Top 12 Science Gifts for Teens & Adults

Following on from our Top 12 Science Toys for Christmas, we thought it might be helpful to also consider the teens and adults you might be shopping for this Christmas. Here's our list of what we think should be popular this Christmas!

1. Crookes' Solar Radiometer, by Vogel. Stand in a sunny window or near a warm light, the vanes rotate. It consists of an airtight glass bulb, containing a partial vacuum. Inside are a set of vanes which are mounted on a spindle. The vanes rotate when exposed to light. The reason for the rotation has been the cause of much scientific debate.
2. CHEM C3000 Chemistry Set, by T&K. The best - and most expensive- chemistry set we know of. By performing 360 fascinating and fun experiments in a complete and well-balanced curriculum, you will learn first-hand every fundamental principle of this essential science, and more.
3. Mirage 3D Hologram Maker, by Optigone. A stunning optical illusion. Place a small object inside, which then appears above - right before your eyes! Even the camera sees it. But you can't touch it! And neither will anyone else.
4. Copernican Orrery kit, by AstroMedia. Make a working model of the Solar System including Mercury, Venus and the Earth and Moon. It shows the relative movements of the planets around the Sun, and the Moon around the Earth. The Sun contains a light source which can be used to demonstrate how night and day, the phases of the Moon and the seasons are produced.
5. Giant Solar System Mobile. Hang the Sun and planets in your living room! A mobile for grownups or children. The planets are suspended from 3-independently moving rods around the 19 cm diameter Sun. The whole mobile measures 137 cm (54") across. Jupiter is 14.5 cm and Earth is 9 cm in diameter.
6. Zoetrope, by Hemispherium. An optical toy, early cinematic animation. From first scientific toys that used animated images to modern movies, retinal persistence has been fundamental to fooling the mind into believing that a series of static images are in motion.
7. Black Base Newton's Cradle. Classic executive toy, pull back n balls and release, n balls are ejected the other side. The first time observer may find this visually intriguing and counter-intuitive. If a person charged into one end of a row of adjacent people then one would intuitively expect the whole row of people to be moved, rather than the last person in the row to acquire the kinetic energy.
8. Garden Weather Station, by Nauticalia. This simple, completely non-electrical, garden weather station shows temperature, rainfall and wind direction, with an indication of wind speed from the spinning cups. It is very easy to install: either spike it directly into the ground; or attach to a building or shed using cable ties.
9. Sky Hawk Reflector Telescope, by OVL. An excellent first telescope for the astronomy buff. Recipient of two group test winner awards in BBC Sky at Night Magazine. This model now includes a x2 Barlow Lens!!.
10. Night Sky Maps, by Celestron. What's in the sky tonight? Where? These maps will tell you! The front cover has a specially designed luminous planisphere that rotates to simulate the seasonal progression of celestial objects through the sky. When the planisphere is pre-exposed to light, star positions glow brightly against a dark background, mimicking actual constellations. More than a thousand stars and deep-sky objects are listed and charted.
11. P-3A Student Microscope, by Zenith. A good basic microscope for the student. A high quality instrument purpose built for heavy classroom use. Anti-tamper safety features include locked-on eyepiece and stage clips, slip-clutch on the focusing movement to prevent over-focusing and focus-stop to prevent damage to glass microslides and objective lenses.
12. Window Bird Feeder, by Wildlife World. Get close to birds with this window bird feeder. Suctions cups attach the wooden house to your window and the cut-away back lets you watch the birds feed. Food is held in an 8 cm metal bowl for easy cleaning.