I'm a pro astronomer and have been skywatching for over 25 years. These are the best Cyber Monday telescope deals I've seen with just hours left

Man using one of the best telescopes for seeing planets set against a night sky

(Image credit: Getty)

Spending over 25 years observing the night sky, I have come to appreciate what makes a great telescope — from the build quality and accessories on offer, to the optical performance and portability.

This Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday, I have come across quite a few instruments targeted at astronomers of all levels who have a variety of budgets — and there are so many great deals on offer across Black Friday and Cyber Monday events, meaning both budding and experienced skywatchers can save hundreds of dollars on top-quality telescopes. This is true whether you're looking to buy an instrument for yourself or even for a loved one with the holidays in mind.

Before you purchase a telescope, there are a few things that you need to consider: how much you're looking to spend, what type of targets pique your interest (solar system or deep-sky) and whether you're a seasoned astronomer or just starting out in your skywatching hobby. I recommend doing your research before making any purchases, and you can check out my advice on the topic with our best telescopes page, where I answer your most frequently asked questions.

Ready to buy a telescope this Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Here are my top picks that boast very good optics — offering excellent, pin-sharp views without chromatic or spherical aberrations — superb builds and decent, good quality accessories. They are also portable, easy to put together and intuitive to use.

My top five telescope deals this Black Friday and Cyber Monday

More top deals: Telescopes on Amazon
See the latest discounts: Telescope at Walmart
Browse the sales: Telescopes at Best Buy

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.