The 7 Best Smart Telescopes For Kids And Beginners

This is the perfect gift for a curious child. It’s also great if you’re interested in astronomy yourself! So here’s a list of the best smart telescope for kids and beginners to help you gaze into the universe.

Q: What Is the Difference Between a Refracting and Reflecting Telescope?

Refracting telescopes use a series of lenses to focus light on the eyepiece. It’s similar to binoculars and the telescopes you see pirates in movies use. These telescopes tend to be long and unwieldy, especially with larger openings. However, they’re also simpler to build and are usually cheaper than reflector telescopes.

This telescope gives you that through its Lithium Iron Phosphate battery. This power source has enough juice to let you track the night sky for up to 10 hours. And if your smartphone runs low, you could also charge it through the USB port on the mount. This telescope is light, compact, and portable. You safely and efficiently carry this around with its built-in handles.

It also features manual clutches so you could move it around manually. If you’re interested in astrophotography, its brass worm gears and upgraded motors will support heavy cameras. If you want a kid and beginner-friendly telescope, look no further than the Celestron NexStar Evolution 8. It will not only get you started in astronomy, but it will also let you grow in it.

It also comes with two wide-field eyepieces and a Shorty Barlow lens for greater viewing flexibility. It also comes with a Moon Filter to give you excellent views of the lunar surface. Eight AA-size batteries power the telescope itself. And if you find that lacking, you could also plug it in an outlet via the included AC-to-DC adapter.

You can view the stars all night with the unlimited power provided by a wall outlet or a portable generator. For more comfort, you could control this telescope via its built-in Wi-Fi. You don’t have to fumble in the dark to point your telescope in the right direction.

And if you want to find things the old-fashioned way, the kit includes DeepMap 600 and MoonMap 260. These can help you find heavenly bodies using basic techniques.

The Orion StarSeeker IV is an excellent way to introduce young ones to astronomy. And if they want to learn more, they could use the included maps for in-depth knowledge.

Although this telescope is not Wi-Fi enabled, the included AudioStar Hand Controller is more than enough to get you acquainted with stars, planets, and more. Eight AA-size batteries also power it to ensure that you can use your telescope even when you’re in the field. For a bright view, the Meade StarNavigator has a wide 102mm aperture.

This ensures you can see the sky clearly. There are also two included eyepieces, so you have the choice of either a wide field of view or a magnified look. Best of all, this telescope is light and portable. Its refracting design makes it slim and easy to store.

This makes the NexStar 127SLT an ideal telescope to bring around in trips outside the city. This telescope sports a large 127mm primary mirror, ensuring that you see the correct color of what you’re viewing, so it is ideal for astronomy and astrophotography. Additionally, it has a NexStar+ hand control remote.

The remote allows the telescope to find any object in the sky automatically. You can even use it to track targets as they move across our atmosphere. The powerful magnification and detail you get from this telescope will let you appreciate the universe.

It’s enough to show you details of the lunar surface, Saturn’s rings, Mar’s polar ice caps, and even nebulae way beyond our solar system.

Its arm mount and tripod break down into individual components to easily transport and store them. The small size also makes it easy to bring with you, with the telescope itself only occupying a smaller space than refracting telescopes. You could even delve into astrophotography with optional camera adapters.

These are sold separately but are affordable, letting you capture images of your universe without breaking the bank. And if you want to add additional capabilities to your telescope, you could install the optional SkyPortal Wi-Fi Module. With this, you can connect it to your smartphone for wireless control and extra features.

This allows you to control it using the SkyPortal App on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. As a result, finding objects is simple—all you need is to point your phone or tablet to the target. The telescope will automatically find it while displaying information on your device.

This telescope comes in at less than 15lbs. Its small form factor and lightweight design allow you to carry this around easily. If you’re interested in astronomy, this telescope will let you appreciate it more without having to learn intermediate and advanced concepts.

The SkyPortal module uses your device’s GPS to find your exact location. All you need is to point it at a point of interest, and your telescope will automatically lock on to it. At the same time, the app will show you relevant information on the area you’re viewing.

The system can even point you towards the best objects to view based on your location. Save money and enjoy the convenience of an intelligent telescope with the Celestron SkyPortal WiFi Module. With this module, you no longer have to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on upgrading your device.

Reflector telescopes, on the other hand, use mirrors inside the telescope to bounce the light around. Because of this, it tends to be more compact, even if it has a larger opening. They also tend to suffer less from chromatic aberration versus refracting scopes. Most observatories use this type of telescope because of the size of their apertures. However, these telescope types are usually more expensive than refracting telescopes.

Q: How Big of a Telescope Do I Need to See the Flag on the Moon?

At around four feet long, the flag on the moon is tiny compared to its surface. According to computations, you would need a telescope with an opening of at least 200 meters to see it clearly. As of now, the largest telescope on earth is the Keck Telescope in Hawaii. It has a diameter of only 10 meters. That means, with our current technology, it’s impossible to see the flag on the moon.

Q: Do I Need an Expensive Telescope to Enjoy Astronomy?

No—all you need is a dark sky, your eyes, and patience to enjoy astronomy. Before investing in your own telescope, you should learn first about the basics of the stars and the skies.

Once you figure that you’re really interested in it, you could then look for a smart telescope that will let you learn more about the universe while giving your knowledge and information about it.