If your library has a Library of Things see if they have a telescope! I've been to a few that have some that are pretty advanced but simple enough once you get the hang of it that might be a good barometer.
Reposting my suggestion of the 3d printed Hadley , which is also available in kits to include the link to where the kits are available: https://kissner-optik.netlify.app/
There are *many* "first telescope" articles on astronomy sites and blogs around the internet. The good thing is they steer you away from the cheap import junk that will give you blurry blob for a planet and discourage interest, yet they understand budget.
Orion Starblast tabletop dobsonian is what my club usually recommends. You can usually rent telescopes from a public library if you want to try them out. Would be worthwhile to check out your local astronomy club, they will often have outreach events that are great for kids.
I got a $1000 telescope for about 8 bucks at a junk shop and have had a great time with it out in the country where it gets dark. I didn’t/don’t know shit about telescopes but people who do will talk your ear off (complimentary). Biggest surprise: The image is upside down
Something I’ll add to this: I’m a volunteer telescope facilitator at a planetarium, and one thing that I think sometimes gets lost in the “binocs, small scope” starter advice is that those scopes are wholly inadequate for seeing some of the features that folks really WANT to see with scopes (ctd).
Nebulae, galaxies, globular clusters, etc. won’t resolve very well through binocs or small aperture scopes, and planets will be tough to get a good magnification on without a longer focal length. (ctd)
Weigh this advice against how much room you have and how it fits with your goals, but MY advice is generally an 8” Dobsonian. They’re pretty lightweight (~20-25lbs), very robust, simple to use, and have good light-gathering capacity, (ctd)
especially to really start to pull in those deep sky objects, especially if you take it out to a dark site. There are also collapsible ones for easier transport (for ~$100 more), but even a regular one should fit in a trunk. Planets like Jupiter and Saturn jump out pretty well, too. (ctd)
An upgrade choice is the 8” SCT that Phil has, but those are considerably more expensive. The good news is, though, that if you DON’T get into it, basic telescopes hold their resale value pretty well if they’re taken care of.
Also, don’t sleep on solar filters! It’s really cool to (ctd)
The tabletop telescopes are pretty cool especially for small hands. And they're very portable. And those come pre-assembled, so you don't have to do much. Telescopes usually go on sale this time of year if you're trying to save money.
I was going to post this Dob so I will just add that you get pure dollar efficiency from this unit, highly recommend, I have had several over the years and they are great, capable enough to find and see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons easily
Thanks for bringing up that post! I’m sure a lot of it echoes @philplait.bsky.social. One complication is that a large supplier of budget-minded amateur astronomy gear (Orion) is going through financial trouble right now.
I don’t know anything more than , DO BOT BUY A RANDOM ONE OFF THE SHELF!
Please. You’ll put it together, it will be very frustrating and then it won’t work.
Try the Smithsonian or Brookstone stores.
When she was a little younger, I got my daughter a 70mm Celestron "travel scope" that was pretty no frills but did the job. Easy to take apart and assemble, and great for road trips.
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Think "standing on a ladder to look thru something taller than you are" type stuff.
https://www.radio-astronomy.org/rasdr
Also, don’t sleep on solar filters! It’s really cool to (ctd)
Please. You’ll put it together, it will be very frustrating and then it won’t work.
Try the Smithsonian or Brookstone stores.