If your child is curious about exploring the night sky and you'd like to buy them an optical telescope to introduce them to astronomy, you've come to the right place. There's nothing better for arousing curiosity and making discoveries than a kids telescope that's not only educational, but also fun to use!
A kids telescope is a small refracting telescope, a lens at the front and an eyepiece at the back, on a light tripod, sized for a child from about 6. It shows the craters of the Moon, Jupiter's four largest moons, Saturn's rings as a small oval and the brighter star clusters. Magnification of 40x to 100x is the useful range; stability and a clear lens matter more than the number on the box.
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From 6 upwards. A first telescope shows the craters of the Moon on the first clear evening, which is usually all it takes.
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Parents and grandparents who remember their own first look at Saturn's rings. A telescope is the gift that comes with a night out in the garden.
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Adults who never owned one, families on a dark-sky holiday, anyone who wants to identify a planet without an app.
Age and patience decide. Under 8, a toy telescope that survives being carried around. From 8, a junior refractor on a tripod. For a teenager, a larger aperture that shows more detail on the planets.
| Type | Best for | Aperture | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toy and travel telescopes | Ages 6 to 8, daytime and Moon | 30 to 50 mm | £64 to £70 |
| Junior refractor on tripod | Ages 8 to 12, Moon and planets | 50 to 70 mm | £80 to £100 |
| Children's telescope with finder scope | Ages 10+, first real observing | 70 mm | £90 to £120 |
| Larger beginner telescopes | Teenagers, families | 70 to 90 mm | £150 to £194 |
Start with the Moon: it is large, bright and easy to find, and it hooks every child on the first clear night. Never point any telescope at the Sun without a proper solar filter.
The front lens gathers light and bends it to a focus; the eyepiece magnifies that image. Aperture (the lens diameter) decides how much light and detail you get; magnification is just the ratio of the two focal lengths, and too much of it only makes a dim, shaky view.
Free UK delivery over £45 and 30 days to return it. For the very small instead of the very far, our kids microscopes; for the sky indoors, the galaxy projectors.
