Best Telescopes for Kids

As the heart of the Library Telescope Program, this Apertura tabletop scope has brought the beauty of the cosmos to kids across the country! Compact, portable and effortless to use, the Apertura Library telescope is a blast for everyone in the family. The 4.5” Newtonian Reflector is fitted with top-notch coatings that offer more than 90% reflectivity. The result? Striking views on our Moon, the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades Star Cluster, and plenty more! The base of this telescope is a small, yet robust tabletop Dobsonian, an easy to maneuver instrument perfect for little hands. Within the focuser you’ll find an affixed zoom eyepiece. Not only will your young stargazer be able to view the night sky at different magnification levels right out of the box, the fastened design prevents accidental misplacement of this vital accessory. The dust cap also comes tethered for your peace of mind, and an added Apertura Ember Red Headlamp and red dot finder streamline the setup process. Thanks to Apertura, sparking a love for the night sky within the hearts of budding astronomers has never been more attainable!

Take a look at this tiny telescope! Miniature in size, this Orion telescope is the smallest on the list, providing the perfect introduction into stargazing. In our opinion, this is the best scope for very young children based on its highly compact frame—weighing in at just 4 lbs.! Setup takes mere minutes, and little hands are easily able to bounce from star to star. While small, this scope still astonishes, offering bright, up-close sights of the Moon that your budding astronomer is sure to be amazed by. The included Moon Map helps with exploration of the wealth of features strewn across the lunar surface. Learn about the dark maria carved by ancient lava, discover the plethora of craters formed by eons of cosmic impacts, and even locate the area where astronauts first set foot decades ago. Also included are multiple eyepieces, a Barlow lens, and a red dot finder for simple target locating. The Orion FunScope comes with everything needed for exciting, engaging nights under the stars!

With its compact design and affordable price tag, the Orion SkyScanner telescope is perfect for up and coming stargazers. The intuitive, easy to maneuver Dobsonian base encourages curiosity, helping to spark a passion for space within young astronomers. While parental assistance may be necessary for initial setup, your little night-sky enthusiast will get the hang of navigation in no time with the smooth, fluid motion in all directions. Glimpses of neighboring planets, our Moon, and even some bright deep sky objects are visible right out of the box thanks to the included eyepieces! Tripling the magnification potential for deeper, closer sights, you'll find a 3x Barlow lens within the package. This kit also features the comprehensive Orion Moon Map 260 for exciting, educational exploration across the lunar surface. Help instill stellar inspiration within your junior skywatcher with this Orion telescope!

As the perfect introduction into astrophotography, the new ZWO Seestar S30 Pro makes capturing the night easier than ever before! This all-in-one unit aligns, tracks, and captures images all by itself, with little input required from the user. The instructions are simple: have your youngster download the app on their smartphone or tablet, set the Seestar outside, power it on, and select a desired target. After a quick calibration with its surroundings, the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro will start to collect images, which will be displayed right there on the smart device. Junior stargazers will encounter the intricate colors of the Orion Nebula, the dust lanes within the Andromeda Galaxy, the structures within the North American Nebula, and many more. Tiny but mighty, two camera sensors and two lenses are included within this smart telescope, one for up-close imaging and another for wide Milky Way or landscape shots. This versatility helps keep young ones engaged, offering multiple perspectives on the night sky and the opportunity to capture terrestrial marvels!

Placing advanced astronomy technology in the palm of your young one’s hand, the Celestron StarSense Tabletop Dobosians are the perfect solution for rising stargazers eager for fun, interactive nights under the stars! These manual “push to” Dobsonians guide junior astronomers across the night sky, helping them align their targets within the eyepiece with ease. The innovative StarSense dock, your smartphone’s camera, and the StarSense app work together to determine exactly where the telescope is pointing within the night sky via powerful, observatory-grade technology. While initial set up may require parental supervision, stargazers ages 8 and above will have a blast hopping from target to target all night long. Three sizes are available: 114 mm, 130 mm, and 150 mm. From budding to beginners, there’s a StarSense telescope for just about every young explorer!

If you or your youngster has a smartphone, then you have yourself a ticket to stunning images of the night sky! This innovative device from Vaonis transforms your smartphone into a smart telescope: simply download the Gravity app, align your smartphone’s camera with the Hestia optics, and be amazed by what your smartphone can capture. With this pairing, be witness to a rated 5X more detail resolution and 25X magnification than your typical standalone smartphone image. Striking details on our Moon and even some bright deep sky objects are ready for capture, and with operation so simple, the Hestia is perfect for kids 8 and up (noting parental assistance is recommended for younger children). The Vaonis Hestia is the perfect stepping stone into the world of night sky exploration, and with the fun astronomical information and facts included within the Gravity app, engaging, educational nights are at the ready!

Now, onto the largest telescope on this list: the Apertura AD6 Dobsonian! While decent in size, this telescope assembly breaks down into two manageable parts: the Newtonian optical tube and the Dobsonian base. Coupling smooth motion with a solid, sturdy build, junior stargazers near the age of 12 should find navigating the night sky a piece of cake (noting parental assistance may be required for set up). Beyond its ease of use, your pre-teen is sure to be astounded by the sights through this 6” Newtonian. Crisp, up-close views of the Moon, Saturn’s Rings, and Jupiter’s atmospheric details are available right out of the box with the included eyepieces. While outstanding for our neighboring cosmic wonders, this sizable aperture opens the doors to stunning sights beyond our solar system as well, such as the Orion Nebula, the Dumbbell Nebula, and plenty, plenty more. Apertura is well regarded for their attention to detail and outstanding build quality, and this AD6 is no exception. Perfect for fostering a love of the night sky for years to come, the Apertura AD6 Dobsonian Telescope is the choice scope for up-and-coming astronomers!

Built upon the legacy of great historical astronomers, the Sky-Watcher Heritage Tabletop Dobsonians help beginner stargazers bolster their passion for the cosmos. These simple, yet powerful assemblies consist of a large Newtonian reflector atop a robust Dobsonian base. The smallest Heritage telescope available is the Heritage 130, a 5” scope that soaks in the light. Its “big brother”, the Heritage 150, features a larger 6” aperture for even brighter views! While sizable, these telescopes are suitable for children 10 years and up to operate, noting parental assistance may be necessary during set up. These generous apertures deliver clear, crisp views on both our solar system wonders and deep sky marvels, making it a wonderful choice for junior astronomers eager to develop their skills for future exploration. Affordable and reliable, the Sky-Watcher Heritage series enables young stargazers to explore the night sky with ease!