Best telescopes for beginners 2025: The best scopes for budding new astronomers

Man using one of the best telescopes for beginners
The best telescopes for beginners are a great way to introduce children or adults to the field of astronomy and skywatching. (Image credit: Future)

A first telescope purchase is exciting, but it can also be quite daunting! What mount should I get? What optical design is best for certain types of observation? Can I use this telescope to do astrophotography? We will answer all your questions here and get you skywatching in no time!

There are some fantastic night sky events happening over the next month or so, with the Corn Moon and total lunar eclipse, also known as the blood moon, happening on September 7. And, with a new moon on September 21, the night skies will be darker making viewing star clusters and galaxies like Andromeda even easier. Now is the perfect time to consider your beginner telescope.

Our expert reviewers have gone hands-on with these beginner-friendly scopes, which include manual and motorized telescopes. We've listed each model's pros and cons, and we also answer some frequently asked questions about telescopes for beginners. If you're less of a beginner, we've also got guides to the best telescopes and best telescopes for deep space.

The quick list


Best telescopes for beginners 2025

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Best overall

Best overall: No astronomy experience required, this telescope automatically slews and images night sky objects

Specifications

Optical design: Reflector
Mount type: Alt-azimuth
Aperture: 4.5-inches (114mm)
Focal length: 450mm
Highest useful magnification: 50x optical, 150x digital
Lowest useful magnification: Not specified
Supplied eyepieces: Electronic Nikon eyepiece
Weight: 19.8 lbs (9kg) including tripod

Reasons to buy

+
Effortless setup
+
No astronomy knowledge required

Reasons to avoid

-
Very expensive
-
Not for traditionalists
Buy it if

✅ You want a telescope that's going to last: This telescope caters both to beginners who have no prior knowledge and to pros who have a lot of astronomy experience, so you're unlikely to outgrow it.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You're on a budget: Although it's worth the money, this telescope is incredibly expensive, so it's out of many's budget.

❌ You want a 'traditional' telescope: This is a telescope for tech lovers, so if you want a more traditional instrument, this won't be the one for you.

The bottom line

🔎 Unistellar eQuinox 2 A very impressive smart telescope that can do it all, it's incredibly easy to use and guides you around the night sky even if you have no prior astronomy knowledge, though the image resolution is average. ★★★★½

The price of the Unistellar eQuinox 2 might put off some beginners: At just under $2.500, it's very expensive. But if you've got the budget, this telescope is undoubtedly the best on the market for beginners thanks to how easy it is to use, its outstanding quality and its sleek, modern design.

The eQuinox 2 is a smart telescope, so you don't need any astrological knowhow to set it up; it does it all itself and can be operated with just one button. Some users might prefer the more hands-on approach of traditional telescopes, but if you're all about enjoying the wonders of the night sky, that's where the eQuinox 2 will really shine. It allows you to enjoy the views without getting bogged down in setup.

During the testing for our Unistellar eQuinox 2 review, we were particularly impressed with the Smart Light Pollution Reduction feature. This makes the telescope usable in densely populated areas by digitally removing city glow from the images of the night sky, something that will appeal to astrophotographers.

You can connect the eQuinox 2 to the Unistellar app on your smartphone and activate "explore mode", which uses the time and location of your telescope to automatically find celestial objects in the night sky. Of course, you can also manually adjust the telescope to direct it to an object you had in mind. It's not a traditional viewing experience, however, so if you want something a little more "manual", this probably isn't the scope for you.

We must say we are taking a bit of a liberty calling the Unistellar eQuinox 2 a "beginner" telescope. Its price tag — well over $2,000 at most retailers — is far out of the typical starter price range we'd normally recommend. As a result, this pick isn't going to suit everyone, but if you can stretch to this price range, you'll get an incredible bit of technology that will last you for years to come.

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Unistellar eQuinox 2

Attributes

Notes

Design

Sleek, simple design.

Performance

Incredibly easy to use, but image resolution is average.

Functionality

Backpack needed to travel with easily.

Best for quick set up

Best for quick set up: Affordable but provides excellent views of planets, stars, galaxies and nebulas

Specifications

Optical design: Refractor
Mount type: Alt-azimuth
Aperture: 3.94-inches (100mm)
Focal length: 660mm
Highest useful magnification: 241x
Lowest useful magnification: 15x
Supplied eyepieces: 10mm, 25mm
Weight: 20 lbs (9.07kg)

Reasons to buy

+
Great range of accessories
+
Easy to assemble
+
Good intro to astrophotography

Reasons to avoid

-
Slight false color in optics
-
10mm eyepiece isn't great
Buy it if

✅ You want a hassle-free setup: This telescope assembles and packs down very quickly and easily.

✅ You want to do basic astrophotography: There's a clever dust cap that doubles as a smartphone holder, so you can easily take photos with your phone.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You want something super portable: It's not a heavy telescope by any means, but it does have a fairly large footprint. You could take it to dark sky locations in your car, but you might not want to carry it too far.

The bottom line

🔎 Celestron Inspire 100AZ Aimed at beginners and users looking to upgrade, this telescope is at its best when viewing the moon and planets. It comes with a lens cap that doubles as a smartphone holder for easy astrophotography. ★★★★

We're fans of Celestron's Inspire range of telescopes, and many of them are great for beginners. Our top pick has to be the Celestron Inspire 100AZ thanks to its large aperture and f/6.5 focal range. It lets in a lot of light and allows users to enjoy bright, beautiful views of the night sky.

The biggest selling point for beginners, though, has to be just how easy the Inspire 100AZ is to set up. It contains everything you need right out of the box, so you'll be up and running in no time.

While it is suitable for beginners, it isn't a perfect telescope. During our Celestron Inspire 100AZ review, we did detect some false color (which we'd expect at this price) and some blurring in the field of view. However, the latter is easily resolved by selecting one of the best eyepieces.

Out of the box, the Celestron Inspire 100AZ telescope comes with everything you need. There are two eyepieces to choose from (20mm and 10mm), a red flashlight to allow you to see or set up in the dark without disrupting your night vision, a StarPointer Pro finderscope (great for locating objects in the night sky) and a smartphone adapter. There's also an accessory tray which makes storing and organizing your gear really easy.

The StarPointer Pro finderscope is a great addition as it makes locating celestial objects so much easier than it otherwise would be. It sets the Inspire 100AZ apart from other beginner telescopes, as their finderscopes are often limited or too delicate to use with much accuracy. This one, however, is very dependable, and we've found it impressively able to identify even the faintest stars.

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Celestron Inspire 100AZ

Attributes

Notes

Design

Comes with a lens cap that doubles as a phone holder.

Performance

Excels with lunar views.

Functionality

Easy to assemble and take down.

Best for basic astrophotography

Best for basic astrophotography: An easy to use smart telescope for budding astrophotographers

Specifications

Optical design: Apochromatic (APO) triplet refractor
Mount type: Alt-azimuth
Aperture: 2-inch / 50 mm
Focal length: 9.8-inch / 250 mm
Highest useful magnification: Unspecified
Lowest useful magnification: Unspecified
Supplied eyepieces: N/A
Weight: 19.8 lbs (9kg) including tripod

Reasons to buy

+
Ideal for beginners to astrophotography
+
Easy to use
+
Portable and compact

Reasons to avoid

-
Short battery life
-
Two-megapixel images
-
Portrait images only
Buy it if

✅ You're new to astrophotography: The Seestar S50 is an easy-to-use smart telescope that does the hard work for you, allowing anyone new to astrophotography to give it a go.

✅ You want a portable telescope: Being compact, this telescope is easily portable, making it ideal for various night sky excursions.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You want better image quality: While the Seestar S50 captures great images, they are only two-megapixel. If you're looking for higher quality images, you may prefer the Unistellar Equinox 2 although you'll be paying a lot more.

❌ You're a seasoned astrophotographer: Similarly, if you're a seasoned astrophotographer, the image quality of the Seestar S50 may disappoint.

The bottom line

🔎 ZWO Seestar S50 An intuitive telescope and app that allows beginners to astrophotography to capture images of the night sky with minimal faff ★★★★½

The Seestar S50 is a highly portable telescope, weighing only 2.5 kg without the tripod. The design is so compact that it can be held in one hand, albeit it would need to be a large hand. The tripod is also reasonably small, adding to its compactness. The tripod legs extend from 10-inches (26 mm) to 15 3/4-inches (40 mm), with the tripod being easy to store away when not in use.

We loved the Seestar S50 for how simple it was to set up and use. Being a smart telescope, you're reliant on the app that accompanies it and luckily, the app interface is intuitive. Using the app, you can capture long-exposure images of deep space objects as well as solar images, using the solar filter and 'Solar' mode. In our review of the ZWO Seestar S50, our reviewer noted you can use the 2x and 4x zoom to get close-ups of sunspots, with them looking "impressively sharp after engaging its electronic auto-focus".

The Seestar S50 was not only great at capturing solar images but it also blew us away with images it captured of the moon, with our reviewer calling them "incredibly impressive". This is something to bear in mind if you're keen to take photos of the moon — you will not be disappointed with this telescope.

Using exposures of 10, 20 or 30 seconds, the Seestar S50 captures images and stacks them to create a final image of the night sky object you wanted to capture. This stacking helps to reduce the noise, giving good quality images but sadly, only at low resolution. One tip for better images is to ensure you leave this telescope capturing images for as long as possible. However, for those looking for better image quality, you'll want to consider a more expensive smart telescope such as the Unistellar Equinox 2. But, for the price point, the Seestar S50 performs well for capturing images.

While we loved this smart telescope, it's important to note its short battery life of around 6 hours. We also experienced blurred stars in the corner of images when using the 'Deep Sky Track' feature, which stacks your historical imagery data. However, overall, this is a great smart telescope for budding astrophotographers.

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ZWO Seestar S50

Attributes

Notes

Design

Solid build quality

Performance

Easy-to-use with dual-band filter to reduce light pollution

Functionality

Intuitive app and easy to set up

Best Maksutov-Cassegrain

Best Maksutov-Cassegrain: Fantastic beginners' Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope

Specifications

Optical design: Maksutov-Cassegrain
Mount type: Computerized Alt-Azimuth Single Fork Arm
Aperture: 4.02-inches (102mm)
Focal length: 1325mm
Highest useful magnification: 241x
Lowest useful magnification: 15x
Supplied eyepieces: 25mm
Weight: 23 lbs (10.4kg) fully assembled

Reasons to buy

+
Celestron's SkyAlign Technology
+
Excellent build quality
+
Quick to set up

Reasons to avoid

-
Power supply advisable  
-
Narrow field of view
Buy it if

✅ You want a stress-free setup: There's basically no setup required with this telescope, so you can get to observing straight away.

Don't buy it if:

You want to view deep-sky objects: The narrow FOV makes deep-sky viewing tricky, so this is a telescope best suited to lunar and planetary viewing.

❌ You want portability: While it's certainly moveable, it's not the most lightweight option, so if you plan on traveling a lot with it we'd suggest looking elsewhere.

The bottom line

🔎 Celestron NexStar 4SE Aside from some questionable design choices, the NexStar 4SE is a good buy for the beginner astronomer thanks to its ease of use and sharp, bright optics. ★★★★

One of the best beginner telescopes on the market is the Celestron NexStar 4SE. It's easy to use and quick to set up, making it one of our go-to starter telescopes. You'll be set up in a matter of minutes: All you need to get aligned is your location and three bright sky objects. Thanks to the telescope's GoTo technology, you'll then be able to slew to different objects with the push of a button.

If you think a more traditional experience will be more your style, then perhaps the NexStar 4SE isn't for you. But if you want to take out all of the legwork out of locating the stars and other celestial objects, using this telescope is an absolute joy.

It comes with a handheld controller, allowing you to quickly and easily navigate to new objects. You can even change the speed of the telescope's slew, with nine different speeds available. We've found that this makes it a great choice for families and children, particularly if you want to share views with a group of people.

The NexStar 4SE is a 4-inch (102mm) Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope with a focal ratio of f/13, which makes it excellent for lunar and planetary viewing. In our Celestron NexStar 4SE review, we were able to get clear and sharp views of Jupiter and its surrounding moons, along with other Solar System objects. The supplied 25mm Plossl eyepiece (with a magnification of 55x) creates a field of view that is a little too narrow for viewing deep-sky objects, so we would suggest investing in a 32mm eyepiece and Barlow lens if you want to make use of the 241x highest useful magnification on this scope.

There are some downsides to the NexStar 4SE telescope, however. For a start, it's rather heavy and bulky: Weighing in at approximately 23 lbs (10kg), carrying it around while traveling won't be ideal. Worse, the tripod doesn't fully fold away, so this is best suited for someone who wants to set it up at home and leave it in one place.

It's also very power hungry: We found it'll easily eat through eight AA batteries in a night or two of skywatching, so it's much better if you can connect it to the mains (or an external power source). However, it's a sturdy and well-made scope that should last you for many years and its automatic slewing will be very appealing for those who are just starting out in stargazing.

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Celestron NexStar 4SE

Attributes

Notes

Design

Solid and sturdy build, but drains batteries fast.

Performance

Crisp, detailed views of the moon and planets.

Functionality

Celestron's Skyalign and GoTo system automates most of the viewing work.

Buy it if

✅ You want an EQ mount: The equatorial mount, although tricky to get used to if you're a beginner, will reward you with better tracking.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You don't want a learning curve: This telescope uses an equatorial mount, which is more complex than alt-azimuth mounts most beginner telescopes come with.

Best computerized telescope

Best computerized scope: This app-controlled telescope has a motorized mount with a lightweight and easy to set up body

Specifications

Optical design: Maksutov-Cassegrain
Mount type: Computerized alt-azimuth single fork arm
Aperture: 4.02-inches (102mm)
Focal length: 1325mm
Highest useful magnification: 241x
Lowest useful magnification: 15x
Supplied eyepieces: 10mm, 25mm
Weight: 16 lbs (7.25kg)

Reasons to buy

+
No tools required for assembly 
+
Controlled via smartphone/tablet
+
Database recommends targets

Reasons to avoid

-
Needs app to function
-
Tripod could be better
Buy it if

✅ You want alignment technology: The SkyAlign technology makes aligning your telescope a breeze, all at the touch of a button.

✅ You want something portable: This telescope is lightweight and easy to transport, making it a great option to take on camping trips to dark sky sites.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You don't want technology: This telescope requires the using its app in order to function, so users looking for a more traditional approach should look elsewhere.

The bottom line

🔎 Celestron AstroFi 102 A basic telescope best suited to lunar and planetary observation. The motorized mount can initially be tricky to set up for beginners, but it comes at a reasonable price for decent views of the night sky ★★★½

In our Celestron Astro Fi 102 review, we praised this telescope for numerous reasons. One thing that really stood out to us, though, is just how portable the Astro Fi 102 is. It weighs just 6lbs (2.7kg), which makes it one of the lightest telescopes on this list. If you're looking for a telescope to carry around with you on a hiking or camping trip, or just something you can take out of town to enjoy uninterrupted views of the night sky, it's an excellent choice.

However, part of that lightness does come from the fact the Celestron Astro Fi 102 telescope has plastic outer casing. It's both a strength and a weakness: we appreciate that it's so easy to maneuver, but it does mean it's not quite as hardy and robust as its metal-bodied counterparts. But as long as you handle it with care — as all telescopes should be, of course — you shouldn't have any issues.

The Celestron Astro Fi 102 has everything you need from a beginner telescope, including two eyepieces (10mm and 25mm, for magnifications of 132x and 53x), a smartphone adapter if you fancy your hand at astrophotography and a red dot finder. We think it offers great value thanks to the technology packed into it.

The Astro Fi 102's optics let you pick out planets with ease and offer good views of the moon. With its four-inch aperture, we caught nice views of Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn — and had a close-up look at our moon's rugged terrain.

The Astro Fi 102 features SkyAlign technology, which is straightforward to use and simplifies the alignment process. Alignment is crucial before you begin observing, as it assists the telescope in understanding its position in the night sky. Once aligned, the Astro Fi 102 can automatically direct you to your chosen target at the press of a button. You'll simply need to download the Celestron SkyPortal app from the Apple App Store or Google Play to start the alignment process.

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Celestron AstroFi 102

Attributes

Notes

Design

Basic plastic casing, tripod needs weighing down.

Performance

Seamless syncing with the SkyPortal App.

Functionality

Quiet operation and reliable integrated Wi-Fi.


Best grab and go telescope

Best grab and go scope: Lightweight and easy to assemble

Specifications

Optical design: Refractor
Mount type: Alt-azimuth
Aperture: 4.02-inches (102mm)
Focal length: 660mm
Highest useful magnification: 204x
Lowest useful magnification: 14x
Supplied eyepieces: 10mm, 20mm
Weight: 14.1 lbs (6.4kg)

Reasons to buy

+
Adjustable tripod
+
Easy to assemble
+
Very portable

Reasons to avoid

-
Color fringing around bright targets
-
Tripod can be stiff to start with
Buy it if

✅ You don't want any distractions: Many users feel distracted or overwhelmed with screens and apps to contend with, but this telescope is a great option for beginners who want to keep things simple.

You want something portable: Our best pick for a grab and go telescope, this model is lightweight and portable enough to travel with it easily.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You want something powerful: Part of the beauty of this telescope is its simplicity, so if you want something with a bit more oomph and more tech, there are better options.

The bottom line

🔎 Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ A great telescope that's perfect for beginners. It's easy to set up and use without any distracting bits of tech. We were impressed by its performance and image quality. ★★★½

This easy-to-use refractor telescope is easy to put together and works without additional technology. This means the Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ is a fantastic option for anybody who wants to get started without any distractions that can take away from some amazing views — including smartphone screens.

In our Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ review, we were impressed with the optical quality of the telescope, praising the bright, sharp views it allowed of the night sky (and, as an aside, we also found it useful for wildlife watching). But while we couldn't really fault the optics here, we found the tripod and mount to be a little disappointing.

The telescope comes with an alt-azimuth mount, but its handle is somewhat awkwardly located, so it'll take some getting used to when you're manually controlling it. We also found its tripod is rather short when fully extended, which makes it a bit awkward for adults to use. If you're looking for a child's first telescope, however, this won't be an issue.

Everything you need to get started is in the box: You'll find two eyepieces (10mm and 20mm, which allow for magnifications of 66x and 33x), a red dot finder, a star diagonal, the Starry Night software and, of course, a good quality mount. As it's easy to set up, you'll be able to gaze at the stars in no time — and the two eyepieces included have just enough magnification to see distant objects. More eyepieces are available if you'd like to be able to see even further, so take a look at our guide to the best eyepieces for telescopes.

You can get a Celestron AstroMaster in different apertures — namely 70mm, 76mm, 80mm, 90mm, 114mm and 130mm — but we've found the Astromaster 102AZ to be beginner- and budget-friendly, a great choice if you want to observe a wide variety of targets.

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Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ

Attributes

Notes

Design

Easy to assemble.

Performance

Good views with very little color fringing.

Functionality

Exquisite clarity and contrast.

Best telescopes for beginners: Comparison

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Product

Rating

Optical design

Aperture

Focal length

Highest useful magnification

Supplied eyepieces

Weight

Unistellar eQuinox 2

★★★★½

Reflector

4.5-inches (114mm)

450mm

50x optical, 150x digital

Electronic Nikon eyepiece

19.8 lbs (9kg)

Celestron Inspire 100AZ

★★★★

Refractor

3.94-inches (100mm)

660mm

241x

10mm, 25mm

20 lbs (9.07kg)

Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ

★★★★

Newtonian reflector

5.11-inches (130mm)

650mm

307x

10mm, 25mm

18 lbs (8.16kg)

Celestron NexStar 4SE

★★★★

Maksutov-Cassegrain

4.02-inches (102mm)

1325mm

241x

25mm

23 lbs (10.4kg)

Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ

★★★½

Refractor

4.02-inches (102mm)

660mm

204x

10mm, 20mm

14.1 lbs (6.4kg)

Celestron Astro Fi 102

★★★½

Maksutov-Cassegrain

4.02-inches (102mm)

1325mm

241x

10mm, 25mm

16 lbs (7.25kg)

Honorable mentions

Orion was, for years, a major name in optical technology, putting out quality telescopes, binoculars and more. Unfortunately, all that ended last year when Orion's parent company, Optronic Technologies, ceased operations. As a consequence, their products have been discontinued, and they're not available new.

However, we'd still recommend hunting down their scopes second hand. The Orion StarBlast II 4.5 in particular is an excellent telescope and was our pick for wide-field observation. So if you spot it used, it's absolutely worth investigating.

Orion StarBlast II 4.5 telescope set against a white background

Clear and sharp views make the StarBlast II 4.5 telescope suitable for observing wide-field objects, including Pleiades. (Image credit: Orion)

Orion StarBlast II 4.5 EQ

Great for wide-field observation: Achieve crisp, wide-angle views of subjects such as Pleiades

Specifications

Optical design: Reflector
Mount type: Equatorial
Aperture: 4.5-inches (114.3mm)
Focal length: 450mm
Highest useful magnification: 228x
Lowest useful magnification: 16x
Supplied eyepieces: 10mm, 25mm & 2x Barlow lens
Weight: 20.72 lbs (9.4kg)

Reasons to buy

+
Very good overall build
+
Handy add-ons included
+
Good optics

Reasons to avoid

-
Mount could be a struggle for some beginners
-
Tripod needs an upgrade
The bottom line

🔎 Orion StarBlast II 4.5 EQ A brilliant all-rounder that offers outstanding value for an extensive piece of equipment. The EQ mount does take some getting used to for beginners, but the initial setup is a breeze. ★★★★

The Orion StarBlast II 4.5 sets itself apart from other beginner telescopes thanks to its equatorial mount — a more advanced system than the simple alt-azimuth mount you'll find on most other starter scopes. It's a little harder to get the hang of, but once you do, it'll allow for a greater level of precision and much improved tracking during your night sky observations.

This telescope is designed to be user-friendly, and we did find setting it up to be nice and straightforward. If you need any guidance during the process, you'll find a handy set of step-by-step instructions in the box, which are easy to follow.

Everything you need to get started is included and more: You'll find the mount, tripod and optical tube of course, plus two eyepieces (10mm and 25mm), a 2x Barlow lens, a red LED light, a moon map, red-dot finder and Orion's Star Target Planisphere and Telescope Observer's Guide. It's one of the most comprehensive starter kits we've found, especially considering its price point.

Although we haven't published a full review, we have had hands-on experience with this telescope. During our stargazing expedition, Jupiter was prominently visible in the southeast, shining brightly with a magnitude of -2.7. The conditions were favorable, allowing us to discern the atmospheric belts and the largest moons of the gas giant. We observed a slight amount of coma, causing images to appear as if they were 'falling inwards' near the edge of the field of view. However, with this telescope, we had to look closely to notice any distortion, and it did not impact our views or our enjoyment of the night sky.

As the telescope is better suited to wide-angle subjects, we turned the tube to the Pleiades (Messier 45), which dazzled in the field of view. The major member stars were pin-sharp, like white jewels. We were also able to spot the Merope Nebula, a reflection nebula surrounding the 4th-magnitude star, Merope.

Gemma Lavender Headshot
Gemma Lavender

Gemma currently works for the European Space Agency on content, communications and outreach, and was formerly the content director of Space.com, Live Science, science and space magazines How It Works and All About Space, history magazines All About History and History of War as well as Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) kids education brand Future Genius. She is the author of several books including "Quantum Physics in Minutes", "Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manual to the Large Hadron Collider" and "Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manual to the Milky Way". She holds a degree in physical sciences, a Master’s in astrophysics and a PhD in computational astrophysics. She was elected as a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2011.

Best telescopes for beginners: Frequently Asked Questions

When deciding on the best beginner telescope, you'll need to consider what to look for if you want to achieve the best stargazing or skywatching experience. As impressive as January's cosmic displays are, think about how you want to use it on a regular basis.

It's important to take into account the various features and capabilities of different telescopes, as well as any budgetary constraints you have when making your decision.

You also need to consider the portability of each telescope if you plan on using it in different locations, as not all of them are lightweight or simple to transport.

What types of beginner telescope are there?

There are three main types of beginner telescopes: Reflector, refractor and catadioptric, all of which are best suited to viewing different celestial objects. Typically, reflectors are better for viewing faint, deep-sky objects like nebulae and galaxies, whereas refractors are popular for observing objects like planets or moons. Catadioptric telescopes give you the best of both worlds and can be a happy middle ground.

As the name suggests, refractors bend the light and typically work similarly to camera lenses, whereby light passes through a series of glass elements before resolving toward the eyepiece.

Reflectors use a primary mirror to capture light from the telescope tube, then a secondary mirror to reflect the light into the eyepiece. These types of telescopes are often less expensive to build since they require the creation of a single large mirror instead of the multiple glass elements you'd find in refractors.

Catadioptric telescopes combine refractive and reflective technology, allowing for long focal lengths and wide apertures in smaller telescope bodies.

What is the cheapest beginner telescope?

In this guide, the least expensive beginner telescope we've reviewed is the Celestron Inspire 100AZ. At under $300 at the time of writing, this refractor telescope is easy to set up and, despite its price, offers great views of planets, stars and galaxies. If you'd prefer something budget-friendly that can do a little more, then take a look at the Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ telescope.

Which is the best beginner telescope for astrophotography?

What's the best beginner telescope for a child?

The Celestron Inspire 80AZ is the best beginner telescope for kids because it offers more than most beginner packages and it's easy to assemble. Want to browse other great kid-friendly scopes? We have an entire buying guide dedicated to the best telescopes for kids.

What do the telescope terms mean?

Here are some basic terms you may want to familiarize yourself with before you make a purchase:

Aperture: The diameter of the primary mirror or lens that allows the telescope to collect light.

Field of view: Area of sky visible through the eyepiece.

Focal length: A telescope's tube length. Short focal lengths offer a wide field of view and a small image.

Focal ratio: Also known as the telescope's speed. Small focal ratios provide lower magnifications, a wide field of view, and a brighter image.

Magnification: Relationship between the telescope's optical system and the eyepiece.

Which beginner telescopes come with a phone mount?

The Celestron Inspire 100AZ has a phone mount that ships with the telescope as well as other accessories you'll need to get started. Phone mounts are destined either to hold your phone while you use one of the best stargazing apps to guide you while you navigate the stars, or so you can use an app that controls the telescope electronically.

Update log

Recent updates

Editor's note 08/20/25: Introduction updated to include the Corn Moon, total lunar eclipse (blood moon) and new moon on September 21. ZWO Seestar S50 added as the best for basic astrophotography (replacing the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ).

How we test the best telescopes for beginners

To guarantee you are getting honest reviews and informed recommendations of the best telescopes for beginners, each telescope is thoroughly tested to see how it performs and how accessible they are for beginners to operate.

There are many considerations to think about when buying your first telescope so our reviewers make sure to keep our beginner recommendations straightforward. Quality of optics and ease of use with basic astronomy knowledge are our main criteria to consider while testing the best telescopes for beginners.

By looking at the build of the Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) we can give a clear breakdown to our readers. This includes discussing the type of telescope (refractor, reflector, catadioptric) and what that means regarding image quality and expected magnification for certain targets. With a range of telescopes, our reviewers have observed the moon, Jupiter and a range of Messier objects, whilst checking to see how easy it is to locate these objects and giving honest feedback about image quality.

Telescope accessories, like eyepieces and mounts, are assessed in terms of their functionality and quality. Mounts (alt-azimuth, equatorial) and star alignment equipment (finder scope, alignment software) are tested concerning the level of astronomical knowledge needed for use.

To give you a review you can trust, we test the claims of the telescope manufacturers against their real-life use. Our staff and freelance reviewers are seasoned stargazers who understand the needs of a beginner from their many years of experience using telescopes. We also work with astronomy experts to ensure that we are giving you the most accurate and important information on telescope use.

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Gemma Lavender
Contributing expert

Gemma currently works for the European Space Agency on content, communications and outreach, and was formerly the content director of Space.com, Live Science, science and space magazines How It Works and All About Space, history magazines All About History and History of War as well as Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) kids education brand Future Genius. She is the author of several books including "Quantum Physics in Minutes", "Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manual to the Large Hadron Collider" and "Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manual to the Milky Way". She holds a degree in physical sciences, a Master’s in astrophysics and a PhD in computational astrophysics. She was elected as a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2011. Previously, she worked for Nature's journal, Scientific Reports, and created scientific industry reports for the Institute of Physics and the British Antarctic Survey. She has covered stories and features for publications such as Physics World, Astronomy Now and Astrobiology Magazine.

With contributions from