With so many ways to view the night sky, your choices for beginner telescopes can seem overwhelming. Considerations like aperture, mount type, build quality, and basic design are important, according to Eric Adams, a photographer, science journalist, and lifelong amateur astronomer who created an 80,000-member Facebook page dedicated to safely viewing and photographing everything from solar eclipses to the stars.  

Prices can range from under $250 and climb into the thousands, and most experts recommend that you choose a beginner telescope that can grow with you as your passion and knowledge about space grows. That’s why we have chosen the Celestron NextStar 8SE as the best telescope for beginners overall, because of its large aperture, which determines the resolution and the brightness of your image, and its fully automated features that can help you locate and identify celestial objects. Here’s what you need to know about the best beginner telescopes.  

The best beginner telescopes

Best telescope for beginners overall: Celestron NextStar 8SE

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Why we like it: The Celestron NextStar 8SE comes in a variety of apertures that range from five inches up to eight, offering amateur astronomers the ability to see everything from the details of the moon to deep-sky objects. It comes highly recommended in its different aperture sizes, but the 8SE (8-inch aperture) offers the most flexibility as your astronomy enthusiasm grows because it has the largest primary mirror, allowing the most light to enter the telescope and help make space objects clear and crisp.  

The telescope comes with a fully automated mount connected to a database of more than 40,000 space objects. That mount helps you line up the telescope with a celestial object without hunting for it manually. You can also take photos using the app and adjust and aim the telescope using your phone or tablet.  

Keep in mind: This is a large telescope, and it’s heavy. It weighs just around 24 pounds with the mount, tripod, and telescope. You’ll also need to align it each time you use it, which requires that you find three bright stars (make sure you’re not pointing at a bright planet), and some beginners find the process frustrating.

Product details: Mount type: Computerized Altitude-Azimuth Single Fork Arm | Optical design: Schmidt-Cassegrain | Focal length: 2032mm (80") | Aperture: 203.2mm (8”)| Highest magnification: 480x | Eyepieces: 25 mm and 81x | Weight: 24 lbs

Best Telescope for Viewing Planets: Astronomers Without Borders, OneSky Reflector Telescope

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Why we like it: A refractor-type telescope is best for viewing “bright sky objects” like the moons, planets, and bright star clusters. The Astronomers Without Borders OneSky Reflector Telescope is relatively affordable compared to others on the list, and proceeds go to building astronomy-based STEM education programs and sending resources around the world through Astronomers without Borders. This starter telescope comes highly recommended on Reddit, with great reviews, especially from people who can’t necessarily get out to a dark sky area, don’t have a ton of space to set up, and want a tabletop-style telescope.  

Keep in mind: This telescope comes with a small Dobsonian-type mount, a simple mount that can sit on a flat surface and let a telescope move left, right, up, and down. It does not come with a tripod. You’ll also have to purchase it through Astronomers Without Borders, as it is not sold elsewhere. These telescopes are also only available to ship in the U.S.

Product details: Mount type: Dobsonian   | Optical design: Reflector type | Focal length: 650 mm (25.6”) | Aperture: 130mm (5”) | Highest magnification: 26x | Eyepieces: 25mm and 10mm | Weight: 14 lbs

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Why we like it: The Orion SkyScanner 100mm TableTop Reflector is a good bet if you're looking for an affordable beginner telescope. It offers good optics with plenty of light, great portability thanks to its light weight, and is great for viewing objects “in the neighborhood” of our solar system. It’s also priced much lower than other options on our list.

Keep in mind: While many amateur astronomers have used this scope without any problem for many years, it could be worthwhile to consider a slightly more expensive one like the OneSky, as it will grow with you and allow you to see more things “outside the neighborhood” of our solar system. This is also a tabletop-style telescope, so you’ll need to get a different tripod if you plan to stand it on the ground. Most experts recommend opting for something a bit higher end (above $250) if you can afford it, as you can quickly outgrow the capabilities of this particular telescope.

Product details: Mount type: Alt-Azimuth | Optical design: Reflector | Focal length: 400 mm | Aperture: 100mm (3.9”) | Highest magnification: 200x | Eyepieces: 10mm and 20mm | Weight: 5.3lbs

Best Beginner’s Telescope that’s Easy to Use: Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ

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Why we like it: The biggest struggle most amateur astronomers face is trying to locate objects in the sky, and the Celestron Starsense Explorer LT80AZ helps solve that thanks to its app-enabled StarSense technology. You mount your smartphone to the barrel of the telescope, and it analyzes star patterns overhead to help you calculate where it’s pointed in real time. You can use the slow-motion adjustments to follow on-screen arrows to find your desired celestial object. Since the telescope is not computerized, it’s more affordable than others on the list.  

Keep in mind: While you can use your phone to help position it, some users still find the Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ frustrating to set up and position accurately. Like the Orion SkyScanner, you can outgrow this beginner-friendly telescope quickly if your passion for amateur astronomy takes off. The smaller aperture also limits this scope’s ability to see deep-space objects.  

Product details: Mount type: Manual Alt-Azimuth | Optical design: Refractor | Focal length: 900 mm (35.43”) | Aperture: 80 mm (3.1”) | Highest magnification: 189x | Eyepieces: 10 mm and 25 mm | Weight: 9.2 lbs

Best Telescope for Astrophotography: Unistellar eQuinox 2

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Why we like it: If you’re looking to get a great first-timer telescope to take photos with, look no further than the Unistellar eQuinox 2. Using the app (iOS or Android), you can position the telescope to find specific objects using your local time and location. The Unistellar eQuinox 2 is great for city dwellers because it cuts through city light pollution with its Smart Light Pollution Reduction feature. You can take photos using the app (for iOS and Android) and share them on social media.

Keep in mind: It’s very pricey, but the image capture and enhancement will make looking at the stars much more enjoyable. Since this telescope is app-enabled, it is less traditional and does not have a traditional eyepiece. It uses digital processing to enhance the imagery you see (and photograph).  

Product details: Mount type: Alt-Azimuth | Optical design: Reflector | Focal length: 450 mm | Aperture: 114mm (4.5”) | Highest magnification: 150x (digital) | Eyepieces: NA   | Weight: 19.8 lbs

Best Home Telescope for Beginners: Skywatcher Classic 200P Dobsonian Telescope

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Why we like it: The Skywatcher Classic 200P Dobsonian Telescope is highly recommended by several amateur astronomers thanks to its large aperture and easy functionality. It’s one of the largest Dobsonian telescopes that comes at a fair price. Users also really like the multiple accessories you get, including a focuser, eyepiece adapter, and a 9x50 finderscope, all of which help boost the versatility of this telescope for beginners.    

Keep in mind: This is for home use, so it’s very heavy at 45 lbs (fully assembled). It also doesn’t come with a tripod for use on the ground, so you’ll need to be able to place it on a tabletop to use it.  

Product details: Mount type: Alt-Azimuth | Optical design: Dobsonian | Focal length: 1200 mm | Aperture: 203 mm (8”) | Highest magnification: 400x | Eyepieces: 10mm and 25 mm | Weight: 45 lbs

How we chose the best beginner telescopes

Choosing the best telescope for beginners can feel somewhat overwhelming. We scoured top media reviews, Amazon, and Reddit to determine the best beginner telescopes for this list.  

• Ease of Use: Aiming a telescope for beginners can be difficult, so we considered features that help newbies more easily locate and view space objects. Weight and usability were also heavily factored into this list.  

• Brand reputation: We considered the reputation of the suggested brands as lens quality, base construction, and features matter when viewing celestial objects. Brands like Celestron are big players in the space because they make high-quality lenses and mirrors. As Adams says, “Celestron, Meade, and Orion all make excellent telescopes for both beginners and advanced amateurs. Those are relatively familiar brands, but other lesser-known brands are also excellent, such as iOptron, Apertura, and Sky-Watcher. If shopping on Amazon or any big-box retailer, do your research--look for reviews of that specific scope to ensure it will meet your needs and be high enough quality.”

• Price and cost: We also considered cost, as not everyone has thousands to spend on a beginner telescope. As Adams suggests, if you have under $150 to spend, it might make more sense to purchase the best binoculars you can find with a minimum of 50mm aperture.  

• Longevity of use: We also looked at whether or not a telescope could grow with a user as their interest in space observation grew.  

Tips for buying a home telescope

Adams says there are many things to consider when buying your first telescope. You should focus on aperture, mount type, build quality, and basic design to help narrow down your choices. You also should consider cost and portability depending on your needs.  

Aperture

The aperture is the diameter of the objective or mirror in a telescope. The size of the aperture tells you how much light a telescope can take in. The bigger the lens or mirror, the more light the telescope can take in, making faint celestial objects brighter and easier to see. Bigger aperture can mean a higher price, and a bigger (and heavier) telescope, however.  

Magnification

Magnification matters when it comes to choosing the best starter telescope because this determines how well you’ll be able to see details of space objects from far away.   More magnification isn’t necessarily better since it won't necessarily mean the image quality you see will be better. Most telescopes come with a couple of different eyepieces that offer different levels of magnification, too.  

Experts recommend that 250x is the largest magnification you should consider for a beginner’s telescope. As Adams says, “Magnification is calculated by dividing the focal length of the scope by the focal length of the eyepiece, so a telescope with a 650mm focal length using a 24mm focal length eyepiece will generate 27x magnification.”

Size

Size matters when it comes to telescopes. Most telescopes are somewhat portable, though some on this list are very heavy at close to 50 lbs total. If you plan to use your telescope at home, in a stationary and stable spot, then you can opt for a larger and heavier telescope. If you want something that’s more portable, you’ll need to look closely at the weight and size of the telescope you choose. Larger telescopes tend to let in more light (have larger apertures), which makes seeing dim space features a bit easier but makes them heavier.  

Focal length

Focal length is the distance in millimeters between a telescope's principal lens and the location where light rays come together inside the telescope. You can figure out a telescope's focal length by finding the focal ratio, usually expressed as f/number, and multiplying it by the aperture number in millimeters. This number is the primary determinant of the magnification of a telescope. The focal length will determine if you have a wider view or a more narrow view of what you’re looking at.  

Optics

There are many different types of optics and setups for telescopes. Not every telescope refracts and reflects light in the same way, and there are two common types of beginner telescopes: the reflector and   the refractor. Reflector telescopes use mirrors to collect light and direct it to the eyepiece, which tends to make these types of telescopes affordable. Refractor telescopes use a glass objective lens to focus light at the eyepiece and tend to be smaller in size, which is great for portability but not as great for aperture, according to Adams. Most telescopes today offer some kind of app integration to help beginners identify, track, and view all kinds of stars, planets, and moons.  

Mount Types  

There are a number of mount types for telescopes, including equatorial mounts and   Alt-azimuth (alt-az for short). Alt-az mounts go left, right, up, and down. Equatorial mounts align with the earth's axis and tend to be used for tracking space objects as they move across the sky. Look for telescopes with sturdy and strong mounts that can support the weight of the telescope itself. The telescopes on this list all come with mounts, but not all come with tripods, so be sure to know what you need and want to use your telescope for and choose accordingly. As Adams points out, stability is crucial because even the most expensive telescope is subject to wind and vibration if it's on a shaky mount. That can lead to a wobbly image.  

Finder scope

Most telescopes include a finder scope, and it is generally mounted on the telescope itself. A finder scope can either have a battery-operated red dot, or a set of crosshairs to help you align a celestial object in the eyepiece. You’ll need to align the finder scope before viewing an object through your telescope so that you can locate the right object and know what you’re looking at. The app-powered telescopes on this list offer high-tech features that make aligning your scope much easier.    

Frequently asked questions

Which type of telescope is best for viewing planets?

According to Adams, an 80mm (aperture) refractor or a 4- to 6-inch reflector will be a great starting point for viewing planets. These usually come with at least two eyepieces that generate a wide view (lower magnification) and a narrow view (higher magnification) to help you see planets. He also says , “A Dobsonian design can be especially great for beginners—it's a very simple alt-az mount that sits on the ground and is used for long-tube reflectors of 4, 6, 8-inches in aperture or more. It places the eyepiece at good observing height and allows for easy, stable movement and manual tracking.”

What is the best magnification for a beginner telescope?

As Adams points out, magnification is less important than some people may think when it comes to choosing a telescope. “You can see amazing things through a pair of 7x binoculars, or only 25x or so through a telescope—galaxies, nebulae. For instance, the Andromeda Galaxy is the equivalent of 12 full moons in width—so you can't really use a lot of magnification there anyway. But if you want to zoom in to see details on the surface of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn, or details in, say, the Orion Nebula, you'll want to go up to 50x or 75x,” Adams says.  

(Magnification is calculated by dividing the focal length of the scope by the focal length of the eyepiece, so a telescope with a 650mm focal length using a 24mm focal length eyepiece will generate 27x magnification.)  

What is a good aperture size for a telescope?

Adams says that when it comes to aperture size, the type of scope matters–whether you choose a reflector or a refractor-type telescope. For refractors, he recommends a 3-inch aperture at a minimum. He recommends 4.5 inches or more for a reflector-type telescope. “If you can upgrade to an 8-inch reflector or a 4- or 5-inch refractor, you’ll be very happy,” Adams says.