Looking for what to gift an astronomy lover? You're going to see an astronomer friend for his birthday? Or maybe Christmas incoming and your kid is into astronomy (or you want to make it into)? Look no more — here's the top 10 list of astronomy gifts ideas for astronomy fans — for kids and for adults, for him (men, dad, boyfriend) and for her (women, mom, girlfriend), for birthday and for Christmas. Happy shopping, and clear skies!
Jump to:
- 1. ? Astronomy Book
- 2. ? Astronomy Binoculars
- 3. ? Telescope for Visual Observations
- 4. ? Physical Map of Stars and the Night Sky
- 5. ?️ Astronomical Calendar
- 6. ? An Astronomy Magazine Annual Subscription (12 Issues, Print/Kindle)
- 7. ? Astronomy T-Shirt
- 8. ? Astronomy-Related Movie or TV Show
- 9. ? Lego® Set - Space Shuttle, Moon Base, NASA Astronauts
- 10. ? iPhone Fully-Loaded with Useful Astronomy Apps
1. ? Astronomy Book
A book about astronomy is the most universal gift for any astronomy lover. On the market you will find books on virtually any subject related to this field of science:
- Astronomy itself - science, astrophysics, cosmology, astrobiology, astronautics
- Stargazing
- Astrophotography (check out best astrophotography books here)
- Night sky guides
- Astronomy gear guides
Here I chose the best astronomy books for your gifts receiver:
For Kids
For Adults
2. ? Astronomy Binoculars
If you're not interested in astronomy yourself, you might be surprised that I suggest binoculars, not a telescope (Ha! Wait for the next point!). Binoculars? I thought it was only used to watch birds, animals, and actors in the theatre. Well, not exactly.
Binoculars are the best possible threshold point for amateur sky observations. Basic astronomical binoculars will allow the human eye to see hundreds of times more stars than an unarmed eye. Through binoculars, you can see outlines of nebulae that are invisible to the naked eye.
What's more, binoculars do not require any mount (a part of observing/photographing rig), any filters, or any specific preparation before use (except setting focus with a build-in knob). If you want to encourage someone in night sky observation, binoculars will be the best entry point.
The best beginner binoculars for astronomy:
3. ? Telescope for Visual Observations
I didn't convince you with binoculars? Well, it's OK — a telescope is the most iconic thing when we think about gifts for astronomers, and it's also a fantastic starting point into astronomy and stargazing!
I clearly stated that I will show you telescopes for visual observations — and not for astrophotography (sorta). Why is that?
Generally, those visual telescopes are less demanding in terms of optics and build quality, thus cheaper, making them an excellent entry point into astronomy and stargazing hobbies.
If you want to learn everything about telescopes for astrophotography, here is my ultimate guide (2,300+ words) to the beginner astrophotography telescopes. If you don't have time for reading such a detailed article, here are just my top 3 telescope recommendations for visual observations for beginners:
Remember that you get what you pay for. Don't expect to see colorful nebulae like on pictures from the Hubble telescope. Those are entry-level telescopes — good for beginners (both kids and adults), but to create colorful images of deep-sky objects (nebulae, galaxies, star clusters), you would have to invest much, much more - both money and time to learn proper skills.
4. ? Physical Map of Stars and the Night Sky
Now when you have binoculars or a telescope, it would be worth knowing where to point them to the night sky. That's what the star maps are for!
5. ?️ Astronomical Calendar
Don't miss important astronomy events like Moon phases, solar and lunar eclipses, meteor showers, or planet conjunctions. An astronomy calendar has marked all those events inside!
- Grant Collier (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 09/01/2020 (Publication Date)...
- Willow Creek Press (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 08/10/2020 (Publication Date)...
- Wall Calendars, 18 Months...
- English (Publication Language)
- 38 Pages - 10/07/2020...
6. ? An Astronomy Magazine Annual Subscription (12 Issues, Print/Kindle)
Being regularly updated with the news from the astronomy world is important to properly cultivate this hobby. Give your astronomy fan a yearly subscription of the best astronomy and stargazing magazines, and she/he will be more than happy year-round!
7. ? Astronomy T-Shirt
Show off your love for astronomy and dress a colorful astronomy t-shirt. Grab the attention of everyone and wear nebulae, stars, and galaxies on yourself. A must-have for any star party!
- This shirt is for all of the amateur or professional astronomers fascinated by the orbital path of the earth and sun around our galaxy.
- Makes a great gift for any teen or adult that uses a telescope to explore the night sky, stars, planets, nebulas and the universe.
- Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem
- Astronomer science
- Stars Constellations Exploration
- Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem
- MICHIGAN ARTISTS & PRINTERS | this design was drawn and screen printed (silk screened) with pride by our skilled illustrators and printers in Ann Arbor. If you're ever in the area, stop by for a free tour and see how we make your apparel! Tagless tag is printed on fabric inside collar, you can't feel it.
- UNISEX MODERN FIT SIZING | this shirt is slightly tapered to be a little less boxy than the old style of mass-market t-shirt. Nothing drastic, and most people wear the same size in our shirts as they do in all of their others, but you might go one size larger if you're on the fence. It is pre-shrunk, but like any high-cotton product, will still shrink slightly in the wash. Our model photos are the real thing - the actual shirt on our salesguy, Rich. He's 6' 2", 200 lbs and wearing a large
- SOFT FABRICS | Our shirts are a ringspun, 30/1 fine jersey knit on 100% USA-grown cotton. If you don't speak t-shirt geek, that means they are soft and smooth with a high thread-count, tight knit made out of fuzzy plants grown by American farmers. These are mid-weight shirts - a bit lighter than your mass-market, thick gym class t-shirts, but substantial / not see-through. It's a nice balance between comfort and durability
- TOP QUALITY INKS & EQUIPMENT | We use QCM screen printing inks, manufactured in Pineville, North Carolina. These are high quality inks - vibrant and durable, and highly crack resistant. Some of our designs are intentionally faded or cracked (see product photos), but our inks always "do what they are told" by our printers. We use top of the line printing presses and ovens (to properly cure inks) made by M&R in Roselle, Illinois
- SAFE CHEMISTRY | QCM has been one of the most forward-thinking ink manufacturers in the industry, going phthalate-free over ten years ago - way ahead of the curve. They're also CFC free and rated as carcinogen-free by the state of California
8. ? Astronomy-Related Movie or TV Show
If someone loves astronomy, then it's a gigantic chance that the person also loves science fiction movies that take place in space (I do!). If you are not an expert in this type of cinematography, here I provide some of the best TV shows and movies for astronomy fans ever:
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
![Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51G0XSOv99L._SL160_.jpg)
|
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey [Blu-ray] | 2,386 Reviews | $25.65 | Buy on Amazon |
|
Interstellar (Blu-ray) | 55,319 Reviews | $24.00 | Buy on Amazon |
|
NOVA: The Planets Blu-ray | 154 Reviews | $21.83 | Buy on Amazon |
|
The Martian: Extended Edition (4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray) | 1,809 Reviews | $26.50 $17.52 | Buy on Amazon |
|
Star Wars - The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) | 12,682 Reviews | $84.25 | Buy on Amazon |
![Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] [Region-Free]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51iiW4dqq9L._SL160_.jpg)
|
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] [Region-Free] | 2,062 Reviews | $59.99 $43.50 | Buy on Amazon |
![Stanley Kubrick Triple Feature (2001: A Space Odyssey / A Clockwork Orange / The Shining) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xN7xlooNL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Stanley Kubrick Triple Feature (2001: A Space Odyssey / A Clockwork Orange / The Shining) [Blu-ray] | 660 Reviews | $12.99 | Buy on Amazon |
9. ? Lego® Set - Space Shuttle, Moon Base, NASA Astronauts
Who doesn't like to play with Lego?! I don't know anyone like that. Lego set is a universal type of gift, that you can buy for every occasion, for everyone. This doesn't change when shopping for astronomy lovers — there are hundreds of fantastic Lego sets for astronomy fans. Here are my personal favorites:
- Build a large multi-stage...
- Includes 6 LEGO City...
- Rocket standing measures over...
- 837 pieces – Inspired by...
- This LEGO City Deep Space...
- Challenge your construction...
- This ISS model comes with a...
- Includes a 148-page booklet...
- A super treat for yourself,...
- This ISS (International Space...
- Build an exciting space...
- Includes 2 LEGO City Mars...
- Research shuttle measures over...
- 273 pieces –Astronaut...
- This LEGO City Mars Research...
- This LEGO Creator 3in1 Space...
- Kids can stretch their...
- This set gives kids 3 options...
- Any fan of creative building...
- The Space Rover Explorer...
- Build a cool exploration...
- Includes a LEGO City space...
- Shuttle measures over 1”...
- 84 pieces – Astronaut toy...
- This LEGO City Satellite...
10. ? iPhone Fully-Loaded with Useful Astronomy Apps
If you are not on a budget (or the person you are buying the gifts is very important for you), you can equip your astronomy lover with the iPhone fully-loaded with the newest and most useful astronomy apps. If you are wondering how a smartphone can help in astronomy and stargazing, here are the most important types of app you can install on it:
- Weather forecast app
- Star map app (then no need for a physical one!)
- Calendar app (like above)
- Planetarium app
- Polar aligning app (useful in astrophotography for calibration the whole rig)
- Night sky VR app
As you can see, the iPhone can be the ultimate astronomy device for a lot of stargazing tasks. If you want to buy one, here you can find the currently bestselling ones:
- Astronomy book
- Binoculars
- Telescope
- Star map
- Calendar
- Astronomy magazine
- T-shirt
- Movie
- Lego
- Smartphone
Leave a Reply