When looking for the best telescopes for kids, parents usually are searching for the best telescope that will open up the wonder of the night sky for them, and possibly spark an interest in the sciences. Most parents I have seen buy their kids first telescope with the best of intentions, and then face frustration once their children start to use that may lindstrom coupon store telescope. My goal is to warn parents about issues with most department store telescopes, and help them make a more informed decision. The three main reasons a department store telescope is bad telescope choice for your kids.
Sold With An Unstable Mount
The first reason might concern the telescope mount, when you get your kid’s department store telescope home and start to put it together, you notice the small and obviously unstable mount sold with it. For instance, you open the telescope mount’s legs you realize it seems very small and rickety. Most cheap, department store telescopes have been sold with small, plastic fittings and parts that overtime will crack and break.
The second reason a department store telescope is a bad choice for your kids, you find once your kids start to use it they complain that the view through the scope keeps shaking. You take over and look through the telescope, and yes, you notice the view is not stable and seems to keep wobbling. It only takes you a few minutes to realize that the unstable mount wobbles in any breeze and gives you the worst telescope viewing possible for your kids.
The third reason becomes known when your kids come running to you after you go inside to refill your coffee or hot chocolate. Your kids tell you that their new telescope has fallen over. With its tiny, unstable legs you finally realize it would only take an accidental kick to cause the department store telescope to fall over. You realize this mount is probably the not the best one to use with kids.
The best kid-safe telescope mount will be designed to adequately support the weight of the telescope and will not shake in the wind. With a decent mount, tapping the side of the mount may cause a little shaking, but it disappears very quickly. You will also find a good telescope mount is not really bothered by occasional breezes, since they are beefier and more stable your kids will not even be bothered by the evening breezes or the occasional bump.
Advertised Max Power Is Unusable
Initially you were excited to read the side of the box, 675x power, and think to yourself that this telescope will really bring in the stars and planets for your kids. Your kid’s telescope came with a number of lenses with your department store buy, and you pull the biggest one out of the box and give it to the kids to use.
They point it towards the moon, and they say it’s not in the field of view. You decide to point it for them and start to move the telescope tube up and down, trying to find that pesky moon. You finally find it and realize the field of view is very narrow, which makes trying to find something with your department store telescope very difficult, and impossible for a child who has very little patience.
Second thing you notice, now that the moon is within the field of view, it is very blurry. You keep turning the focuser, in and out, that’s when you realize that maximum power lens doesn’t allow you to bring the moon into focus. No matter how many turns of the focuser, it never seems to come into crisp focus.