AstronomyXtreme
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 08/27/06
Posts: 885
Loc: Maryland
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Is this handle held thinga ma bob worth it all? I really don't understnad how it'll work.
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-CJ "The 15 year old astrofreak"
14.5" F/6 Truss
10.1" F/4 Odyssy Coulter
127mm 5" F/12.1 Starmax Mak Cassegrain
90mm 3.5" F/11 Celestron Refractor on EQ3/w drives
4.5" DS114 coverted to newtonian
ETX-70
60mm F/11 Sears Refractor
50mm F/12.5 Simmons Refractor
10x60 Konus APO binocs/w built in nebula filters
7x18 Meade Monocular
Fugifilm Funpix A500
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Covey32
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/09/04
Posts: 1065
Loc: Georgia
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I'm hoping that some folks that actually own it will chime in here with some commentary.
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Hank
12.5" Mag1 Portaball
Meade SN6 Schmidt Newtonian
Homebuilt 8 inch F5 Newtonian
Skywatcher 6" F8 Achro Refractor
Antares/Vixen 120mm F8.3 Achro Refractor
Intes 6" Mak
Celestron ED80 Refractor with Lunt 50mm HA
25 pounds of eyepieces
Ioptron Mini-Tower
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FLNightSky
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/13/06
Posts: 655
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CJ
It works like a Telrad where instead of you pointing it at a star you know, you point IT at a star and it tells you what you're looking at.
For someone who doesn't know the sky it is a great tool. I use it frequently since my knowledge of the sky is -ahem- not as good as it should be.
Is it worth it? If you know the sky pretty well then the answer is probably no. But for beginners or intermediate users then yes, I'd say it is a good purchase.
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Wes James
Postmaster
Reged: 04/12/06
Posts: 5477
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I'll chime in here as well... I don't know my way around the sky as well as I want to, either- which is why I bought it... it gets me pointed in the right direction. I do notice that it's accuracy is off a degree or two... but for what I bought it for- it's a valuable asset. Also confirms what I am looking at is really what I think it is.
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Wes
Atlantic Beach, FL
Bino’s- Tak's, Fuji's, Nikon's, Canon IS and Garrett 20x110 Signature's,
Some telescopes from Carton & Zeiss 60mm's up through a couple of 8” reflectors… Orion 3.6" O/A- and a wonderful 4.25" Delmarva Schiefspiegler!
Some good friends, made here on C/N.
Oh- several cats and a wonderful wife!
Anyone want a cat???? :-O
"When your work speaks for itself- Don't Interrupt" -Gamble Rogers
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reflector74
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/09/05
Posts: 1249
Loc: Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm
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The intro to this section reads as follows:
"Feel free to talk about likes/dislikes/SkyScout modifications and such."
Okay then..I dislike it because it is a gadget that is really not very necessary to learn the sky IMHO. Thank you for the freedom to express my opinion. Others may have different opinions about this gadget.
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Two eyes and a preference to use both
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Astronomics
Vendor if you must, AKA The Mighty Kong.
Reged: 06/07/04
Posts: 4300
Loc: Right Here
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I would hope people would post dislikes who actually owned the Sky Scout. It may not be a good fit for you, but it is a piece of equipment that will introduce many new people into a hobby they know nothing about.
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Michael Bieler
"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out.
It doesn't matter much to me."
John Lennon
Father and Husband
Owner
www.astronomics.com
www.astronomytechnologies.com
www.cloudynights.com
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reflector74
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/09/05
Posts: 1249
Loc: Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm
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I don't own this piece, but I have tried. It was quite enough. That is only my opinion which was hands-on. I don't have to own it to share my opinion.
Again I quote, ""Feel free to talk about likes/dislikes/SkyScout modifications and such." I took that at face value.
I can think of more efficient ways of learning the sky. I know the sky forwards and backwards having studied charts in my youth. My 10 year old son has acquired the same knowledge through my guidance and his own study. I believe very much in good old fashioned charts.
As I said before, people will have other opinions.
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Two eyes and a preference to use both
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Wes James
Postmaster
Reged: 04/12/06
Posts: 5477
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Well, congratulations on knowing the sky so well! When a person starts young on an endeavor, almost anything- they soak it up like a sponge, Anything. That is one reason that it is- as a parent- important to encourage their children on useful/beneficial interests when they're young. And- if you've been studying the sky for as many years as you imply- you shouldn't need aids... I'll agree!
However when you start out much older, I, for instance, at the age of 58- find it very difficult to absorb new material. So it is an asset to me. Am I learning??? Yes. Is it as easy as if I were 10 years old? NO... most certainly not. Yes... I have charts & atlases... but me? I need all the help I can get. Hopefully, in another 40 years, I will know the sky as well as you.
Just my opinion.
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Wes
Atlantic Beach, FL
Bino’s- Tak's, Fuji's, Nikon's, Canon IS and Garrett 20x110 Signature's,
Some telescopes from Carton & Zeiss 60mm's up through a couple of 8” reflectors… Orion 3.6" O/A- and a wonderful 4.25" Delmarva Schiefspiegler!
Some good friends, made here on C/N.
Oh- several cats and a wonderful wife!
Anyone want a cat???? :-O
"When your work speaks for itself- Don't Interrupt" -Gamble Rogers
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Jim Davenport
sage
Reged: 11/12/06
Posts: 369
Loc: Seminole Fl
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Here's my two cents.
I quess it's the old dog new trick thing. But for that much money, you can get a "Planisphere" and decent binoculars. Or better yet, an 8" dob, a Telrad, and a planisphere.
Of course this is just a hobby and everyone should enjoy what they want.
But my thought is we've become an instant gratification country, and we're loosing out the joys of a slower pace of observing, and learning the sky. When I get a good night, I find my self at times, Just sitting in a chair with my dog, and enjoying the beauty of creation. Until I realize maybe I ought to try looking through the Scope some more. 
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C-11 SCT on Altas EQ-G With moonlite focuser
C6-R with moonlite CF 2 focuser
William Optic Zenith Star 80 ED II
C-8 on skyview pro mount
Old Celestron 11X80 binoc's
Orion 20X80 binoc's
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stefsaber
Post Laureate
Reged: 06/24/06
Posts: 4941
Loc: Rainy Florida
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I believe its way too much money to spend, when you could pick up a nice Star Atlas and a Dob and actually enjoy the beauty of the objects...
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-Stefan
"A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." -Douglas Adams
Current Equip: Zhummel 10" Dob
Past Scopes: ETX 90---Vixen ED80Sf---WO 66SD--WO Megrez 80II Triplet
Fort Myers, FL
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Blair
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/07/03
Posts: 1163
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I say no.
Here are other options that are cheaper:
1. Planisphere: some even shine in the dark when charged by a flashlight right before you go out.
2. Maps like Orion's Deep Map 600.
3. Best: a computer program like TheSky which allows zooming in on an object, orienting it like what you would see through the scope and a print out to take with you outside with a red light flashlight. I've found many objects, especially galaxies, this way. This is cheaper if you already own a computer for other uses.
4. A combination of the above three.
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Astronomics
Vendor if you must, AKA The Mighty Kong.
Reged: 06/07/04
Posts: 4300
Loc: Right Here
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Worth is something determined by the user.
My cousin is a perfect example. Lives in Dallas. Runs his own company. Doesn't have a ton of time to dedicate to the hobby as he has 3 young children. He often gets asked by his children, "Daddy what is that?" He looks up at the sky and goes, "Let's ask Uncle Mike." Even then I don't always have an answer. The SkyScout provides him with a tool to teach his children what is up in the sky and also gives him a gateway to what is going on. The product is a marvel from an engineering standpoint and hopefully will get kids interested in the hobby.
Are their cheaper options? Sure. Are the other options easy for a new astronomy to use? Not always. This is just point and click.
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Michael Bieler
"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out.
It doesn't matter much to me."
John Lennon
Father and Husband
Owner
www.astronomics.com
www.astronomytechnologies.com
www.cloudynights.com
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AstronomyXtreme
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 08/27/06
Posts: 885
Loc: Maryland
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Thanks for the info, I never really heard much about these. I wasn't sure it was like a DSCs but handheld(like punch where you want to go and coords will appear on the screen). It's definately not for me.
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-CJ "The 15 year old astrofreak"
14.5" F/6 Truss
10.1" F/4 Odyssy Coulter
127mm 5" F/12.1 Starmax Mak Cassegrain
90mm 3.5" F/11 Celestron Refractor on EQ3/w drives
4.5" DS114 coverted to newtonian
ETX-70
60mm F/11 Sears Refractor
50mm F/12.5 Simmons Refractor
10x60 Konus APO binocs/w built in nebula filters
7x18 Meade Monocular
Fugifilm Funpix A500
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Albie
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/22/05
Posts: 4638
Loc: Alberta,Canada
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I started this hobby when I was 43,I am 46 about to turn 47.I still do not know the night sky and maybe I never will.At this stage in life I just don't have the resolve or the capacity to learn it all.With eyepieces,scopes,filters,collimation tools,etc,etc to wrap my brain around there just isn't much brain left to figure out the sky  This is why go to's are attractive and "gadgets" like the sky scout are attractive to people such as I.Now if only the prices of these things would come down a bit(okay more than a bit).
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Orion Starblast6
Meade 5k SWA 24mm,20mm and 16mm,Antares Speers Waler Series2 9.4mm, 7.2mm and 4.9mm.Meade 5k 2x TeleXtender.
Astro Physics 15x70,Garrett Signature 10x50,Celestron Regal LX 8x42,Bushnell Elite Custom 7x26,Pentax Papilio 6.5x21
Garrett 2000 Grip-Action Monopod,Velbon Sherpa crank elevator tripod(for pap's)
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kestrel0222
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/21/06
Posts: 2339
Loc: Milford, Michigan
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I don't think that I would purchase one for that much money. I would much rather spend that money on a premium eyepiece or accesssory that I would get more use out of. But that just my opinion.
I'm not saying that it is not a good piece of equipment, but it's something that I wouldn't get much use out of.
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Tom
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Blair
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/07/03
Posts: 1163
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I suppose if you just have $400 lying around this may be a choice.
But for teaching Children the sky a computer with a computer program that shows the sky in very near real images that rotates in real time seems to be a better choice.
Now a days you can buy a computer and the computer program for around $500 to $600 if you catch a good sale.
I know my children enjoyed this approach more than just going out and looking at some bright stars with the naked eye. Also, they liked the images the computer showed for Messier objects than what we saw in the scope (we live in a somewhat light polluted skies and I only had a 4 inch scope).
Now they really liked the Moon and Jupiter through my scope but the Sky Scout is not needed for that.
As you say this is only my opinion.
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Jim Davenport
sage
Reged: 11/12/06
Posts: 369
Loc: Seminole Fl
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Oh gosh, I agree, "Worth is something determined by the user".
But I can't help but think that we're contributing to the dumbing down of America.
"Are their cheaper options? Sure. Are the other options easy for a new astronomy to use? Not always. This is just point and click".
Please don't take my thoughts wrong. Every I see Point and click I kinda cringe.
Many years ago A attended the US Navy instructors school. There's a term called "Learning intensity" Loosly meaning the more intense the learning experience is the more it will be retained. While I realize that time is precious in today's society. My personal feelings are that we really need to slow down!!
There's a lot of resources available for kids I just googled " Astronomy for Kids, Here's just two of many results.
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/astronomy.htm
I think that if we have our kids do some research themselves,or with help from mom and dad, and then observe the results, they're better off for it.
In the spirit of truthfulness, I just got dragged into the 21st century, and bought a "GOTO" mount.
Buy the way, Astronomics is a great company. I've done a couple of orders from you. The service was super.
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C-11 SCT on Altas EQ-G With moonlite focuser
C6-R with moonlite CF 2 focuser
William Optic Zenith Star 80 ED II
C-8 on skyview pro mount
Old Celestron 11X80 binoc's
Orion 20X80 binoc's
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azsrr
sage
Reged: 11/06/05
Posts: 435
Loc: Paradise Valley, Arizona
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As with every purchase, the answer is of course "it depends" -- it depends on your budget, will you use it, how well you know the sky, and many other questions.
I am relatively new to this hobby and have very much enjoyed my SkyScout. When I want to take a break from the telescope, I pick up the SkyScout and just point to random areas of the sky and see what I find. The audio commentaries are actually pretty interesting when I do this. Sometimes I do random walks with binoculars, sometimes the SkyScout. I like it.
On the other hand, if I were a 25 year veteran who spent my time looking for tiny little obscure galaxies in my 25" Obesssion. Well, I may not spend the money on this.
I will say, on Christmas Eve when my entire (45 people) family was over, I setup my CPC-800 to show my young nieces and nephews a few things. They were sort of interested. But, when I pulled out the SkyScout, it got tons of oohs and ahhhs and was absolutely the hit of the night. People were fighting to get to use it. The Orion green laser bracket just makes it all the more useful in this environment (assuming due care with the laser, of course).
As with anything, there are pro's and con's. I would say:
Pro's
* Ease of use
* Easy to carry around with your other equipment
* Ease of entry into the hobby
* Large # of objects
* The audio commentaries
* Wow factor at public star parties
Con's
* Tired arms
* Probably will not hold the interest of experienced observers
* Expensive for some budgets
* Some people have trouble seeing the text on the screen -- it has been suggested on another forum that this is due to colorblindness -- I have no idea. Try before you buy.
For me, the pro's far outweigh the con's.
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Steve
N1NM
Celestron CPC-800 XLT / Hyperstar
TeleVue NP101 APO
Orion SkyQuest XT12i
Nikon D4
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amys
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/12/06
Posts: 2571
Loc: Groton, CT
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I asked for one as a birthday gift. It just arrived so I've only had the chance to use it once. In 5 minutes,it confirmed the identity of several stars and where Saturn was. It's been too cold and windy, or too cloudy for me to take my scope out. I can just grab this off the counter, run outside, and in a few minutes, learn the identity of a few objects. I haven't even tried the audio or text features yet.
So for me, a newbie who lives in a place where the weather is not the greatest for frequent observing, it's just what I wanted.
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Amy
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desertstars
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 41911
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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Quote:
But I can't help but think that we're contributing to the dumbing down of America.
I don't think that's a likely result at all. Quite the contrary, I expect that a fair number of people who buy one of these gadgets will not only be new to astronomy, they will be people who would never given astronomy a second thought, except that someone showed them this really cool tech toy. It's the gadget and what it can do that will attract them, not an interest in the night sky. But once we have them looking up, other possiblities arise. I can't help seeing this as a very good thing.
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Thomas Watson
Author of Mr. Olcott's Skies. Available in paperback and ebook from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
@desertstarsbks
Under Desert StarsEither Way, It's Reading
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