Educational Insights GeoSafari Omega Refractor Telescope

We found it hard to get the telescope to focus on the stars every time we got it on a star the telescope would move. Its not very stable and has a funky smell…? Its not white like pictured its more of a silver greenish look which i actually liked better than the white. Going to return and invest in a better quality one. We were able to get a great look at the moon since it was bigger but that’s about it!

Nice, for first telescope!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] LOVE THIS! It works fantastic!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Exactly what I wanted for a gift! A great telescope!

We got the Geosafari Omega Refractor Telescope for our first grader. It's black and gold and looks impressive. Assembly of the telescope was straightforward with few parts to put together. The tripod is very sturdy and easy to adjust. Three eyepieces are included with plastic storage cases and a Barlow lens which doubles the magnification of the eyepieces. Also included is an accessory tray which holds the eyepieces outside of their cases. (The diameters of the holes are not large enough to hold the eyepieces when they are inside their cases. But, you could lay the cases down sideways on top of the tray or stand them up on top of the holes instead of placing them vertically inside the holes.) It would be nice if this set included a reusable storage bag to hold the three eyepieces and cases as well as the Barlow lens. A travel bag with a shoulder strap or hard carrying case for the telescope itself (not included) would also be helpful for traveling. The telescope is lightweight and easy to carry. The 25mm eyepiece worked very well for clearly viewing the moon. The 12.5mm eyepiece allowed us to see more detail, but was a little bit blurry and very shaky. We had to hold the telescope to keep it from moving. We tried the 6mm one, but everything was dark. (The manual does explain that as magnification increases, brightness diminishes.) Since this is new, we haven't had a chance to play with it much. I'm sure once we have had more practice, we will get better at using the different eyepieces. Although this product is recommended for ages 8 and up, a younger child can use it with the help of a parent. For example, in Cub Scouts, there is a Tiger elective adventure called Sky Is the Limit. Using this telescope is a fun way to work towards fulfilling its requirements and earning your Tiger badge. The whole family can enjoy this telescope & it's a great way to get children interested in science. We received this product in exchange for an honest review.

My girls (8 & 10) received this telescope a few weeks ago as a gift and are addicted! It has taken residence in our sun room overlooking our wooded lot, where the entire family enjoys watching the phases of the moon, the stars and the various wildlife living in our backyard. Pros: Super easy to assemble and has a variety of magnifying lenses. Instructions are self-explanatory and straight forward, so there is no confusion. Lenses are very easy to interchange and secure with a single screw. Great first telescope and an excellent value for the power it contains, especially when you use the enhancing power Barlow lens. Most constellations and the moon seem very close, which is exciting for my kids to view. This keeps them coming back for more! Extra bonus for Mom, it looks great in our central family area. Cons: View finder is placed close to the lens, so using it is a little awkward at times. If it was further up on the telescope, then it would be easier to use. The Barlow lens that doubles the focal power requires you to either use a step stool to reach the lens or lower the legs to use by much younger children. Not an issue for older children (such as ours) or adults. A nice improvement would be to widen the accessory tray holes so that the lenses can fit in while they are in their cases. All in all a great product and an excellent value!!

We have been having a great time with our new telescope and love the new worlds it has opened up for us. Let me start off by saying how easy it was to put this telescope together. My first reaction when I opened the box and saw all of the pieces was "oh no, this is going to be take a while". My boys have lots of energy and I wasn't sure they were going to have the patience to wait it out. But, it actually went together quite quickly. The pieces were labeled well and the instructions were detailed yet easy to follow. We have been very impressed by what we have been able to see. The kids, as well as the adults, loved to be able to see the precise details on a recent crescent moon, and it was nice to be able to get a closer look at the stars that make up some of the familiar constellations. We also were excited to take a peek at the details of the nest the birds have been building towards the top of one of our trees. The telescope has opened up a world of adventure in our own backyard and we know that we will be bringing the telescope along with us on our future camping trips. I do have to agree with another reviewer that the one downside is not having a case or travel bag to easily tote it along as well as store the extra pieces.

This is a first telescope for our family, and I am happy with the ease of assembly and use for my six year old. With help, he is able to adjust the magnification and view the stars! It has sparked his interest in learning more about stars and planets! I also brought this telescope into my school to show my third grader students how a telescope works, and the 8-9 year old group loved it. This would be a wonderful gift for a child ages 6-10.

We are having a lot of fun with this telescope! It was very easy to set up- we did it just using the picture diagram (labeling part a, part b, etc) didn't need the written instructions. We did have to go through the instructions on locating and focusing, but it only took a few minutes. It was so cool to see stars up close, especially when we found a cluster of stars. We're taking it to the soccer field tonight to hopefully see the moon after practice if it's a clear night. It's a very good value and looks so professional even though it is lightweight, Would be nice if they had included a pouch or bag for the extra lenses since it does come with several. Recommended!!!

I would HIGHLY recommend this telescope for burgeoning young astronomers--or kids who simply enjoy a little stargazing ;-) I personally found it easy to assemble and use. True, I wouldn't consider it a "toy," so I had to be cautious about my younger kids (as in, three and younger) tinkering with it. That said, with a little adult supervision, even they were able to take a peek up at the sky (and, let me promise you, the jaw-dropping/absolute awe we witnessed in response had made me wish I had a camera ready)! Before we used it, my six and nine year old boys were generally more inclined to view the flat screen (versus the constellations), but they were so psyched about their new telescope that later on they even asked to look up information about different planets online. In addition, there are multiple magnification settings, which my six year old enjoyed experimenting with, and the telescope is simple to transport. (Personally, I consider this a huge bonus, as it was easy to move to a relative's house when I knew we had a dinner at a location lacking an abundance of kid-friendly diversions.) In the future, I'd even consider taking the telescope on our annual vacation to Florida to see what we can observe of the heavens over the Gulf of Mexico. In the meantime, I'd readily give this product a rave review--and would guess it would be the "jewel in the crown" as far as holiday gifts go, if you have a child who's interested in science.