[schlocky]

A good pair of binoculars with a basic constellation map are a great way to start to explore the night sky. However today's youth are unlikely to be satisfied with these as they will not show detail in the planets but do enable to connect what the naked eye sees with what a telescope will show.

Even the smallest telescope will usually be able to reveal the phases of mercury and venus, mars' polar cap, Jupiter's cloud belts and moons and saturns rings, although at least a 6-inch reflector, however this may be a little too heavy and cumbersome for the average 10-year old to enjoy using.

There is a strong tendency to obtain as large and powerful a telescope as one can afford but such an instrument will tend to dishearten the beginner as most objects are faint and fuzzy and without any colour. Real satisfaction and depth of appreciation comes with knowledge of what one is observing and so building a foundation of knowledge of the cosmos' structure should be the first goal. Low-powered binoculars are great as they provide bright low-powered images that can be turned towards a patch of sky that has attracted the naked eye. Doing the same with even a small telescope is dishearteningly difficuly to do as it will only show a tiny portion of the sky at even it's lowest powered magnification. It is most satisfying to see a slightly bigger, brighter and more detailed view of what the naked eye is seeing, something a pair of 8 X 40's say, would do admirably. (8=magnification, 40 = diameter of each front lens (objective) of the bino's).

My first telecope was small (It was a tasco 30x-60x 40mm) and cheap but excitingly provide tantalizing first glimpses of the moon and planets, however this excitement soon subsided and 'aperture fever' (the obsessive desire for larger instruments) soon set in.

Probably only when I had an 8-inch reflector did I truly start to enjoy hours of observing but this would be too large an affair for a ten-year old (unless he/she is a genius with extreme patience and a bodybuilder on stilts!) so probably a good 2.5 to 3-inch refractor or 4-inch reflector would be the largest instrument for such a beginner. A 'finderscope' (a very low powered telescope attached and aligned with the main telescope) and good star map are essential accessories too. Small, low-powered binoculars (eg 8 x 40's) are also useful as an accessory to an observing session with a telescope.

Another very desirable accessory is a very low powered eyepiece that gives rich, bright, wide views of the sky. These really give you the impression that you are actually up there.

Good luck.