The best telescopes are those that allow you to view your chosen night sky subject, whether that’s studying the craters of the moon, looking for planets, or studying the deeper cosmos. With a wide range of reflectors, refractors, cassegrains and myriad bundles with different accessories it can be tricky to know which telescope to opt for. Luckily, we’ve put together a list of our top telescopes to help you make a good choice.
Our pick of the best telescopes is designed to cover a range of telescopes that suit every budget and every skill level. So no matter if you’re looking for something to grab-and-go for the evening, or are planning a week-long venture to the darkest night sky spots for serious skywatching, we’ve something for most.
If you're looking to pick up a bargain on one of these scopes, check out our telescope deals guide. And if you're looking for more stargazing equipment beyond a telescope, we've got you covered with our guide to the best binoculars for stargazing and the best astrophotography cameras too.
Harkening back to the orange flashings of the 1980s when Celestron first made huge strides in popularity among astronomers with their line of Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, the NexStar 8SE deserves to be at the top of the pile when searching for the best telescopes. Superbly sharp, bright thanks to the 8-inch aperture and powerful with a focal length of 80-inches, the NexStar 8SE sits atop a strong, sturdy motorized single fork arm mount.
Serious astronomers could go their whole lives with just this telescope and purchasing accessories such as image diagonals, new eyepieces and an uprated tripod will see the NexStar 8SE flourish well into the future. It’s a little more expensive than others in this list so beginners may be put off by this but at this premium price you get a premium product.
- Read our full Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope review.
Computerized, motorized telescopes like the Celestron Astro Fi 102 here, make it easy for astronomers to locate and find their night sky objects without having an in-depth knowledge of constellations. The Astro Fi 102 is controllable via a smart device which can be conveniently strapped to the integrated smartphone holder on the dust cap of the telescope.
A lightweight aluminum tripod comes with the bundle, as does a red dot finderscope, two eyepieces (25mm and 10mm), a star diagonal for easier viewing, and an accessory tray. The telescope is compatible with iPad, iPhone and Android devices.
The Orion StarBlast II 4.5 is a good quality all-round reflector housed in a compact design for any astronomer who wants to view a bit of everything while keeping costs down. Beginners may find the equatorial mount slightly more difficult to put up than a conventional alt-azimuth mount, but the results are worth it.
It comes with two eyepieces (10mm and 25mm) and also, happily, a 2x Barlow lens to increase reach when viewing longer distance night sky objects. In the box astronomers will also discover an EZ Finder II reflex sight, tripod and a MoonMap 260 to aid first observations.
This beautiful-looking telescope from Unistellar is the second in the eVscope line and comes with a boost in specifications and function. A wonderful looking telescope the eVscope 2 has a micro OLED digital eyepiece developed by Nikon and it captures 7.7MP stills photos of the cosmos with image-enhanced options available through the smart device app.
The telescope comes with its own tripod and an additional backpack (which we recommend) makes it truly simple to carry around on location. Photographers will find this telescope much more familiar than the aged designs of other, more traditional telescopes. It can automatically identify stars and constellations and the app will suggest subjects based on location and time, automatically slewing to them with the press of the screen.
We highly recommend this refractor telescope for astronomers who are just getting started because it has the widest aperture in the Inspire lineup and so will provide the brightest views possible. It is bundled with everything astronomers need to get started, including an Alt-az mount, erect image star diagonal, StarPointer pro red dot finderscope and two eyepieces (10mm and 25mm) to view a variety of objects.
Cleverly, Celestron have even included an integrated smartphone adapter that users can make with the dust cap as well as a red LED flashlight to aid set up at night (useful if you’re one of those that forgets their headlamp). While this refractor is a budget-friendly option it does come with glass that produces slight false color issues, but that shouldn’t be an issue for beginners.
The StarSense Explorer LT 114 can be quickly set up and offers good views from either the 10mm or 25mm eyepieces, which is a blessing for people with busy lives who don't have time to set up, align, and go through extensive checklists to get the best views.
The telescope is also incredibly portable at just 4.72 kg (10.41 lbs). Install the StarSense app on your smartphone, then use the finderscope and one of the provided eyepieces to align the camera with the night sky. The app will discern your viewing orientation and intelligently determine what is in view. Additionally, it will provide details on the object in view, allowing newcomers to astronomy to practice using their equipment while also learning more about the night sky.
In stark contrast to the majority of other telescopes on the market, the Vaonis Stellina telescope is coined as an observation station and smart or hybrid telescope due to its design. It requires no eyepieces or finderscopes and instead relies on a CMOS image sensor (made by Sony) to capture images via smartphone connection.
Set up and go, the Stellina images almost instantly from the minute it’s switched on which makes taking astrophotos easy thanks to its automatic tracking and night sky identification. Navigate and take photos using the smart device app using its database of 100 objects.
This Newtonian reflector is the right telescope for astronomers that desire clear views of the night sky and have used a few telescopes before. Not necessarily suited for beginners, this telescope comes with an equatorial mount which takes a little bit of getting used to. Once set up though, the motor is superb for tracking celestial objects as the earth rotates through the night.
With a camera adapter that makes it simple to take long exposure images of the night sky. By tracking a subject with earth’s rotation, users can image a subject tens or hundreds of times to attain the dark and light frames required for astrophotographic post-processing.
This Schmidt-Cassegrain is an excellent telescope for observing the night sky because it provides clear, sharp images with minimal distortions thanks in part to the StarBright XLT optical coatings.
In the eyepieces (13mm and 40mm), celestial objects stand out with sharp clarity and striking contrast. This telescope is heavy and durable, which means it’ll remain stable even in strong wind on location but also makes it slightly more challenging to transport. A rechargeable lithium-iron (LiFePO4) gives up to 10 hours of continuous observing and is a welcome change to replacing AA batteries that feature in many other motorized telescopes.
