By Charlotte Daniels

Published: Monday, 06 June 2022 at 12:00 am

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Are you on the hunt for that first telescope for a young astronomer? Getting kids started in astronomy shouldn’t be a chore. For a child you’ll want a good telescope that’s simple to set up and even simpler to use. But most importantly, a kid’s first telescope should provide glorious views of the night sky without too much fuss.

Read our advice on getting children started in astronomy, and if you feel they’re ready for their first scope, see below for our pick of 6 of the best models on the market.

Visit our main reviews section for more of our telescope reviews. Or if you feel they would be better off starting with a pair of binoculars, read our guide to the best binoculars for astronomy.

If imaging the night sky is a potential point of interest, read our guide to the best telescopes for astrophotography.

18 of the best telescopes for kids

 

The Infinity-76P is designed for the youngest astronomers and has a distinctive shape that resembles a spaceship. It comes with stickers for decoration and the cardboard box can be folded up to use as a carry case. This is a low-power telescope that can be assembled in minutes; pop the scope onto the curved base, insert the eyepiece and away you go.

The motion of the Infinity-76P is impressively smooth on its mount although it can’t be locked in position, which could pose an issue when small hands make a grab for the eyepiece and move the field of view. Viewing quality is what you’d expect for such a small system, however, we had pleasing sights of the Moon with enough crater detail to keep young minds interested.

 

The fact that this Bresser telescope, tripod and mount all fit neatly into a carry case is a definite bonus and gives it a level of portability. But once this 60mm refractor is assembled, we doubt it’ll be taken down again. The reason being it’s constructed from about 20 parts that require assembly, making this more of a ‘Meccano mission’ than other kits.

Assembling the scope took 20 minutes, which isn’t unreasonable, given the number of screws and bolts that comprise the build, but it’s unlikely you’ll want to pack it  away again any time soon.

The Andromeda Galaxy looked fairly good through this scope but the eyepieces gave a very narrow field of view. We did like the compass and planisphere, which are undervalued tools in an often technology-focused hobby.

The FunScope comes with a Moon map, which invokes a sense of exploration and helps young astronomers to navigate around lunar craters and seas. It’s almost identical to the Heritage-76 in design, but introduces a slot-in EZ Finder II Reflex Sight instead of a finderscope, which we think is a better addition.

Once there’s an eyepiece attached, however, the setup becomes top-heavy and doesn’t balance. But this issue is not overly important since the telescope has a locking mount. We swung this scope over to the Pleiades and while the stars were sharp at the centre of the field of view, there was distortion at the edges. Nevertheless, it proved good at lunar observation and the Moon map will ensure children want to use this again.

 

 

The Heritage’s overall finish is excellent and looks attractive. For instance, rather than a plastic base (commonly found on toy telescopes), this one is wooden and gives stability to the setup without making it cumbersome. Movement of the scope in all directions is fluid, meaning that you can swing from one object to the next with minimal effort.

The 300mm focal length allows a decent field of view for popular objects such as the Moon, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Pleiades. The Heritage-76 comes supplied with functional, uncomplicated accessories suitable for beginners – a finderscope and two eyepieces.

While the finderscope is plastic and perhaps a little cheap, the eyepieces are fair quality. In use the focuser allows a decent level of control and is easy to manage for slight adjustments.

 

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Much like the Heritage-76 and Orion FunScope, the LightBridge is a tabletop telescope, though it has a bit more aperture at 82mm. This increases light sensitivity and allows it to show more detail from the objects you want to observe while still remaining compact.

This time, we found a 2x Barlow lens and red-dot finder (battery supplied) accompanying the eyepieces. The kit also comes with a planetarium app you can install on a computer. The red-dot finder has a nice wide screen, which increases its ease of use. While stars could be sharper, the eyepieces are of fair quality.

The instructions are not child-friendly at first glance, with a large booklet and some intimidating-looking text accompanying the kit. But further investigation revealed that many of these instructions don’t apply to this model so can be disregarded.

 

The AstroMaster is a refractor and the first of the six scopes on test group that looks like ‘a proper telescope’. By that we mean it’s the traditional telescope-on-a-tripod setup. The kit is robust but lightweight and only comes in two main parts, allowing for quick and straightforward assembly. We needed a screwdriver, which is a slight minus, but it is still ready in minutes.

The eyepieces each provide sharp views of stars and great lunar detail with minimal distortion at the edges. The tripod is light and while the equipment tray provides stability, care is needed not to nudge and move the setup when it’s in use.

The supplied smartphone adapter really grabbed our attention, as it allows users to delve into astrophotography as well as dabble with astronomy. This will enhance the experience for young users, especially once they have provided an image that proud parents can share on social media.

 

• Buy now from Orion Telescopes

The Orion StarMax 90 tabletop telescope is great for young astronomers who want to view the Moon and planets as well as galaxies and nebulae.

It’s compact and light and simple to use. It works well on a flat surface but can also be attached to a tripod.

The StarMax 90 comes with 25mm and 10mm eyepieces and a diagonal.

 

This relatively basic model is perfect for astronomy beginners. It comes with 2 eyepieces, an instruction manual, a Moon filter and a CD containing the planetarium software Stellarium. Assembly is straightforward, making this a great ‘set up and go’ system, and you can be observing sooner than you might expect, while the automated ‘GoTo’ system makes finding specific targets a doddle.

Read our full National Geographic 90mm review

 

Reasonable optics and a computerised mount in this telescope give beginners a tantalising taste of what there is to see in the cosmos. And with just three components – telescope, base and tripod – setup is relatively easy too. The 114LCM comes with a hand controller featuring a database of 4,000 deep-sky objects as well as planets and stars. Weighing just 5kg, it’s ideal for young beginners to set up themselves (with guidance from an adult).

Read our full Celestron 114 LCM review

 

Once powered, the STARTRAVEL-102’s mount produces its own Wi-Fi network, which kids can connect to using their mobile device or tablet. A free SynScan app for iOS or Android enables young astronomers to control the system from their device and pick out which target they want to see. Its database contains up to 10,000 objects covering a wide range of the most popular targets.

Read our full Sky-Watcher STARTRAVEL-102 review

The Meade ETZ 90 Observer comes with an AudioStar controller that has a built-in speaker: as well as the 30,000 objects in its database, there are four hours of audio describing astronomical objects, making it a great telescope for parents and kids to huddle around. Plus, it’s easy to set up and no tools are required to do so.

Read our full Meade ETX 90 review

 

This is an ideal telescope for young people to get started with under the guidance of adults, and comes with a tripod, 2 eyepieces and a threaded lens that enables a camera to be attached. The scope offers a rich variety of targets, with nearly 43,000 objects in its database.

Read our full Sky-Watcher Star Discovery 150P review

Celestron’s Astro Fi 5 is a Wi-Fi-controlled system for modern times. It has a focal length of 1,250mm and is best suited to observing planets, lunar and bright deep-sky targets. Wi-Fi/smartphone control of the Astro Fi 5 system works well, while the SkyPortal app is available for iOS or Android. Installation is fast: power up the mount and it automatically sets up a Wi-Fi spot that you can connect to.

Read our full Celestron Astro FI 5 review

 

 

A built-in Wi-Fi network enables kids to connect wirelessly with a smartphone or tablet to control this scope, although 
a hand controller is supplied. Assembly is quick and easy and it’s easy to find targets in the night sky. The eye-watering price tag may put you off if you are looking for something less pricey, but if you have a higher budget and are looking for a telescope the whole family will really enjoy, this may be the one.

Read our full Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 review

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Tabletop telescopes are great for families who may find observing time limited, as they can be quickly set up on a sturdy garden table or wheeled trolley – any flat surface – and you’re ready to go! It could also be taken on a camping trip, making it a good option if your family enjoys observing in the great outdoors.

Read our full Mead Lightbridge Mini 130 Dobsonian review

If you’re considering getting a scope for your kids or the family to enjoy, you might be worried about the hassle of setting it up. The Sky-Watcher Heritage-90 Virtuoso is all about simplicity and portability. Its maintenance-free telescope is complemented by a minimalistic altaz table-top mount. All you need to get going is a power supply and a suitable table to put it on.

Read our full Sky-Watcher Heritage-90 review

 

This is another wirelessly-operated scope that can be controlled with a smartphone, so is an ideal choice for young astronomers who enjoy a bit of tech. The mount provides its own Wi-Fi network, which you connect to via an app. The app will also ask for permission to access your location, which it uses to determine basic details.

Read our full SKYMAX-127 review

This telescope’s mount is lightweight, making transporting it fully assembled very easy. We were very pleasantly surprised at how accurately the Go-To functioned, with each object appearing near the centre of the 25mm eyepiece’s field of view. The SkyHawk certainly puts the fun into astronomy with its quick setup, accurate Go-To function and no-nonsense optics.

Read our full Sky-Watcher SkyHawk 1145P review

 

Do you know a young astronomer who loves their telescope? Is it on our list? If not, let us know and we’ll look into reviewing it! Get in touch via contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com.

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