Kids always want to investigate the unknown, and space is no different. There is a phase in every child’s life when they want to work for NASA or even become an astronaut. To help them achieve their dreams, a telescope is a must have for every family of science-loving kids.
There is nothing quite like the feeling of looking through a telescope for the first time. You can zoom in on almost any object in the sky and see it like you never have before. You can see all the craters in the moon and watch your kids get excited about their newfound love of space. This brings one problem, however. How do you know what telescope to get for a beginner? How do you know that the telescope will work well and won’t break after minimal uses? We have made a list of great telescopes for kids and teens of all levels of experience with a telescope.
What to Look for in A Beginner Telescope
There are many different types of telescopes on the market right now, along with many accessories to help enhance your star viewing experience. All of these confusing attachments make it hard to know what you need. Here are some things to look for:
- Lens. A good lens is the most important thing to look for in a telescope. If you can’t see at least to the moon, there is no reason to have a telescope.
- Price. There are plenty of options for an inexpensive telescope for beginners or kids. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good telescope.
- Durability. You want a telescope that will last and can withstand a child using it.
- Portability. It is also nice to have a telescope that is easily portable, so it isn’t a pain to carry it from place to place.
| Beginner Telescope | Pros/Highlights |
|---|---|
| ~Under $100 | |
Celestron 21038 Telescope | |
Celestron 21024 | |
Maxlapter Telescope | |
Orion 100033 FunScope | |
Hexeum Refractor Telescope | |
| $150 and Up | |
Zhumell Telescope | |
Orion Telescope | |
Celestron 127EQ Telescope |
Great Reflector Telescope for Teen and Tween
Zhumell Z100 Reflector
Telescope newbies and experienced stargazers alike will love this model from the well-respected Zhumell company. Measuring 14.5″ long by 11″ wide by 11.75″ tall and weighing just 5.25 pounds, this telescope is perfect for taking on the go. Its red dot finder makes it super easy to aim, and its Dobsonian-style base allows viewers to easily and smoothly move to track objects in the sky.
This telescope features a 100mm parabolic primary mirror, a high-quality feature not typically found in such a small models, that prevents visual defects like spherical aberration, to create much sharper images. It also boasts more than 90 percent light transmission for brighter views.
Orion 09007 Reflector
This telescope is designed specifically for serious beginners or intermediate users who are interested in quality views of deep-sky objects, such as nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies. The 25mm eyepiece provides a sharp, 26x image, while the 10mm eyepiece magnifies to 65x for an even closer view. Both eyepieces boast a wide, 52° apparent field of view.
Placed atop a sturdy, height-adjustable equatorial telescope mount, which compensates for Earth’s rotation, this telescope allows viewers to manually track celestial objects using slow-motion hand controls. The tripod also includes an accessory tray for keeping eyepieces and other small items close at hand. Once you’ve got an object in sight, you can take photos of your findings using the smartphone camera adapter.
Beginning Refractor Telescopes for Kids
Hexeum Refractor
If you want the option of easily taking pictures of your celestial finds, this telescope is a great choice. It comes equipped with a phone attachment and a wireless Bluetooth remote for a single-click way to take photos. With three height positions and a three-way head that allows for easy tilting and swiveling, this telescope makes tracking simple. You can also choose a landscape or portrait view, depending on what you’re viewing.
The magnification on this telescope is also great. In addition to two high-quality eyepieces (25mm and 10mm), it comes with a 3x Barlow lens, which increases the magnification of each eyepiece by three. If you should have any trouble with your telescope, the company offers lifetime maintenance as well as a within-24-hour customer service response.
Refractive Astronomy Telescope for Kids Maxlapter
If you are new to telescopes, this telescope might just be the one for you. With excellent customer service and a lifetime warranty, you can be sure you won’t get something you won’t be fully satisfied with. The telescope can be used to view the night sky, concerts, and wildlife. There are also moon filters to make your experience more comfortable. This telescope can only see to the moon, but makes up for it with other viewing experiences. The optimal age use for this telescope is 6-16 years, but is also a great option for adult beginners.
Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ Telescope
This telescope is another that offers many different options for your budget. You can buy different attachments that can give you vision up to Neptune. With a tripod, you can get a comfortable experience from nearly anywhere. This also comes with an 1000mm focal length, which gives you great image brightness and clarity.
Refractive Astronomy Telescope for Kids Maxlapter
If you are new to telescopes, this telescope might just be the one for you. With excellent customer service and a lifetime warranty, you can be sure you won’t get something you won’t be fully satisfied with. The telescope can be used to view the night sky, concerts, and wildlife. There are also moon filters to make your experience more comfortable. This telescope can only see to the moon, but makes up for it with other viewing experiences. The optimal age use for this telescope is 6-16 years, but is also a great option for adult beginners.
Orion Funscope
This telescope is relatively budget-friendly. It comes in a nice blue color and even comes with its own moon map. The map includes a guide to the moon and the different craters and popular points of the moon that you can see from your telescope. This telescope is a very good choice for beginners and comes mostly assembled and ready to use. It comes with three lenses in three different lengths so you can see from different distances away from objects.
This telescope is great for seeing the moon and other big objects in the sky. It comes a little short when trying to see smaller objects, like the stars and planets. This telescope can’t see much farther than the moon, but still gives you a great experience.The Funscope also comes with a viewfinder that puts a dot in front of your telescope to show you where you are aiming. However, this viewfinder has received a reputation for not working properly. Even though this attachment isn’t great, it is still a very good telescope. If you are buying for a beginning star gazer, this could be a good option.
Fun Beginning Telescopes for Kids
Celestron 21038 Travel Scope 50 Telescope
This telescope is a great option if you want to buy inexpensive. It comes with a backpack that stores the telescope comfortably inside. The telescope also has a tripod, if you want to view standing up and is removable if you want to view while sitting down. This telescope is black and comes with different attachments for a slightly higher price. An add on with this brand is that they have a free app that shows the most popular sights in the night sky.
The travel scope has the ability to see the moon, and with the other attachments, the rings of Saturn. It also comes with a feature to watch items during the day, so you can view wildlife without getting to close. The telescope has the ability to see as close up or as far as Jupiter. The tripod is a little flimsy, but you can attach almost any other tripod. This telescope is an altogether great choice for its low price.
Celestron 21024 FirstScope Telescope
This Celestron telescope is one of the most inexpensive on this list. Even though it is cost efficient, it is still a very high quality telescope. As with all Celestron telescopes, it comes with a free Starry Night software download. Kids can also use this telescope easily because it is lightweight and easy to carry. If you want a smartphone adapter, you can get an extra accessory for a little bit of extra money. You can see the moons of Jupiter or a ring of Saturn, but it is best for the moon. A stylish and intriguing design, this is a great option for someone who is excited at getting into stargazing for the first time.
Here are a few fun facts about the moon:
First Telescope Recommendations and Conclusions
Telescopes are great stem toys for girls and boys of any age, but they are sometimes confusing to buy. On this list we have some of the best telescopes for affordable prices. If we were to suggest three telescopes, they would be the Celestron 21024 FirstScope Telescope for a first telescope for beginners, Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ Telescope for a slightly higher price range, and the Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope if you are looking for a high end beginner telescope.
