Telescopes for children

Telescope for children: choose by age, not by magnification

A telescope for children almost always fails for the same reason: a shaky tripod and a box that promises 500x magnification. The child sees a vibrating, blurry image and the telescope disappears into the closet. That is why we choose differently. A children's telescope must be stable, easy to aim with one hand, and provide a sharp image of the moon and Saturn at 50 to 100 times magnification. That is what a child remembers.

Advice by age

• 6 to 8 years. A 76 mm tabletop Dobson: the Sky-Watcher Heritage-76 Whether the Omegon Dobson 76/300. No tripod, no settings, just put it on the table and aim. The moon craters are the first success.
• 8 to 11 years. The Sky-Watcher Heritage-100P Whether the National Geographic Dobson 114/500 Compact. Enough aperture for Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons, still a tabletop model.
• 11 to 14 years. The Sky-Watcher Heritage-130P FlexTube. This is not a toy telescope, but a real beginner's telescope that a teenager will use for years. It is also our best-selling telescope for adult beginners.
• Prefer a refractor telescope on a tripod? The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 70AZ uses the child's smartphone to find objects. That solves children's biggest problem: not knowing where to look.

What you see with a children's telescope

Honestly: the moon in detail, Saturn with its rings, Jupiter with four moons and cloud belts, Venus as a crescent, the Orion Nebula as a grey smudge, the Pleiades as a star cluster. No color in nebulae, no photos like in books. Anyone who explains that beforehand prevents disappointment. Our lunar calendar show on which evenings the moon is most beautiful, and that is for a child the best first evening.

What you better not buy

Telescopes with a 50 or 60 mm lens on a lightweight aluminum tripod, telescopes that promise magnifications above 150 times, and models with plastic gears in the mount. You can find them for under 50 euros, and they will cost you your child's enthusiasm.

Gift idea

Add a moon filter and a star chart. If you are in doubt between two models, use the Choice assistant or call the showroom in Burgum. All children's telescopes are shipped throughout Europe, including to Belgium via Bancontact. You can find more information about the merk toys on the pages of National Geographic and Celestial Buddies.