Every year about this time astronomers and planetarium folk the world over (whether amateur or professional) get variations on the following question from well-meaning friends and relatives: “My niece / nephew / son / daughter / husband / wife / mom / dad / friend / boss / coworker is interested in astronomy. I’d like to get them an astronomy-related holiday gift. What can you suggest?”
It’s a tough one to answer because everybody’s relationship to the stars is different. The professional might think that it would be cool to get a grant extension on the current research he or she is doing, while the amateur might be thinking of his or her next eyepiece purchase!
Seriously though, it’s a question we do hear a lot. I’ve mentioned this before in my blog entries, but I’ve created a little reference library and “gift shop” on my website called the Helen Sawyer Hogg Memorial Library and Gift Shop. I recommend you check it out because it has a lot of gift ideas, reviews, and links to helpful articles at Sky & Telescope that can help you decide on hardware purchases for the enthusiast in your life.
Another big question we get a lot has to do with what telescope or binoculars to buy for an astronomy-minded person. THAT is a tough one to answer because it really does require us to know just what the giftee is going to be looking at with the optics. Actually, one of my responses is usually, “Does the person you’re buying this for (even if it’s for yourself) know much about the sky?” The reason I ask that question is that before you go out and spend a lot of money on decent binoculars or telescopes, you (or your intended recipient) should know a little something about the stars, like how to find your way around the sky, basic constellation outlines, and some elementary star-hopping techniques.
I do have some books and star wheels listed at my little impromptu gift shop, and those are quite useful tools to help you and your friends learn the night sky. Think of it as learning to read the map before you set out on a cross-country drive in a new car. Once you know your way around—and a little about the jargon and nomenclature of stargazing—it’s immensely easier to get around the sky. Then, after you’ve spent some time familiarizing yourself with the target areas you want to study, you can point that telescope or binoculars to them with great confidence and explore in more detail!
If you visit my reference pages you will find that I’ve got some telescopes and binoculars listed. I’ve used those pieces of equipment (or models very similar to them) and feel confident about recommending them to users. One thing you will NOT see on those pages are links to cheap, department-store telescopes. Every year you can just about bet that there will be some “deals” on telescopes that seem too good to be true. About 99.9 percent of the time, they ARE too good to be true. You’ll see things like “magnifies the universe by 600X!” which, of course, tells you nothing about what it will be like to look through the telescope. They also don’t tell you that the optics in these cheap scopes are likely to be plastic, or poorly made glass. If you’ve ever looked through a pair of dirty glasses you’ll have a good idea of how the universe will look through these “deals.” Finally, even if the optics WERE good in these products, they’re usually connected to flimsy mounts that don’t hold the telescope rock solid as you view through it. The result of buying one of these things? A telescope in the closet and a disappointed user. So, while it may cost more to buy a quality piece of equipment, it pays off in the long run with a satisfied user.
My recommendation for someone just starting out is a good book on astronomy, a star wheel to help them find their way around the sky, or software if your recipient is computer-inclined. The possibilities for exploring the universe on the pages of a good book are endless. Star wheels are easy to use and never go out of style, and software gives the user an incredible depth of knowledge from which to begin any number of stellar explorations. If they get hooked on astronomy, there’s always time later on to move up to that pair of binoculars or a telescope!
Finally, nothing beats the gift of your time and presence with your intended recipient. Get that star wheel and learn how to use it with them. Read the book to each other. Let some good space music send you to the depths of the cosmos. Set up that little toy planetarium for your child and use it to do a little indoor exploring when the weather doesn’t allow outdoor stargazing.
It’s big universe out there, just waiting for you to explore and enjoy it!