From an early age children look up at the starry heavens in wonder. Some kids will be interested in learning far more about the night sky and from about age ten the investment in a good telescope could be a timely Christmas present.
Expectations should be contained to prevent disappointment, the images of Nebula in books are taken with some of the most powerful telescopes in the world. Your child will not see Saturn and Jupiter as huge globes in their bedroom. Mostly stars will appear as just slightly bigger and brighter points of light. A beginner's budget telescope, however, could bring into view the moons of Jupiter and even the rings of Saturn and give a wonderful view of moon’s surface.
Any view of the heavens with or without a telescope will be much improved by darkness. To get full use from the telescope the child must be able to at least get out into a dark garden and ideally get out into very dark countryside. Parents should note that good books, a map of the stars and joining a local amateur astronomy group could all be more rewarding than the high cost telescope.
The Best First Telescopes for Under $100
Celestron, Meade and SkyWatcher are associated with quality telescopes that you would not be embarrassed taking to an Amateur astronomers gathering. They all have a range of telescopes suitable for beginners and costing less than $100.
The Celestron budget telescopes are PowerMaster which can be less than £50/$50 USD and but if possible spend more on the Astromaster range which is priced from about £80/$80, it is worth the extra investment. When it comes to telescopes you should spend as much as possible, within reason.
How to Choose a Kid’s First Astronomy Telescope
You may be aware that telescopes capture light using two different methods: refraction and reflection. Each has benefits and disadvantages. Serious, experienced astronomers will often have at least one of each.
If you are spending less than $100 on a first telescope deciding between a reflector or a refractor is not really so important. It is important to get a good quality product with the biggest possible aperture, which means the most amount of light entering the telescope.
Furthermore, consider the following:
- Easy of use.
- Light weight & portable as it will be carried into the garden or on star-gazing treks to dark places.
- Must have a tripod
- Star tracker is good optional extra for larger budget.
- Star finder also called pointer is very useful.
Kids’ Cheap Telescopes For Sale Under £50
Cheap telescopes sold in toy shops are just toys, and should not be considered as even beginner's equipment according to astronomers such as Ed Ting of the Telescope Review website. Even though a 400x magnification reported on the box may sound impressive the actual clarity of images will be disappointing.
If you are happy to spend $30 to $40 (and a similar value in GB £) then telescopes in this price range should function well enough as a novelty. You should get a good view of the moon’s surface and may get some use out of this item for a few weeks or even months. An example would be the National Geographic 50mm telescope available in the UK for £30 but for an extra £20 the National Geographic 70mm aimed at adults is a better buy.
If your budget will stretch to £50 or in the US $50 you will be able to buy a Celestron PowerMaster.
Deborah Percy - BSc. MA. Managing Director of a heating & plumbing business. Interest in maths, science & research. Mother of 3, including twins.
Join the Conversation