Hello Friend,

There's a lot of information about buying  telescopes all over the web, and in many books
as well.

There is also some information that tends to get repeated over and over 
that is not neccessarily true, but if it's said enough times, people begin to believe it.

One thing that I read quite often, that to get a child interested in astronomy, start them with
a pair of binoculars.

In fact, I read it again today.

And here is why I don't agree with that statement.

I'm not saying it's entirely wrong, however I am basing my opinion on my own experience
and what I've heard from many other amateur astronomers when I ask them how they personally got
started in this hobby.

Here is why the binocular idea might sound good in theory, but in reality it's not likely  going |to
have the intended effect.

First, off, if you give a kid a pair of binoculars, it's not going to make an impression on him or her
the same way a telescope would.

It's the idea and concept of a telescope that the kid see's in their mind's eye.

They want to look at the sky through a telescope, not a pair of binoculars because they don't
relate binoculars to stargazing.

Now, at this time of year, telescopes pop up everywhere from Big box stores
to department stores.  You name it.

And the problem is that most of these so called beginner telescopes are absolute junk,  and
incorporate all kinds of fancy artwork on the boxes, usually screaming 200x or something
along those lines.

And that's not the kind of instrument you want to give any kid, because guaranteed that WILL
discourage their interest.

And that's the advice we give to people who shop at Khan scope.

Yes, it may be self interest, but at the same time it's quite true.

We want people to start in the hobby, and stay in it for a long time, since
it is actually a hobby that suits well to the long term.

You can actually pay the same amount of money for a junk telescope, as you can for a decent one.

Alright, now I've got that off my chest, I feel much better.

Clear Skies,

Ray Khan

PS Just to be clear, you might get the odd kid that would garner interest in amateur astronomy, with a
      pair of binoculars,  but that's not most of them.

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