Best Telescopes | 2024

With the best telescopes in 2024, you can put the entire night sky at your fingertips. See the contours and details of objects within our solar system, like the moon and planet, or get a close-up view of far-off galaxies and deep-space objects. It’s all out there for observing – you just need to have the right telescope for the job.

There’s a lot to cover when it comes to telescopes, so we’ll get right into it. The three main types of telescope you’ll be choosing between are as follows:

Refractor telescope - These use a glass objective lens as the key means of collecting light, which is then refracted down a long tube to produce a clear image. They tend to be smaller and more portable than other types, and once they’re set up, are very reliable and will rarely become misaligned. However, just like a photographic lens, they can suffer from chromatic aberration.

Reflector telescope - Reflector telescopes use a series of mirrors in place of a glass lens element to reflect light from the front to the eyepiece. The most common form is a Newtonian reflector, named for scientist Isaac Newton, which uses a dish-shaped primary mirror to collect light. Dobsonian telescopes, a low-cost design allowing for distant observing, are forms of Newtonian reflectors, and are popular with beginners as they provide a lot of viewing power for your money. However, reflector telescopes require regular collimation (mirror alignment) to stay at their best.

Catadioptric telescope - These use both glass lenses and mirrors to create a telescope design that’s extremely transportable, and is a great choice for terrestrial and near-planetary viewing. 

Before we get into the list, let’s also quickly look at the key specs you’ll want to consider when buying a telescope.

Aperture - This is the most important aspect of any telescope. The term “aperture” here refers to the diameter of the scope’s key optical component, which as we’ve seen, will be either a lens or a mirror. The larger the diameter (expressed in millimetres), the more light the scope can gather, and the more you can see. Of course, telescopes with larger apertures will by necessity be bulkier, heavier and more expensive

Focal length - This refers to the distance between the main lens or mirror and the image it ultimately produces. A longer focal length narrows the field of view, but increases the magnification. A wide field of view is great for locating and viewing deep-sky objects, while high magnification is great for seeing 

Focal ratio - Divide the focal length of a telescope by the aperture value and the result you get is known as the focal ratio. It’s expressed as an f-number – f4, f5, f6.5, etc – and is how you work out what your telescope is best suited for viewing. A telescope with a faster focal ratio, f4 to f5, are good for deep-space viewing as they provide a wide field of view, while slower focal ratios like f11 to f15 are useful for high-power, high-magnification viewing of closer sky objects like the moon. 

There’s a lot to it, and don’t worry if you haven’t quite got your head around it – we’ve split our guide up into categories, with telescopes for different users and different use cases. Let’s get into it and start counting up the best telescopes you can buy. 

You can also take a look at our astronomy and astrophotography calendar to see when this year's cosmic events should take place!

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Best Telescope for Beginners

Sky-watching and stargazing are richly satisfying hobbies that provide hours of enjoyment – but like with any similar pursuit, there’s a learning curve. That’s why, if you’re completely new to astronomy, it could make sense to pick up one of the best telescopes for beginners. These scopes are specifically designed to help novices get acclimatised to the basics of viewing the night sky, with app integration and tutorials to help you identify celestial objects, track star patterns, and gain a general overall understanding of what you’re seeing.

Of course, a good beginner’s telescope shouldn’t just be easy to use – it should also offer a genuinely satisfying viewing experience so that you aren’t itching to replace it the moment you’ve mastered the basics. Thus, the telescopes we’ve picked for this category aren’t toys, but offer high enough quality that any novice astronomer will be satisfied with using them for years of happy stargazing.

Pros:

• Equatorial mount
• Good for near and far objects
• Auto-tracking can be installed

Cons:

• The initial setup can be complex
• Quite a heavy rig
  
  

Ideally, the best telescope for beginners should not only be easy to use, but also offer room to grow and develop one’s skills. An excellent choice for just that is the Sky-Watcher Explorer-130 EQ2 Telescope. With a solid EQ2 equatorial mount, it can be easily and smoothly manoeuvered around the night sky for the optimal viewing experience, allowing you to get acclimated with the process of singling out objects in space.

With its solid stability and 360º slow-motion tracking gears on both the right ascension and declination axes, the Sky-Watcher Explorer-130 EQ2 Telescope is equally capable for more experience astronomers, meaning you won’t be desperate to upgrade it within a few months of getting it. There’s also the option to install a D.C. Motor Drive to the R.A. axis, enabling auto-tracking, so you can really grow into the scope and improve as an astronomer.

Best Telescope for Deep Space Viewing

Deep space viewing is one of the most exciting uses of a telescope. The chance to peek at far-off galaxies, nebulae and space phenomena – it’s intoxicating. If this is something that entices you, then it pays to make sure you’ve got a telescope that’s up to the challenge – one with a nice big aperture, and a wide field of view that allows you to really appreciate those deep-sky objects in all their majesty.

Deep space viewing requires a little computer magic too; you’re unlikely to have much luck just swinging your scope around and hoping for the best. Many of the newest scopes have app or software compatibility that makes it easier to find the views you’re looking for – some have built-in Wi-Fi or other computerised technology for seamless integration. 

These are the telescopes we’ve picked as your best bet for uncovering the wonders of deep space.

Pros:

• Solid light-gathering power
• Great computerised tracking
• High-quality optics

Cons:

• The whole assembly is quite bulky
• Native field of view a little narrow (adapters are available)
  
  

The Celestron NexStar Evolution 925 Computerised Telescope is a powerful scope that benefits from computerised technology to deliver the kind of viewing power needed to see the wonders of deep space. 

Reaching new heights of sophisticated and optical prowess, the Celestron NexStar Evolution 925 Computerised Telescope is the first Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with integrated Wi-Fi. This connectivity makes it easy to hook up your phone or other smart device and actually find where deep-sky objects are located! Alignment technology is built into the app, meaning you can get the scope set up within moments. Tracking accuracy is extremely impressive, making this a potent choice for astrophotography of far-off phenomena such as the Orion Nebula.

Powerful and professional, the Celestron NexStar Evolution 925 Computerised Telescope is an astronomically capable tool for any serious stargazer. With a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can provide up to ten hours of continuous observing, this scope is the ideal tool for losing yourself in the wonders of deep space.

Best Telescope for Viewing Planets

Viewing the planets in our own solar system – our intergalactic backyard – can be one of the most fun uses of a telescope. It’s a fantastic way to get children involved in learning about astronomy, and the best part is, you don’t need a big and powerful telescope in order to do it. The deserts of Mars, the rings of Saturn, the great Red Spot of Jupiter – all of it can be within easy viewing reach if you have one of the best telescopes for viewing planets.

High magnification is a real advantage for viewing planets, allowing you to get up close and personal with all the details. Many planet-viewing telescopes will also have alignment technology or similar features that help the user find the planets they’re looking for – useful, as not all of our solar neighbours are as easy to spot as the distinctive red Mars. Here, we’ve picked out the best telescopes for spotting every planet in our solar system.

Pros:

• Ultra-light catadioptric design
• Good for beginners
• Optimised for planetary observation 

Cons:

• Not built as tough as other scopes
• Image edges a little soft
  
  

With fully coated glass optics, the Celestron Astro Fi 102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope is designed to provide a superlative view of objects in space. Like many other Celestron scopes, it’s compatible with SkyAlign technology, and this means you can plot out exactly where the planets are in the sky at any given time. You can even set yourself up a kind of ‘Sky Tour’, moving in sequence through all the objects that are in your slice of the heavens right now.

The Celestron Astro Fi 102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope is, for our money, one of the best telescopes you can buy for viewing all our various neighbouring planets. It’s a scope with sophisticated optics and wireless connectivity, giving you all the tools you need for a superb night’s viewing of the planets in our solar system. Its image isn’t as pin-sharp as more expensive telescopes, but for beginners looking to observe the moon and planets, it’s an exemplary choice.

Best Telescope for Astrophotography

Astrophotography is one of the most thrilling disciplines in all of image making. Technically demanding, requiring patience and precision, it’s definitely one for those willing to commit time and energy to their hobby, but those who do so are rewarded with absolutely spectacular imagery.

Of course, even the biggest and most expensive telephoto lens isn’t going to be much good for photographing detailed images of objects in the night sky. For that, you need a telescope. Ideally one that’s compatible with a smartphone or telescope camera adapter, and one that can be mounted and set up to move in the precise way necessary to capture sharp astro images. The movement of the Earth means that a long exposure of the night sky will render it as little more than a blur unless the camera also moves to compensate.

If you’re serious about astrophotography, these are the telescopes we’d recommend.

Pros:

• Motor-driven mount
• High-quality coated optics
• Wide field of view

Cons:

• Equatorial mount tricky for beginners
  
  

With its motor-driven equatorial mount, the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ Motorised Reflector Telescope is ideally equipped for capturing long exposures of the night sky. It’s popularly regarded as one of the better beginner scopes out there, but don’t let that fool you – with a wide field of view and all-coated glass optics, it excels at delivering crisp, clear images of celestial objects near and far.

An equatorial mount requires a little more know-how and patience to use than the alt-azimuth type found on the Celestron NexStar 6SE Computerised Telescope. Another thing to be aware of is that the Astromaster 130EQ is a Newtonian reflector telescope, and so will require collimating before use. Once you’ve crossed this rubicon, however, the Astromaster 130EQ is a thoroughly capable telescope, especially for astrophotography. Remember to download the SkyX software as well, as it will help you find and track the objects you want to photograph.

Best Bird-Watching Telescope

Telescopes aren’t just for viewing distant stars, planets and galaxies. With the best bird-watching telescopes, you can view avian subjects up much closer than you could hope to get in person, observing wild behaviours and patterns to your heart’s content. 

Naturally, you don’t need the same kind of viewing power to see a murmuration of starlings as you do to see the Orion Nebula. It’s best instead to prioritise a lightweight build – bird-watching with a telescope is probably going to require a lot of position changing and tramping through fields, and you don’t want to be carrying too heavy a scope if that’s on the agenda.

Therefore, you want a spotting scope. These work in the same way as telescopes – and indeed, are often manufactured by the same companies – but are designed with shorter magnification ranges for terrestrial viewing, and smaller bodies for carrying around. These are the spotting scopes we’d recommend for bird-watching.

Pros:

• Very affordable
• Generous eye relief 
• Easy to use even with gloves

Cons:

• Max 36x magnification
  
  

We’ve already encountered the Celestron name a fair few times in this guide, but Celestron scopes aren’t just for the stars. As the name implies, the Celestron LandScout 12-36x60 Angled Spotting Scope is made for those whose aspirations are firmly terrestrial, and it makes for a superb bird-watching companion. Its magnification range covers 12x to 36x – not as extensive as the Hawke scope, but still useful for birding.

This is an angled scope, meaning it’s designed to be used at a 45-degree angle to the user, as you can see from the position of the eyepiece. This helps improve comfort, especially if you’ll be using the scope for extended periods (as is sometimes the way when birds are feeling particularly shy). One thing we also particularly like about this scope is its generous eye relief, which helps prevent eye strain and further improves comfort over extended use.

Best Cheap Telescope

Telescopes can be very expensive things. Outfit something with high-end coated optics and the latest star-tracking computer technology, and yes, it’s going to run up quite a significant price tag. However, this doesn’t have to be your only option, and there’s no reason to shut yourself off from stargazing or astrophotography because you’re worried about the cost. There are some fantastic cheap telescopes out there, including models made by leading brands in the industry, helping you explore the night sky on a budget.

We’ve specifically picked telescopes for this section that cost less than £99, but don’t write them off as inferior. Made by leading brands Celestron and Sky-Watcher, these affordable telescopes are constructed with the same care and attention to quality as the bigger models. If you’re looking to try out astronomy without committing too much, or buying for a trouble, one of the telescopes in this section should fit the bill perfectly.

Pros:

• Rock-solid build
• Intuitive alt-azimuth mount
• Small and very portable

Cons:

• Not the most powerful scope around
  
  

This is a special-edition telescope, designed and released to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first telescope. While you might expect it to be a little lacklustre given that fact, the Sky-Watcher Heritage-76 Mini Dobsonian Telescope is anything but that. Lift it out of the box and it’s immediately apparent what a well-built telescope this is. It’s rock-solid, complete with a manually operated Dobsonian alt-azimuth mount, and comes with everything you need to start stargazing.

The 76mm aperture is unremarkable compared to bigger telescopes, but is great for this price, and is more than enough for planetary and even some deep-space observing, which is amazing for a telescope as small as this. If you’re interested in getting kids into astronomy, this approachable but capable scope is one of the finest choices you can make. It’ll sit comfortably on a tabletop, and tuck discreetly out of the way when you’re not using it.

Best Amateur Telescope

While astronomy can be and is a serious pursuit, it’s important to remember that it should be a lot of fun as well. Seeing everything the night sky has to offer is an incredibly rewarding pursuit – something that can be enjoyed by anyone, even those who don’t know the first thing about optics, telescopes or astrophysics. 

So, for this section we’ve compiled our picks of the best telescopes for amateurs. These are uncomplicated scopes for those who don’t necessarily need the sharpest optics or the most precise computer calculations, and want an easy way to do a little casual night-time observation. These are telescopes that don’t cost too much, and don’t require too serious a learning curve. Plenty of telescopes pitched at amateurs also have app integration to make it easier to find the things to spot in the sky – so make sure you bring your smartphone on your observations.

Pros:

• Large objective lens
• StarSense Explorer does the hard bit for you
• Great for planets and deep space

Cons:

• No motorised mount
  
  

Whether you’re a total newbie or a seasoned stargazer, the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130 App-Enabled Reflector Telescope is a fantastic all-around sky-gazing tool.

At the heart of the scope is a 130mm Newtonian reflector, which boasts highly reflective coatings, as well as a primary and secondary mirror and immense light-gathering capability, making viewing celestial objects easier and more practical than ever before. The scope is easy to set up, and thanks to Celestron’s StarSense Explorer app, you can pair it with your phone to seek out and hone in on the objects that are currently viewable in your slice of the sky.

In dark skies, the Newtonian reflector is capable of generating images of the Andromeda Galaxy, Hercules Open Star Cluster and more, while you’ll also get enviably clear views of our closer solar cousins like Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and the rest.

Best Professional Telescope

Finally, we’re rounding out our telescopes guide with the best of the best. If money is no object, size is not a problem, and you want the absolute best scopes for viewing the night sky, we’ve rounded up the best professional telescopes you can buy. These telescopes are ideal for mounting on high-resolution DSLRs or astro-specific CCD cameras, and will capture absolutely dazzling images of deep-space phenomena. An ultra-wide field of view is par for the course, as is premium glass to correct for the slightest aberrations and deliver clean, rich images that are full of extraterrestrial detail.

If you’ve ever looked at high-end, professional astro images and wondered just how on earth the photographer achieved it – this is how. As mentioned, these telescopes aren’t cheap, but they are serious tools for when nothing but the best will do. Even if you aren’t in the market for something so high-end, you have to respect the craftsmanship of these scopes.

Pros:

• Precision-corrected optics
• Solid aluminium construction
• Sharp right up to the image edge

Cons:

• Big and heavy
  
  

There’s a reason it’s got “professional” in the name – the Sky-Watcher Esprit-150ED Professional Super APO Triplet Refractor OTA is an ultra-high-end, ultra-premium telescope for stargazers and astro imaging. With a three-element objective lens, this telescope delivers absolutely no detectable colour fringing even when focusing on bright objects, resulting in some of the clearest images you can get of the night sky.

Constructed from high-grade aluminium, the Sky-Watcher Esprit-150ED is a solid scope, consisting of high-precision components that move smoothly when adjustments are needed. There’s also a retractable dew shield to protect the telescope in the early hours of the morning. All this adds up to a pretty hefty device, weighing without accessories, but that is something of a necessity for a scope as fully featured as this. Professional astrophotographers will have everything they need here to make absolutely stunning imagery.

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