If your child is showing interest in astronomy, or just enjoys gazing at the stars and moon, a kids telescope may be a great idea. A beginner telescope can get your youngster involved in a new hobby without needing to make a large investment. You can’t say this about too many sports or activities these days!Giving your child a kids telescope will tell them that you support their interest in astronomy and believe it to be a worthwhile endeavor. A beginner telescope, even without all the features, can give your child or grandchild a head start in learning about the universe and star systems.

What Will a Kids Telescope Cost?

Even though a beginner telescope can be purchased for under $50, these are usually considered more of a toy than a functioning astronomy telescope. A basic beginner telescope can be purchased for around $100 depending on features.

If you wish to invest a little more, a good starter telescope with some of the more advanced features, will cost anywhere from $200 to $300. This will provide your young astronomer with a quality piece of stargazing equipment.

Tips for Buying a Kids Telescope

Many astronomers and educators recommend a telescope with a longer focal length and separate viewer. This allows the child to find objects much easier and reduces the frustration that can result for the novice astronomer.

There are many cheaper models that offer a focal length of only 30mm or 50mm and will provide a more generalized view of the night sky. However, if you want a telescope that will provide a more detailed picture of the planets, moon and constellations, a 70mm or higher focal length is strongly recommended.

Kids telescopes are available from a number of top-rate optics companies like Meade, Celestron, Bushnell, Orion and many others. Even the Discovery Channel offers an affordable 70mm lens kids telescope with easy set-up and easy-to-use features.

The Right Way to Use Your New Telescope

Reading the instructions for your child’s new telescope can’t be stressed enough. Even the basic kids’ telescopes can be confusing to use the first few times. It is advisable for the parent to read through the instruction manual and help the young astronomer learn the basic operations of the telescope.

Starting with a kids telescope is only the first step in a child’s adventure into exploring the universe. Why not take a look at our site reviews and choose the telescope merchant that best suits your needs. Both have a great selection of telescopes at extremely competitive prices.

And while you’re at it, check out the Meade 114EQ-ASTR at Telescopes.com. We found it to be an exceptional beginner telescope for only about $150. It features a 1000mm focal length with four and a half inch aperture, and is also capable of being attached to a 35mm camera body for photographing the images. The Meade is really a lot of telescope for the money and makes an ideal kids telescope with room to grow!

From back in the days of the Renaissance, the telescope was invented and built by spectacle makers.  It wasn’t until some time later that the famous Galileo made some remarkable improvements that were the basis for today’s modern telescopes.   The various telescope types are broken down into three categories: a refracting telescope, a reflecting telescope and a catadiotric telescope.

How Does a Telescope Work?

The way the majority of  telescopes work is by focusing light that passes into the telescope. When you look in the eyepiece of a telescope, what you see is actually a larger image.  This is the result of the telescope making the light converge; basically concentrating the light it receives in order to make things appear larger or brighter. There are several different telescope types, and while the design in each is a little different, each of the telescope types does the same basic job of focusing light.

The Grandfather of Telescopes - The Refracting Telescope

The first of the telescope types created was the refracting telescope.  This telescope makes use of precisely ground lenses to focus the light. These telescopes use the glass of the lenses to bend light, such as in a prism, in order to bring the light to focus. This basic design is the principle behind binoculars, which are essentially two refracting telescopes that are attached, and telephoto lenses for cameras. This design isn’t without problems, though.

If the telescope is designed badly, it can focus different colors of light improperly, resulting in a blurring effect called chromatic aberration. Similarly, spherical aberration, imperfection due to the curved lenses used in telescopes, also creates blurred images.  Refracting telescopes are not often used in large research telescopes now, because at the large sizes needed, gravity makes the glass lenses sag and creates further distortion.

A Refracting and Reflecting Telescope - What’s the Difference?

A reflecting telescope accomplishes the same thing as refracting telescope.  Though, as the name implies, it’s through using curved mirrors to reflect the light rather than lenses to pass through it. While attempts were made to create reflecting telescopes about the same time as the first refracting telescopes were being put to use, it wasn’t until a few decades later that a working model was developed.

It was Sir Isaac Newton that managed the first working reflecting telescope, and in his honor, the Newtonian Telescope bears his name.   Reflecting telescope types are favored by designers of large, research-grade telescopes, since big mirrors can be supported on the back, which helps prevent the sagging that happens with large lenses, which can only be supported around their edge. Some reflecting telescopes do suffer from spherical aberration as well as coma, an effect in which stars that aren’t in the center of the field of view will appear wedge-shaped rather than as points of light.

Catadioptric Telescopes - A Combined Refracting and Reflecting Telescope Design

The last of the optical telescope types are catadioptric telescopes.  These use a combined design of the best features of both the refracting and reflecting telescope.  The Catadioptric telescope tends to correct most of the aberration problems of other telescope designs.  However, as a drawback, they are often designed with a secondary mirror in the center of the tube, which blocks a little of the light that comes into the telescope.  Because some designs of catadioptric telescopes are easily made and powerful for their size, they are often popular with manufacturers seeking to reach a mass market. These telescope types, however, are not used much as research telescopes, where reflecting telescopes are still the most popular.

The interesting point is that although the Catadioptric telescope is provided its own unique category, it is essentially just a hybrid of the other the refracting and reflecting telescope.  This fact is really just a testament to the brilliant design of the original telescopes.

Regardless of which telescope type you choose, you will know that you are benefiting from a design that was invented centuries ago.  Of course with today’s technology, computer enhancement and setting options have only added to the functionality and usefulness of these engineering marvels.

After you start enjoying all the benefits and fun of owning your new telescope, you may want to enhance the experience by adding an accessory to the telescope. An accessory telescope enhancement can be in the form of an eyepiece and filter kit, a new tripod or mount, lenses, and a host of other parts and accessories that will help you enjoy your viewing experience even more!

Deciding on an Accessory for the Telescope

There are many things you can get to add to your telescope, and therefore to add to the enjoyment of searching the stars to figure things out, to find meaning, and to see what there is to see. It is really just a matter of determining the right telescope accessory for your make and model of telescope. When deciding, keep in mind what your particular needs or wants are, and whether the accessory for the telescope will fill those requirements.

Many people believe that once they purchase their telescope, that is all there is to it. But the existing capabilities of your telescope can always be expanded or enhanced through various add-on accessory telescope features. The great news is that almost any telescope can be upgraded with accessories which can add to your telescope viewing pleasure and abilities.

What Type of Accessories Can I Add to my Telescope?

There are many different types of accessories and parts you can purchase for your telescope. These telescope accessories are sometimes generic and will fit any telescope brand, while others are made specifically for a brand or model.

Possible add-on accessory telescope options are:

Grid

For one, you might find that having a grid to put onto your lens is a good idea. If your telescope does not come with a grid on the lens, a good telescope accessory for you would certainly be one of these. You can slip it over your lens and you are going to be able to line up the stars you are seeing within the grid. This is very helpful if you are trying to find a certain star or something else in the night sky, or if you are trying to pinpoint the location of something. You can also get grids that you can write on, keeping track of what you have seen, and where you have seen it at.

Eyepiece and Filter Kit

A new eyepiece and filter accessory kit will help you get the most out of backyard astronomy. Most telescopes come with one or two eyepieces to get you started. These kits take it from there and will greatly improve the enjoyment of your new telescope by adding eyepieces, color filters, and possibly additional lens.

Star Maps

Another important telescope accessory that you might find you need is a simple map of the night sky. It can certainly help the novice learn where stars are in relation to each other. This way, you can go about the business of star gazing and really be able to look for certain objects, at certain places. This will give you the ability to find something you want to see, and figure out how you are going to find it again later.

Telescope Tripod and Mount

A stable tripod is a must for serious astronomical observing and photography. A tripod will provide that firm foundation for your telescope. Tripods are usually constructed of extra-strength materials and have features such as an accessory tray to give you extra rigidity. If you travel with your telescope to different sites, make sure that you look for a more compact model that will fold up for easier transport.

If adding to the power or convenience of your existing telescope sounds good to you, determine which accessory telescope option will be of most value to your stargazing enjoyment. Then start your search from the convenience of home by reading our site reviews for some of the best sources for your telescope accessory needs.