Best Telescopes for the Money

*Editor’s Note: Today, check out our Cyber Monday deals page  for up-to-date discounts on telescopes, binoculars and more gifts for all the space fans in your life. Plus, you can start saving on your entire gift list  with ShopSavvy. Get up to 15% cash back and exclusive deals on gadgets, gear, electronics, computers and more through Purch, Space.com’s parent company. And check out our picks for the Best Space Gifts  and Best Kids’ Space Gifts and Toys  for more ideas.

A photon leaps off the sun and, about 500 seconds later, bounces off our Earth. Light has been dancing and rebounding from faraway and nearby celestial objects for more than 13 billion years. It’s time you caught some of it for your very own.

That’s what telescopes do; they gather light. But to collect that radiance, you’ll need to pick the telescope that fits your needs and budget. Our editors have selected a few of the best options in five categories. Click on each to read a deep review of the telescopes in these groups: 

Toy store telescopes are mostly junk. We’ve selected several better-quality ones, which will be easy to use and fun for all family members. Here are some highlights: 

The Best Children’s Telescope for Skywatching:

Celestron FirstScope

Average price: $49.95 + $19.95 Optional Accessory Kit

• Dobsonian / AltAz / Tripod
• Totally intuitive and simple 

The Celestron FirstScope’s tabletop spin-and-tilt design makes the device easy for kids to use. The optical tube is decorated with the names of noteworthy astronomers throughout history, inspiring kids even when it’s sitting on their desk or on a shelf indoors. It comes with two eyepieces (20 millimeters and 4 mm) for wide and close-up views. FirstScope’s 3-inch (76 mm) aperture is small, but its fast focal ratio (3.95) lets kids see objects in the deep sky on dark (moonless) nights. An optional accessory kit adds a finder scope, anti-glare moon filter, two more eyepieces and a DVD-ROM of very useful astronomy software for the PC and Mac.   Remarkably fine optical quality at a very low price makes this surprising telescope a great choice for kids with an interest in the night sky. With patience and a dark location, planets, nebulae and even a few galaxies are in range of this telescope.

The Best Children’s Telescope for Learning:

Levenhuk LabZZ MTB3 Combo

Average Price: $59.95

• Telescope / Binoculars / Microscope + Slide Prep Kit
• Lets kids engage the universe at all scales

Buy Levenhuk LabZZ MTB3 Microscope & Telescope & Binoculars Kit on Amazon.com

You get kid-size versions of instruments to extend vision to the very big, the very faraway and the very small. A 2-inch aperture refractor telescope works at night for moon, planets and stars, and during the day for animals and sports. [Never point a telescope at the sun!] Note that 6x binoculars are made for little hands and faces. A three-objective microscope (150x, 450x and 900x) brings the subvisible to giant size.

The Best Children’s Telescope for Value:

Levenhuk Strike 50

Average Price: $75.16

• Refractor Telescope and Learning Package

With very high operability and good optical quality (and a very low frustration factor) this capable but inexpensive telescope will help your young astronomer feel appropriately important. Its tough tripod and instinctive altitude/azimuth pointing make it an excellent, small first telescope. In addition to the scope, there’s a lot of fun learning material in the box: a guidebook, an interactive star chart, the Stellarium planetarium software and three large color infographics.

Other Options:

GeoSafari Talking Telescope

Galileoscope Refractor Telescope Kit

[See All of the Best Telescopes for Kids ]

We’ve gone bigger and more powerful this year, in response to your comments. Dedicated hobbyists and budding astrophotographers can reach farther into the sky with these telescopes.

The Best Telescope for Hobbyists:

Celestron VX 8-inch SCT XLT

Average price: $1,699.00

• Hybrid / EQ / Tripod / Go-To
• Large, Strong Platform for Deep Sky Observing and Astrophotography

Celestron’s Advanced VX 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope (SCT) delivers the “big scope experience” at the low end of the size and price ranges for large, sophisticated telescopes. With superb tracking and superior optics, this configuration is ready for serious visual observation and astrophotography. Compared to most “starter” telescopes and basic amateur telescopes, this instrument represents a step into a tier of instruments that require a significant investment of time and money. It will take you time to set up the sophisticated mount. It will require some delicious — but time-consuming — learning to understand what the scope can do and how it does it. And this telescope costs as much as a good-quality big-screen TV! But the universe will pay you back, many times over, in celestial trophies you really can’t bag any other way.

Alternate Editors’ Choice for Hobbyists:

DIGITAL: Celestron SkyProdigy 130

Average price: $629.95

• Reflector / AltAz / Tripod / Go-To
• Easiest setup; totally self-aligning on the sky

The Celestron SkyProdigy 130 is the first consumer telescope to offer fully automatic alignment. Once you set it up under the night sky, it takes about 3 minutes for the scope to find itself. Then you can use the wired remote keypad to drive this high-quality Newtonian reflector. The SkyProdigy comes with two 1.25-inch Kellner eyepieces (25 mm and 9 mm). The nicely machined focuser can also accept 2-inch eyepieces.

ANALOG: Orion SkyQuest XT8i IntelliScope

Average price: $699.99

• Reflector / AltAz / Dobsonian
• Most “Big Bang” for your buck; largest aperture

Buy Orion 10018 SkyQuest XT8i IntelliScope Dobsonian Telescope on Amazon.com

Orion’s SkyQuest is an 8-inch (203 mm) Dobsonian telescope. It’s a big light bucket with an excellent-quality primary mirror that’s great for hauling in the old, tired photons of distant galaxies and nebulae. As long as you don’t intend to take long-exposure astrophotos, the SkyQuest is a fabulous tool. Also, be aware that it’s a bit of a kit: You must screw together the altitude-azimuth mount, fit up the tilting optical tube and do a few more bits of assembly. But it’s fun to do, and the result is a wonderful scope that you can use for decades.

For Hungry Learners on a Tight Budget

Meade Polaris 130

Average price: $179.00

• Reflector / Manual AltAz / Tripod
• Absorb the Sky Without a Computers

On your way to remarkable views of celestial objects, this manually guided telescope will teach you how Earth moves with respect to the rest of the universe, because you’ll have to adjust its position by hand in order to find or locate celestial objects in the night sky. Most manual (non-“go-to”) telescopes compel such learning, but this one makes it especially rewarding, thanks to its fine machining and elegant design. Meade’s heritage of laboratory-grade optics infuses this instrument. You’ll fall in love with the beauty of the sky at night. During the day, you’ll be proud of your Meade’s sleek and technical looks.

Other Options:

Levenhuk SkyMatic 135 GTA computerized Newtonian reflector

[See All of the Best Telescopes for Hobbyists and Learners ]

The Best Portable Telescope:

Celestron Regal M2 100ED – “Spotting Scope”

Average price: $699.00

• Refractor (tripod sold separately)
• Clearest and sharpest grab-and-go compact telescope

Buy Celestron 52306 Regal M2 100ED Spotting Scope on Amazon.com

Loved for their rugged portability, spotting scopes are favored by daytime sports and outdoors enthusiasts. Now, Celestron brings you a spotting scope that is excellent for grab-and-go astronomy as well. The Regal M2 100ED can pull a lifetime of visual memories into its 19.25-inch (48.9 centimeters), 8.6-lb. (2.1 kilograms) frame. The M2’s body is cast of lightweight magnesium alloy. You’ll need to buy a tripod separately, and possibly a 1.25-inch astronomy eyepiece or two for skywatching.

The Best Inexpensive Portable Telescope:

Levenhuk Blaze 90 Spotting Scope

Average price: $214.95

• Refractor / Small Tripod
• Most cost-effective grab-and-go compact telescope

Buy Levenhuk Blaze 90 Spotting Scope fully coated optics 30-90x waterproof with tripod and case on Amazon.com

Levenhuk’s Blaze 90 Spotting Scope lets you pack 3.5 inches (9 cm) of starlight-snagging aperture into your go-anywhere bag. For about one-fifth the cost of Celestron’s M2 100ED, you can get about three-quarters the thrill if you buy the Levenhuk. Try pairing it with Orion’s heavy-duty model tripod and head for no-wiggle skywatching. The Blaze 90 comes in a highly functional field pouch that’s built of tough ballistic nylon.

Other Options:

Levenhuk Strike 90 Plus Refractor for Rooftop Astronomy

Celestron NexStar 4SE Catadioptric / AltAz / Go-To

Celestron TravelScope 60 – National Park Edition

[See All of the Best Small, Portable Telescopes ]

The Best Computer-Driven Telescope for Beginners:

Celestron AstroFi 102 Mak-Cas Wi-Fi

Average price: $379.00

• Maksutov-Cassegrain / AltAz Tripod / Go-To
• Most innovative, future proof and “digital”

Also comes as a refractor at about the same price:

Celestron AstroFi 90 Refractor Wi-Fi

Average price: $349.95

• Refractor / AltAz Tripod / Go-To

The Celestron AstroFi telescopes take their observing orders from your Apple or Android smartphone or tablet via the free SkyPortal app (App Store or Google Play ).  You won’t need access to a network, because your new AstroFi scope has its own. It even works where your cellular networks don’t. The 3.5-inch (90 mm) refractor version of this telescope is our choice for planet watching. The 4-inch (102 mm) Maksutov-Cassegrain hybrid version wonderfully resolves tiny point-source stars. And there’s a slightly more expensive AstroFi 5-inch (130 mm) Newtonian reflector, which gives you the widest aperture, hence the most detailed look into the universe, from this family of scopes. Just be careful not to bend the lightweight aluminum tripod.

The Telescope for Beginners With Best Optical Quality:

Meade StarNavigator 102 With AudioStar

Average price: $369.95

• Refractor (other types available) / GoTo AltAz Mount
• Works for terrestrial targets, too

Meade justifiably prides itself on the laboratory-grade heritage of its optical components and meticulous machining. Indeed, the clean light-transmission properties of this StarNavigator 102 are excellent, due to somewhat better glass casting and lens coating than competitors. So is the overall build quality of its mechanics. And the onboard computer’s well-thought-out software and interface make it easy to grab starlight from all over the sky on every night out. You can get to more targets per session with a computer-guided telescope than with a manual rig, and this one is especially friendly and easy to operate.

The Best Manual Telescope for Beginners:

Orion StarBlast 6 or StarBlast 6i “IntelliScope”

Average price: $339.99 (or $499.99 for IntelliScope model)

• Reflector/ AltAz Rocket Box
• Simplest to use; gobbles big gulps of photons 

Buy Orion StarBlast 6i IntelliScope Reflector Telescope on Amazon.com

If you want to escape your phone and concentrate on the sky, Orion’s StarBlast 6 Dobsonian reflector might be your ticket out. The 6-inch (15 cm) mirror is broad enough to gobble light waves from millions of years ago, or from just a few seconds past. Unlike many Dobsonians, the StarBlast pops out of its shipping box ready to work, which makes it a nice gift buy.

Other Options:

Levenhuk Skyline 60 x 700 (Best Value for Young Beginners)

[See All of the Best Telescopes for Beginners ]

The Best Inexpensive Telescope:

Astronomers Without Borders OneSky 130

Average price: $199.99

• Reflector / AltAz “Rock and Roll” Turntable
• Best gift under $200 and helps developing nations

Give this OneSky telescope as a gift (even to yourself!) and you automatically make a donation to the nonprofit Astronomers Without Borders (AWB). Young science students a world away will benefit from enhanced education programs as you enjoy your astronomy hobby. We are all under one sky.

And you’ll be getting an extraordinarily good telescope: 5.1 inches (130 mm) of aperture, good-quality glass, two Plossl eyepieces and an innovative compact-expanding design. It’s a truss tube Newtonian reflector on a simple-to-work altitude-azimuth mount, with a built-in handle. We truly love this telescope.

Another Great Inexpensive Telescope:

Levenhuk Strike 80

Average price: $139.95

• Refractor / AltAz Tripod
• A classic “spyglass” plus a colorful learner’s kit

Buy Levenhuk Strike 80 NG Telescope achromatic refractor 80 mm on Amazon.com

A durable optical tube, strong mount and stainless-steel tripod with accessory tray, along with two eyepieces and a Barlow lens, add up to excellent value. Levenhuk offers this 3-inch (80 mm) aperture refractor — not very different from old Galileo’s — on an altitude-azimuth yoke. It’s a simple and solid instrument.

Other Options:

Levenhuk Skyline 130 x 900 EQ Reflector / Equatorial

Celestron ExploraScope 60AZ NPF Edition Long Tube Refractor / AltAz

[See All of the Best Inexpensive Telescopes ]

The long view of astronomy

Here’s the deep truth of telescopes: It does not matter what price you pay to get into amateur astronomy. Telescopes gather light. And, yes, more light — or purer light — is better.

But once you tune in to the reality that the universe is coming directly to you — to meet you wherever you are, as long as you look up — you will never be the same. Once you start observing with a telescope, you will likely never stop. 

May the photons be with you.

Once you’ve picked a great telescope, you might also like to check into what else you might need, using our Astronomy Guide: Tools, Tips and Equipment  page.

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