Get Started in Astronomy with a Cool New Telescope

A bunch of years ago, I bought my first telescope. It was red and shaped like a grenade-launcher. It has been a trooper. I traveled around Peru with it, and used it show people Halley’s Comet.  Even after I left South America to come home, the scope stayed there another six weeks, traveling with other astronomers through Peru and Chile.

This same trusty scope still does its job from the deck of our house and is still going strong. It’s an Astroscan, and it’s been a great little scope. Portable, easy to use, and cheap. Unfortunately, the company that used to make them broke the molds, and they’re no longer available new. (Lots of them are on sale on eBay, though…)

Well, it seems the trusty scope is coming back, but from a different source. The same guy who designed the Astroscan now has the “Daughter” telescope in development through his own company. Norm Sperling has a Kickstarter going to fund the creation of a better and more modern version, called the Bright-eye Telescope. It looks like a great project, and as a user of Norm’s previous invention, I am pretty sure he’s got another winner on his hands.

Want to get involved and eventually get one of these babies? Check out the Bright-Eyes campaign at Kickstarter. And, also be sure and read Norm’s temporary company website for more details. If you’ve feeling a bit flush, please consider giving some money to help the project along. It sure looks like it’ll be another great idea, and here’s the beauty: using this little scope, you can do some stargazing very quickly, whether you’re a newbie or an experienced observer.  This thing (based on the one I have now) is SO easy to set up and use that you’ll wonder why you didn’t get one sooner! Go help out Norm and let’s get these scopes out to the world!