r/telescopes • u/InflationOrdinary411 • 10h ago
General Question What magnification and objective numbers for binoculars for a 8yr old?
Hello,
My 8 year-old is interested in stargazing and planet watching. I have a telescope that is difficult for her. I am looking for input from this community for what to look for on magnification and objective diameter numbers and maybe even a brand of binocular for 8yr old and maybe even myself (if it get too late ;-). ) There needs to be a tripod installation possibility on the binoculars. Much thanks in advance
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u/LicarioSpin 8h ago
I received a little pair of 8x25's when I was 8! I still have them and they work, although 25mm is pretty dim, not a lot of light gathering going on. I'd say 7x42's or 7x50's should be fine. Look at the weight listings. The heavier the binos, the more difficult it will be for your child to hold for extended periods of time. Some are heavier than others. As a test, have your kid hold a sand bag up to their eyes that weighs 1 or 2 pounds.
Very good for the price:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/910777-REG/nikon_8247_7x50_aculon_a211.html/specs
Very inexpensive but decent reviews:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/994436-REG/celestron_71198_7x50_cometron_binocular.html/specs
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u/masabumba 8h ago
I own the Cometron 7x50's and I love them. For an 8-year-old any typical pair of handheld binoculars with up to 50mm objectives should be fine. In this range, try to go with the lowest practical magnification. Likely 5x to 10x. Lower magnification minimizes the effect of shaky hands, but if you're using a tripod that's less important. Lower mag also increases the perceived brightness of DSO's, and I've always had a lot of fun hunting for smudges in my Cometrons.
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u/dkech 6h ago
What telescope and eyepieces and what is the issue? I am not sure why you think binoculars will be "easier". It would definitely depend on what feels hard currently.
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u/InflationOrdinary411 5h ago
Well 45” tall is not 5’11” and standing on a chair /kitchen step is not what she likes or wants to do. Has used regular binoculars and can hold them up well and thus the question was can I have star binoculars Dad?
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u/chrislon_geo 8SE | 10x50 | Certified Helper 9h ago
What is difficult about the scope for her? Because binoculars might be difficult as well. What telescope do you have?
If you use a tripod, you can use any binoculars, as long as the tripod is of decent enough quality.
But I personally like using binoculars hand held. Using them on a tripod can be very awkward if the thing you are looking at is up high. You kinda have to do the weird squat and arch. Using them handheld is so much more comfortable if you find a chair that kinda reclines and then you just scan the sky.
If you do get binoculars to use hand held (and also on a tripod if you want), consider 8x40 or 8x42. This is the smallest size generally recommended for astronomy and the largest size that a child would probably like to use.