Skip to content

Top Rated Telescopes For Stargazing

 

Purchasing the type of telescope which fills your requirements without being a burden on your budget is a challenging task. If you are considering purchasing a telescope that fits best for your stargazing sessions at night, then here are some things you must look for. 

It would be best to opt for telescopes worth the price, but such telescopes will be very complicated for beginners. And on the other hand, if you purchase telescopes for a low cost, they will end up like useless toys. A great beginning is to know about your budget and what in the sky intrigues you. Is it watching the planets from less distance? And if you are still a little confused, you can buy binoculars, as it’ll be a great choice. 

Orion Skyscanner 100 Reflector 

The Orion SkyScanner 100 helps make astronomy pretty easy for people who do not know how to operate it. You will get the best view of the nebulas, planets, the moon, and the galaxies. The f/4 focal ratio ensures you get a brighter image of the things you want to see. 

Its packet also has Starry Night Software, which will help you opt for your goals and point them in the dark. There are two eyepieces, 20 mm and 10 mm, respectively; they come with the telescope. 

When a beginner looks through the eyepieces, they get clarity and contrast. The Orion Skyscanner 100 has a rigid desktop mount that moves along the azimuth and altitude. Its specialty is Saturn rings and moon surfaces. You have to make sure that you have a table that does not move because everyone desires a sturdy observation in the sky. This telescope makes turning pretty easy, as a few Orion Skyscanner models have a tripod with them. 

It also has a user manual that tells about the usage of the reflector and how to connect the EZ finder II red dot locator. But as you know, it’s packed in a box, the biggest challenge you will face is assembling it rather than using it.   

Celestron StarSense Explorers

Other than the beginners, this telescope will be easy to use for intermediate users, particularly for the people who don’t want to spend time setting it up; assembling this set takes less than 20 minutes. The in-built reflectors provide a simple alternative for keeping the telescope in place and allows the onboard GoTo system to work in the direction the instrument is pointing. All you have to do is download the StarSense application and take an image through the eyepiece to utilize the technology. It also tells you the alignment of stars to calculate the orientation. 

For looking at Jupiter, you can use the 10 mm eyepiece. The view will be apparent, but you have to select the appropriate filter and eyepieces to get the clarity and details. The best thing about the Celestron StarSense is that you can read everything about the stars available on the app. Moving from one target to the other is made very easy by Celestron StarSense as it can operate very nicely. One negative point is that the telescope is not a motorized mount, and you have to move it manually. 

Meade ETX90 Observer

The Meade ETX90 observer is the perfect telescope for you, as it is quick and straightforward to set up and calibrate. If you look at the Saturn rings and the moon’s brightness from the Meade ETX90 observer, you will get an incredible view with breathtaking contrast, while the 3.5-inch objective lens might also notice the icy planets like Uranus and Neptune as an ice blue and green-blue star. 

The beginners would love to know that the ETX90 observer can also discover the dense sky effortlessly. By telescope, you can view clusters of the stars, selected nebulas, and nearby galaxies (especially the andromeda galaxies). The definition is in the corners of the field, resulting in the brightness to lower down automatically. The telescope has a sturdy setup mount, and when it connects to the GoTo AudioStar computer controller, it will not take much time to adjust, and you will be looking at the sky in no time. 

A minor drawback in the setup is that you have to put effort into reading because it is tough to read what’s on the hand controller in low light. So, you have to make sure that you have a flashlight to protect your dark-adapted vision. You must also purchase a 9-12 V power bank so that the telescope’s battery doesn’t run out.  

Celestron PowerSeeker 127 EQ 

The Celestron has a 127 mm aperture telescope with a very pocket-friendly price, which is the ideal product for the people who want a product that enables them to soak into the observation of the stars and solar system without investing a lot of cash. This product comes with two eyepieces, one is 20 mm, and the other is 40 mm; these eyepieces will provide magnification of 50x and 250x. The last magnification that this telescope can provide is 300x, so using the third eyepiece, which is 4x, will result in blurred images. 

The people must be comfortable in watching the equatorial mount. But you must know the slow-motion control and having polar aligning know-how before purchasing this product. This reflector is a very trustworthy instrument for observing the sky. The tripod is not stable and is a bit shaky, so it is best to make sure that you keep the telescope in place before using it.

Orion Starseeker IV 150

Many telescope companies are introducing WiFi technology for effortless observation and stargazing sessions. You can download a SynScan pro application, and then you will be able to develop a WiFi network, and you will have control over the data access for a lot of celestial objects (more than 42,000). But it doesn’t make a difference if you do not download this app, as the package also contains a hand controller. 

Operating SynScan is not a challenging task, and you will be able to see the things in the sky in no time, doesn’t matter if it’s the moon or any planet. You can also observe the atmospheric bands of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, wispy nebulas, or bright galaxies like pinwheels which are present in Ursa major. You can get views of all the above celestial bodies without any distractions or defections. 

But you must know that it is not always possible to point out every object and contrast everything mentioned on GoTo’s database. You should try out selecting filters and eyepieces to make it the maximum of the optical system.

Celestron NexStar Evolution 9.25

This product’s optical system ranks as one of the best. With no interference or defects in the way, this instrument provides a broad range of exquisite contrast and clarity along with the best astronomical target. The packet red dot locator is also included, with 30 mm and 40 mm eyepieces, an AC adapter, detachable camera, and hand controller for effortless AutoAlign procedure. It is on the single fork arm, enabling the person to swerve from one goal to another with just a click with the advantage of the lithium-ion battery, which will give you ten hours of non-stop stargazing. 

The mount has the power of locating the objects when they move in the sky. It also has its WiFi network, enabling the instrument to control and connect through the Celestron SkyPortal application, which is available for Android and ios, that too for free. It is available at a very affordable price. The only drawback of this product is that, due to its heavyweight, it is a little bit difficult to carry. 

Meade StarNavigator NG 114 

This is a must-have product if you are very passionate about astrophotography and stargazing. Gathering the instruments is a straightforward task due to their weight; the StarNavigator NG 114 is not a heavy instrument. Its AudioStar controller has the data of about 30,000 celestial objects, along with four hours of audio tours for the galaxies, planets, and significant nebulas. And it has a great battery backup which allows the telescope to function for a very long time. 

The moon filter provides a better view. It has outstanding clarity and contrast. And if we talk about the optical functions, it is 100% guaranteed that you will not have any complaints with it, as it will fill in the entire enlarged gibbous moon phase. However, the only inconvenience it’ll cause is the shakiness. So, make sure it is steady before you sit down for your stargazing sessions. 

Conclusion

Opting for the best telescope for observations or stargazing is a challenging task, but luckily you are in the right place. Other than the telescopes above, many others might suit your budget and prove the best product for you.