Question 1

My 6 year old is interested in astronomy. Would this or the Celestron up close binoculars be better for him?

Accepted Answer

I bought this for my son when he was 7.  He wasn't able to find things on his own.  If you get it in place, all of my kids are able to look through the telescope and see what it is positioned on.  I believe you will be able to see things closer with this telescope, but your 6 year old will probably need assistance positioning the telescope to see things in the sky.  You will also need a table or something to set it on.

Question 2

Can anyone suggest particular eyepieces that would improve this telescope?

Accepted Answer

Make sure you get the 1.25" diameter eyepieces! Tele Vue brand eyepieces have earned a great reputation for clarity without distortion. A 2x Barlow extension (by Tele Vue or anyone) would double your viewing options. As for regular eyepieces (like a Plossl), higher magnification for distant viewing, lower mag for the moon. Divide telescope focal length (300 mm for this telescope) by the eyepiece in mm to get magnification. So, the 20mm eyepiece gives 300/20 = 15x magnification. The 4mm  gives 300/4 = 75x mag. Add a 2x Barlow extension to those eyepieces gives you the option of 30x and 150x. If you also buy a 30mm Plossl (lower mag for nearer objects), you get 300/30 = 10x mag ... add the 2x Barlow to it and you have 20x mag.

Question 3

compare TO CELESTRON FUNSCOPE

Accepted Answer

The Funscope is an Orion scope (not Celestron). The Orion Funscope generally gets better reviews for better quality optical and lenses.

Question 4

I live in NYC. How much will the city lights affect what I can see?

Accepted Answer

Light pollution definitely affects a lot.  You would be able to get close ups of the moon, and might be able to see faint outlines of the larger planets when they are closest to the earth - but as for any type of deep space viewing (which using this specific scope - I wouldn't think possible), you couldn't do it with such a light polluted area.When I want to really view stars, I take my 8" Dobsonian out camping - even then, I need to take the scope far away from our campfire because the light from the fire distorts viewing to such a large degree.

ASIN	B07DJPD2VH
Additional Features	Custom Moon Map Wrap, Robert Reeves Collaboration, Easy-to-Use Dobsonian Mount
Best Sellers Rank	#345 in Camera & Photo Products ( See Top 100 in Camera & Photo Products ) #32 in Telescope Refractors
Brand	Celestron
Built-In Media	4mm and 20mm Eyepieces, Dobsonian Mount, Free Lunar Landscape Robert Reeves PDF Download, Optical tube
Coating	Aluminum with SiO2
Compatible Devices	Eyepieces
Customer Reviews	4.3 out of 5 stars 447 Reviews
Dawes Limit	1.53 Arc Sec
Exit Pupil Diameter	3.17 Millimeters
Eye Piece Lens Description	4mm and 20mm Eyepieces
Field Of View	1.3 Degrees
Finderscope	Not Included
Focal Length Description	300mm (12")
Focus Type	Manual Focus
Global Trade Identification Number	00050234220163
Item Dimensions D x W x H	9"D x 9"W x 18"H
Item Type Name	Celestron Signature Series Moon By Robert Reeves Features A Superb Moon Astronomical Telescope, Black (22016)
Item Weight	4.3 Pounds
Manufacturer	Celestron Acquisition LLC
Manufacturer Part Number	22016-CGL
Model Name	Signature Series Moon by Robert Reeves
Model Number	22016-CGL
Mount	Manual Tabletop Dobsonian
Objective Lens Diameter	76 Millimeters
Optical Tube Length	266 Millimeters
Optical-Tube Length	266 Millimeters
Power Source	Manual
Telescope Mount Description	Manual Tabletop Dobsonian
UPC	050234220163
Unit Count	1.0 Count
Warranty Description	2 year limited warranty
Zoom Ratio	180

Signature Series Moon by Robert Reeves Features A Superb Moon Astronomical Telescope, Black (22016)

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