather doesn't allow the real thing.

[Andromeda321]

A subscription to an astronomy/ science magazine. Man oh man what I owe to one I got to Astronomy magazine that one year!
Introductory books are good too. I got Nightwatch when I was thirteen and just starting out in astronomy (ok my sister got it but no one remembers that because she never looked at it) which I still think is one of the greatest books you can thrust into a beginner's hands. For the more mature armchair astronomer a book by Carl Sagan or Timothy Ferris can never go wrong.
And I never could figure out planispheres out very well for some reason or another, I prefered the starcharts in the back of books coupled with a pair of binoculars. Those two were enough to last me a year until I started really sounding telescope obsessed and by that point my parents knew I was serious enough about the subject.

[R.A.F.]

I'd recommend Peterson's Field Guide to the Stars and Planets by Donald Menzel and Jay Pasachoff, along with the aforemended binoculars.

[Charlie in Dayton]

Good starter material:

7x50 binoculars
Quality planisphere
Star chart
Magazine subscription (might I suggest NightSky?)

And most important of all, if at all possible...a couple of nights of gentle mentoring under the stars.

[Spacewriter]

So, does anybody have any memorable questions that they've fielded successfully (or even unsucessfully)?

I mentioned one possibility, but here's another one that I actually got.

Phone rings at my office. It's an old friend who's got a 10-year-old son who wants to try out astronomy.

"Yo, Carolyn! Need some advice on a telescope for Junior. What do you recommend?"

"What does he want to look at? Planets, deep-sky objects? Does he know his way around the stars?" I ask.

"He's been out there with a star chart every night since last summer, and we've been doing that binocular thing like you told us. He thinks he's ready to move up."

So, I go into a little talk about the virtues of an Astroscan -- indestructable, decent optics, easy to "point and shoot."

My friend asks the inevitable question, "How much?" I tell him it's about $250 or so, but the thing will last forever.

Long silence on the phone. Finally I hear a heavy sigh.

"Well, thanks, but I already bought this <name of cheap piece of crap> telescope over at the J.C. Penney outlet for $55.00."

Now it's my turn for heavy silence.

Needless to say, I couldn't trash what he'd already bought without ****ing him off, and I know he was just calling to see if I'd "vet" his selection...

... so frustrating...

[sarongsong]

...What's your favorite question and answer?
"What can I get X for Christmas?"
A CALENDAR (http://www.calendars.com/xq/asp/TID.{80648C39-4ED4-4091-B114-F6DB5FCAAAAC}/PID.1/MGID.390/IID.14036/qx/product.htm)!---so immediately useful :D

[mickal555]

Hmmm I would't mind a wide field 2" Nagler or teleview mmmmmmmm.......

[Spacewriter]

Hmmm I would't mind a wide field 2" Nagler or teleview mmmmmmmm.......

Heh!!

Wouldn't we ALL!!

;)