The 5 Best Telescopes

Andrea Cannon — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 08:01:06 +0000

Telescopes have allowed our scientists and astronomers to explore the great unknown. Now, you can enjoy similar sights of outer space from home with your own telescope.

What is a telescope?

A telescope is an optical instrument designed to make distant objects appear larger and nearer. It works by collecting and focusing light, so the resulting image is magnified. You can use it for bird watching, enjoying scenery, astrophotography, or for clear views of stars, planets, moons, and other objects in the night sky.

Top 5 telescopes

Celestron PowerSeeker Telescope

Amazon’s #1 best-seller in telescope reflectors, the Celestron 127EQ PowerSeeker Telescope offers an incredible value. The best-selling telescope features a finderscope, two eyepieces, and a Barlow lens (which triples the power of the eyepieces) for up to 300x magnification.

It provides correctly oriented images, a sturdy German equatorial mount, and smooth, slow-motion manual tracking to track objects as they move across the sky. The erect image optics are ideal for both terrestrial and astronomical use. The fully-coated optical glass components with high transmission coatings create bright, clear views. The powerful Newtonian reflector telescope is perfect for beginners and has quick and easy no-tool setup.

This comes with an aluminum tripod, accessory tray, and TheSkyX astronomy software. It is one of the most popular telescopes on the market and is recommended by Digital Trends. It has hundreds of five-star reviews on Amazon and is backed by a two-year limited warranty. If you’re willing to spend more, the Celestron NexStar 6 SE Telescope is also highly reviewed and recommended online.

Currently $135.14 on Amazon

Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope

The powerful Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope is a great option for beginners. It is easy to use thanks to the ultra-stable Dobsonian base, which keeps the reflector optical tube perfectly balanced for point-and-view simplicity. The large aperture reflector telescope features 8-inch diameter reflector optics and enough light grasp to provide high-quality views of celestial objects.

This includes a 2-inch Crayford focuser that accepts 1.25-inch and 2-inch telescope eyepieces, a 25 mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece, an EZ Finder II reflex sight, collimation cap, and Starry Night software. It is designed to last a lifetime, so it should provide a great value. It is one of the most popular reflectors and is recommended by Popular Mechanics and Space.com.

Currently $379.99 on Amazon

Gskyer Telescope

The lightweight, portable Gskyer Telescope is ideal for beginners. It features a rack-and-pinion focuser, two magnification eyepieces, and a Barlow lens to double the magnifying power of each eyepiece for a maximum magnification of 105x. It features all-glass optical components with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity. The mount with slow motion control allows for precision tracking. It has easy assembly with no tools required.

This comes with a Zenith mirror, two eyepieces, an adjustable aluminum alloy tripod, and a carry bag. It is frequently recommended online and is backed by a 12-month manufacturer's limited warranty and a three-month warranty for accessories.

Currently $75.29 on Amazon

Levenhuk SkyMatic 135 GTA Telescope

The Levenhuk SkyMatic 135 GTA Telescope is perfect for beginners because it can do everything by itself. The mount with built-in GoTo function automatically locates moving objects. The durable computerized reflecting telescope has an optical finderscope and is ideal for astrophotography.

The kit includes a steel adjustable tripod, two eyepieces, and a 1.25-inch adapter, which allows you to use telescope accessories of any make and brand with this model. This can increase telescope magnification up to 260x. This smart telescope is frequently recommended online.

Currently $479.95 on Amazon

Celestron 70 mm Travel Scope

Amazon’s #1 best-seller in telescope refractors, the Celestron 70 mm Travel Scope is easy to take on-the-go thanks to the included durable padded canvas backpack. The light, compact, portable refractor telescope can be quickly put together with no tools. The refractor style telescope uses two eyepieces for up to 40x magnification. It features all coated glass optical components for clear, crisp views, erect image diagonal for correctly-oriented views, smooth functioning mount with easy object tracking, and wide field views.

This includes a stable, lightweight, adjustable aluminum tripod and TheSkyX astronomy software. The award-winning telescope has more than 500 five-star reviews on Amazon. It is also commonly compared to more expensive telescopes and can stand up to the competition. It is made of the highest quality materials and designed to last a lifetime with minimal maintenance.

Currently $65.97 on Amazon

And those are our recommendations for the best telescopes. As always, be sure to check Wise Bread's Buying Calendar to learn when and how to buy just about anything!

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This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

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