Whether you're a beginner or an experienced stargazer, with or without a telescope, you'll get more out of the night sky with a Miller Planisphere. This 10" rotating double disc is a map of the planets, stars and constellations, useful across a large range of the northern latitudes, although most accurate in the range of 35° to 45° north. It can be aligned to the time and date in your location to display a detailed map, and includes tips on finding the planets, suggestions for telescope projects, and more. It's an invaluable learning tool that makes stargazing a lot more fun.

For the shaving kit, the campground or the kids, nothing says no nasty glass shards like plexiglass. This unframed, unbreakable, back-surfaced mirror is 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" x 3/32" thick. Please note that there is a protective film covering the front of the mirror which you need to peel off before using.

Call it pocket microscopy. Our teensiest tiniest double-lens microscope is just 1-1/2” long x 19/32” dia with a barrel that will pull out another 1/2” for coarse focus. Rated at 16X, and comes with a teensy tiny carrying pouch.

Excellent quality 1-3/4" dia magnifier on a gold- or silver-colored, thin 36" chain with clasp. Package calls it 5X but our magnification guru says less than that at optimum focal length. Perfect for wearing to formal antique shows.

Work like a watchmaker with this extremely steampunkish clip-on triple loupe. In brass-plated steel, it clips on the temple of a pair of glasses with the three 15/16” dia lenses (2X, 2.5X and 3X) on 1-1/2” long arms that swing in and out and are adjustable via set screws. The spring clip for the glasses opens to 5/16”. Working distance is short like all loupes, but you’ll look extremely cool.

These white microfiber cloths are larger, at 6" x 7-1/2",  and thicker than usual. Made for medical equipment (so you know the quality is excellent), they're dandy for eyeglasses, lenses, computer screens and other electronic equipment. White with a dark blue edge (with a small logo in one corner) they're actually attractive and could double as pocket squares. Bundled by the pair so you'll get (6) cloths in our Pkg(3), or try our super low 20-pair price.

This 10X folding loupe in black plastic and aluminum has a pair of very bright white LEDs next to the 25mm lens. Runs on (3) button-cell batteries, included, and has a tiny wrench to help you replace them. Loupe and wrench stow snuggly in a foam lined plastic case. When folded, it looks like a standard coach's whistle, or a really big apostrophe.

The kids need presents for all the grandmas and great-aunts? You volunteer at the nursing home and need token gifts for your L-O-Ls? And your eyes aren't so good, either? Our each is really half a dozen pretty little magnifiers with round, glass lenses and fancy handles. The handles are silver-bright (hard to believe they're aluminum) and all different. Each has a discreet hole in the tip for a jump ring so it could be worn on a necklace -- but it would look just as pretty on a desk. The overall length of the (6) magnifiers varies from about 3-3/4" to 5", the lenses from 1-1/4" to 1-3/4" dia. All are approx 2X magnification. Mary Ann's pick of the month.

Well, okay, glass, because rubber is hard to see through, but the handle and frame are covered in black rubber. Approx 2" square lens magnifies to 4X. Has a 4-3/4" handle and a frame with (5) white LEDs and (1) UV LED on the business side, the better to see that tiny print, or to check out money, stamps, insects, etc. Uses (4) included AG10 button-cell batteries.

Our best jeweler's loupe, this has a professional-quality, full 10X triplet lens. A ring of (6) white LEDs around the 13/16" glass lens ensures an even distribution of light. Housing is an angular, 7-sided teardrop shape 1-3/4" x 1-1/8" that folds out of a metal case with a strap hook. Tucked into the small leather pouch it comes in is a spanner wrench, in case you ever need to replace the (3) button-cell batteries.

This monster magnifier on a gooseneck stand doubles as a reading lamp. The 3-1/2” dia, 3.5X magnifying glass is surrounded by a bright 12W 1200 lumen LED ring of lights, all on a 12” gooseneck rising from a 6-1/4” x 5-1/4” x 1-1/2” thick base with a 4-foot power cord. The magnifying lens has a flip-down cover, which converts it to a reading lamp. Comes in mysterious black and inquisitive white; we'll choose the one that's best for your feng shui.

Mini scientists need appropriately sized lab equipment, and, what a coincidence, we have a Mini Duo Scope from My First Lab™ with your kid's name on it. It's two microscopes in one, and won Creative Child Magazine's 2015 Product of the Year Award. Has 40X, 100X and 400X magnification, top and bottom LED illumination, and includes more than (40) pieces and accessories, including brine shrimp eggs and yeast specimens. Ages 8 and up, and requires (2) AA batteries. Today, the Mini Duo. Tomorrow, the Large Hadron? Hey, it could happen.

This green, rubber-coated 4X binocular from Celestron® is kid-sized but otherwise very high quality with coated lenses, an 18" neck cord, belt-mount carrying pouch and lens cloth. Has 30mm objective lens diameter and a 4.3 degree X 225-foot field of view at 1,000 yards.

This excellent, ultra-light, refractor telescope kit from Celestron™ and the National Park Service Foundation comes with a custom backpack so you can tote it to where you can actually see stars. Offers super-fast, no-tool set-up, and weighs just 16 oz. Has a 5X24 finder scope, a collapsible tripod that extends from 16” to 48”, a 1.25” moon filter, 8mm and 20mm eyepieces, a 3X Barlow lens, a 45-degree erecting prism for land viewing (so you can spy on the bad guys!), a compass and a tiny white LED flashlight with (3) button-cell batteries.

When you peer through your magnifying glass at this specimen, or focus your microscope on it, even at the lower magnifications which work best, you're looking at one big bug. Make that (4) big bugs. The insects are real, encased in clear acrylic blocks 1-3/4" x 1-1/4" x up to 11/16" thick, and ready for inspection. Set 1 includes a scorpion, giant ant, wasp and a flower bug. Set 2 is a cricket, locust, yellow leaf beetle, and crab. No, not a crab louse or a crab spider, but definitely a crab ugly.

Begin their microscopic education here, with this 40-640X student microscope from Levenhuk®. Featuring an adjustable eyepiece, variable white LED illuminator, and adjustable iris. Comes with a cover; (5) blank and (5) prepared slides; pipette; brine shrimp, yeast, sea salt and glue samples; forceps; a microtome; 58-page user guide; and a 23-page manual. Includes (2) “AA” batteries and a lifetime warranty through the manufacturer.

The sport of the future? No, cork-lined polystyrene boxes for holding microscope slides, complete with numbered slots and inventory sheets on the lids. The boxes are 8-3/4" x 6-3/4" x 1-1/3" with hinged lids. They are stackable, and you might get them in a variety of colors.

Nifty in the extreme, this magnifier has (4) white LEDs plus a super-bright 1W COB LED putting out a total of 100 lumens, both around a 1-3/4” x 2” 2X glass lens (ignore the 3X on the box) on top of a 6-1/2” long two-part folding arm above a base that holds the (3) “AAA” batteries that it comes with free and gratis for no extra charge. The whole thing folds down into a 3-1/2” x 2-1/2” x 1-1/2” thick package. Like a bar of Ivory soap, or a pack of Gauloises regulars for you Parisian poets.