• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Inspiring Moms
  • For Moms
  • Parenting
  • Outdoors
  • Pregnancy
  • Gift Ideas

Mommy High Five

Celebrating Mothers One Story at a Time

You are here: Home / For the Money / Telescopes for Beginning Young Scientists

Telescopes for Beginning Young Scientists

August 29, 2022 By Susan

Best First Telescope Kids Beginners

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.

Table of Contents

  • What to Look for in A Beginner Telescope
  • Great Reflector Telescope for Teen and Tween
    • Zhumell Z100 Reflector
    • Orion 09007 Reflector
  • Beginning Refractor Telescopes for Kids
    • Hexeum Refractor
    • Refractive Astronomy Telescope for Kids Maxlapter
    • Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ Telescope
    • Refractive Astronomy Telescope for Kids Maxlapter
    • Orion Funscope
  • Fun Beginning Telescopes for Kids
    • Celestron 21038 Travel Scope 50 Telescope
    • Celestron 21024 FirstScope Telescope
      • Here are a few fun facts about the moon:
  • First Telescope Recommendations and Conclusions

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 TelescopePros/Highlights
~Under $100
Celestron 21038 Telescope
Celestron Telescope
  • 50 mm refractor telescope
  • Ajustable tripod
  • Includes backpack
  • Includes 3 barlow lenses
  • Easy setup
  • Celestron 21024
    Celestron-21024
  • 76 mm reflector optical tube
  • Entry level telescope
  • 2 eye pieces
  • Simple to use
  • Maxlapter Telescope
    Maxlapter-Telescope
  • 70mm large-diameter
  • 2 eye pieces
  • Aluminium tripod
  • Phone camera accessible
  • Backpack
  • Orion 100033 FunScope

    Orion Funscope

  • 76mm-diameter
  • Leightweight
  • Moon map
  • 2 barlow lenses
  • 50x magnification
  • Hexeum Refractor Telescope
    Hexeum Refractor Telescope
  • 500mm focal length
  • 3 barlow lenses
  • Wireless bluetooth remote
  • Smartphone adapter
  • High quality eyepieces
  • $150 and Up
    Zhumell Telescope
    Zhumell Reflector Telescope
  • Easy to use dot finder
  • Lightweight
  • 400 mm focal length
  • 90% light transmission
  • 100 mm parabolic mirror
  • Orion Telescope
    Orion Telescope
  • 5.1 inch aperture
  • 2 eye pieces
  • 130 mm parabolic mirror
  • Sharp image
  • Great quality
  • Celestron 127EQ Telescope
    Celestron 21049 Telescope
  • 3x barlow lens
  • 1000mm focal length
  • High quality mount
  • 127mm aperture
  • Focal ratio: f/7.87
  • Great Reflector Telescope for Teen and Tween

    Zhumell Z100 Reflector

    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

    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

    Hexeum Refracting

    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

    Refractive Telescope for Kids

    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

    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

    Refractive Telescope for Kids

    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

    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

    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

    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:

    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.

     

    Facebooktwitterredditpinterest

    Filed Under: For the Money, Gadgets, Gift Ideas, Hobbies Tagged With: Astronomy Telescope, Astronomy Telescope for Kids Maxlapter, Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ Telescope, Fun Beginning Telescopes for Kids, Orion Funscope

    Mommy High Five writers and editors carefully select products highlighted in articles. We may receive a commission if you click on a link and make a purchase.

    FOLLOW US

    Facebookpinterestrssyoutubeinstagram

    Trending Articles

    • Best Construction Sets for Toddlers
    • 17 Best LEGO Technic Sets for 2023
    • Cool and Popular Toys for 3 Year-Old-Boys 2023
    • 26 Fun and Unique Toys for 4-Year-Old Girls in 2023
    • Great Gifts for 2-Year-Old Girls 2023
    • Top 14 Toy Kitchens for Young Boys and Girls 2023
    • 17 Best Action Cameras for Teens and Tweens 2023
    • 26 Best Toys for 11-Year-Old Boys 2023
    • 33 Cool Toys for 4-Year-Old Boys 2023
    • 32 Cool Gifts for 6-Year-Old Boys 2023

    Share This Page

    Facebooktwitterredditpinterest

    © 2015–2023 • Mommy High Five • All Rights Reserved. MommyHighFive.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.