# What gift would be better for a child, microscope or telescope? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 25, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992 "2016-11-25T21:29:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/21 "2016-11-27T15:31:57Z")
The microscope takes up a lot less space. I never got one but several of my classmates did at different times; I know one who was allowed to take it on vacation and a couple more who’d collect stuff to preserve and look at it back home. > [@kopek](#): > > I still prefer things like chemistry or geology kits. The modern versions are so safety-saved that you can’t do any of the cool (read dangerous) experiments we used to but still tend to instill a curiosity and some knowledge of scientific methods and backgrounds. I didn’t end up in Chemistry because I got a QuimiCefa… I got a QuimiCefa because it was quite evident I was into Chemistry. My brother wasn’t sure whether to glare mightily or coo when I threatened to buy the current version for The Nephew 😃 (at the time, bro’s wife was trying to convince their son to study some STEM field; kid wants to be a primary school teacher). ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/22 "2016-11-27T15:41:57Z")
keep in mind that using a telescope is a lot of work after you finally manage to locate and get your observation target in the view of the main lens. Everything is moving and the target will remain in the main lens only for a few seconds unless you spring for a really nice one with motors for tracking and a computer loaded with the appropriate software to keep the telescope locked on. I had both a telescope (not the nice one I described, but good enough for viewing Saturn pretty clearly) and a microscope. guess which one I used the most. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/23 "2016-11-27T15:48:23Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > A cool option for a microscope is the digital usb microscopes available now for as little as $50. You don’t have to squint through a tiny tube anymore and seeing the image blown up on a screen is much better. You can get them cheaper than that, as long as you accept that the CCD quality on the cheapest units is not very high. Several years back I bought a 0.3 megapixel model like [this](http://www.amscope.com/stereo-microscopes/200x-8-led-usb-digital-microscope-endoscope-xp-vista-7-8-mac.html). Good enough for a toy, but don’t expect high-quality images. [Here](http://www.angelfire.com/d20/darren_garrison/index.htm) are meteorite chondrule photos I took with it. (Yes, the old Angelfire pages are still available!) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/24 "2016-11-27T16:17:51Z")
Had a microscope as a kid. Lot’s of fun really. At any time. I’m 55yo and live in a perfect place (no light pollution, high altitude) for a telescope. Oh I did barely make out the rings of Saturn, but your timing, weather and setting it up has to be perfect. You really need patience. Not likely for a 9yo. And as others have said, for terrestrial viewing, if it’s a reflecting scope, the images will be upside down. I ended up giving it to a friend. It was a nice scope but couldn’t even give it to a high school or our local science center (that gladly accepted my 1976 pick-up truck). ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/25 "2016-11-27T18:20:26Z")
We had a microscope as kids. I loved it. We probably did things you shouldn’t do, like look at live ants. We loved it anyway. As others mention, it was small, portable, relatively easy to use. As an adult, I got my first telescope with my husband. Despite the fact that it had computer assistance I found it tremendously frustrating. Objects in the sky move you see. Other than the moon, it can be quite hard to actually find and then keep in the scope the object you are trying to view. These are not impossible skills to learn, but it will depend very much on the child in question. If the child seems likely to do stick to it a bit, then telescope. Other options, chemistry kits. I got my kids some cool ones that let them grow crystals and other interesting things. At one point, I got my daughter a rock tumbling kit. They can be loud, so you’ll have to think about that one. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/26 "2016-11-27T21:07:48Z")
Note a telescope can be used to view terrestrial objects, most notably wildlife. [Other than the kind seen under blankets in your neighbors’ back yards of course] ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/27 "2016-11-28T06:45:11Z")
Thanks for the replies fellas. > [@hogarth](#): > > Is Lego Mindstorms an option? _Googles_ _Looks at price_ Shiva H. Vishnu, not even if he was mine! Looks like team microscope’s the winner, thinking about it I don’t know if a telescope is…immediate enough to hold his attention so I’ve got a microscope with some pre-made slides that he can look at right away. I’ll let you know how it goes down! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/28 "2016-11-28T08:03:52Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > That depends on what sort of neighbours you have. Sure, but you can just use a ladder for that. In all seriousness though - an entry-level telecope is going to enable a person to: [ul] [li]Get a better view of craters on the moon (kinda cool)[/li][li]See the rings of Saturn[/li][li]See the shape of the ISS[/li][li]_Maybe_ see Jupiter clearly enough to make out the red spot[/li][li]Resolve some other planets as discs[/li][/ul] Those are all cool things, but that’s a pretty short list (I might have missed one or two items, but I haven’t missed a thousand) Wildlife that can be seen using a telescope (assuming a model capable of this usage) can mostly be seen just as well by sneaking up closer. Whereas an entry-level microscope reveals an entirely different world, everywhere you look - a huge variety of microorganisms, the intricate and detailed structures of plants, micro fossils, fungal spores, crystalline structures of minerals… I guess it could be argued that those are all just one thing (‘really small stuff’), but in terms of seeing all the varieties of those things, it’s pretty nearly endless. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/29 "2016-11-28T10:29:04Z")
I see the decision’s been made, but I was also going to say microscope - also because nowadays even entry-level microscopes can be camera microscopes, which multiplies the fun severalfold. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/30 "2016-11-28T21:25:23Z")
Voted microscope as well. If you wanted the longer perspective, I’d suggest a good pair of binos over a telescope. (Some experience - my wife and several friends were SERIOUSLY into astronomy.) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/31 "2016-11-28T21:59:06Z")
I’ll say the microscope. Not because telescopes aren’t cool, but because microscopes can be used anytime, in any weather. Telescopes require clear skies and often the things kids want to observe are only in the sky at odd hours, or not at all until some other point in the year. For example, Saturn isn’t visible where I live until around the end of the year, and often the moon isn’t high in the sky until odd early morning hours. ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/32 "2016-11-29T00:17:24Z")
You can’t check out Suzie through her bedroom window down the street with a microscope. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/33 "2016-12-30T13:15:09Z")
Just to keep you updated, turns out he loves the microscope and spent a bit of Christmas looking for leaves to examine under it, so cheers guys - mission accomplished! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/34 "2016-12-30T13:40:29Z")
I had a microscope as a kid, but not a telescope. In retrospect I wish I had had a telescope. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/35 "2017-01-01T03:47:27Z")
Microscope, but then I was once a Microbiologist. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/36 "2017-01-01T15:51:17Z")
I had a microscope as a kid, a budding biologist. But it was too much work preparing infusions and slides. I ended up collecting praying mantises instead, which gave me exercise (I had to “hunt” their food, then give them to the mantis). A telescope is just easier. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/37 "2017-01-01T23:40:11Z")
When I was about that age, I had both, The telescope rarely was used. The microscope was used quite often. I agree with the person who said binoculars over a telescope. I got a nice pair of binoculars around that age also, and used them way more often than the telescope. They were easier to set up and more portable. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/38 "2017-01-01T23:46:56Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Need some advice from Doper parents, long story short I’ve got to get a gift for a 9 year old, I know he’s into science-y stuff so I thought a children’s microscope or a telescope might be a good idea. Seen some on Amazon and they’re both around the same price. > > Does one have any obvious advantage over the other? If you have a kid around that age which would you be happier with? Or are they both terrible ideas? I had both at about that age and thought they were outstanding. You can’t go wrong with either one. Flip a coin. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/39 "2017-01-02T00:08:19Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Just to keep you updated, turns out he loves the microscope and spent a bit of Christmas looking for leaves to examine under it, so cheers guys - mission accomplished! it’s fun to know how it came out - glad he is enjoying it ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992/40 "2017-01-02T01:05:29Z")
Microscope. Thing is with telescopes, unless you live out in the country the lights of your city will prevent them from seeing much more than the moon at night. Just go outside tonight and look up and see how many stars you can see. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gift-would-be-better-for-a-child-microscope-or-telescope/772992.md?page=3)