Science Gift Ideas?

[Alex K]

A good telescope (for a 16-year-old) could be a great gift.

Oh yes, great idea. For generation Hubble, it's important to manage expectations when it comes to deep sky objects, so it would make sense to buy a slower telescope that is good for planets and the moon. It really depends with kids whether they are the type that finds it so fascinating to see things themselves live that that makes up for the relatively unspectacular views in observations by eye compared to what you find on the internet-if you know what I mean. Of course, if they are into science, one can go beyond just observing nice views and do some actual science to some degree, e.g. tracking the moons of jupiter, looking for comets etc.