20 Best Telescope For Planets (2022 Updated)

Nexstar computerized telescope: The NexStar 4SE Computerized Telescope features Celestron’s iconic orange tube design with updated technology and the latest features for amazing stargazing for beginners and experienced observers.

4-Inch aperture: The 4-inch primary mirror in this Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope for adults and kids to be used together packs enough light-gathering ability to observe the best that our Solar System has to offer, while retaining a compact form factor.

Fully-automated go to mount: Featuring a database of more than 40,000 celestial objects, the go to mount built into our telescopes for astronomy beginners automatically locates and tracks objects for you.

Bonus free starry night software: The NexStar 4SE Telescope includes a FREE download of one of the top consumer rated astronomy software programs for an interactive sky simulation.

Celestron · Reflector · Altazimuth Mount · f/9 · 114 mm · Computerized · With Barlow Lens · 10. 4 lb · Beginners · With Finderscope This telescope uses your smartphone to easily analyze the sky. Ideal for beginners, the user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials are like having your own tour guide of the night sky.

From Celestron.

Astronomy made simple Let a NexStar SE help you find thousands of stars, planets, galaxies, and more at the touch of a button! In the tradition of Celestron’s famous orange optical tubes, the NexStar SE Family combines the classic heritage of the original orange tube telescopes with state-of-the-art features including a fully computerized operating system, flash upgradeable hand control, superior coatings, and much more.

With the NexStar SE, you are in the driver’s seat. Simply choose an object from the menu and the telescope will find it for you. Using our patented NexStar technology, the SE scopes have the ability to locate nearly 40,000 objects.

All you have to do is look through the eyepiece and enjoy the view! Don’t know what object to choose? Let the intelligent NexStar SE give you a guided tour of the night sky! The ”Tour” feature offers a customized list of the best objects in the sky to view for your exact time and location anywhere in the world! Not only can your NexStar SE find objects, but it can teach you about them as well.

Information on the most popular objects can be viewed in the LCD screen of your hand control. Whether you are a seasoned astronomer looking for a portable scope with advanced features, or just starting your astronomy adventure and looking for an easy way to enjoy the night sky, a NexStar SE will help you take a closer look.

The days of complicated telescope assembly and setup are over. NexStar SE telescopes can be set up in a matter of minutes with no tools required! Celestron NexStar SE Key Features Computerized hand control with nearly 40,000 object database and motorized altazimuth mount.

Quick release optical tube for easy no-tool setup. StarBright XLT enhances coatings for maximum light transmission and clarity. Flash-upgradeable hand control; update your telescope’s operating software via the internet.

Internal battery compartment to prevent cord wrap during use.

Celestron, is a leading designer, manufacturer and importer of high-quality optical products including computerized and non-computerized telescopes and related accessories, binoculars, spotting scopes and microscopes.

Since manufacturing its first telescope in 1960, celestron has grown to become one of the worlds leading telescope makers, and enjoys brand-name recognition among serious amateur astronomers for superior optics, outstanding design, and innovative technology.

Celestrons innovative products continue to receive numerous industry and consumer media accolades, adding to an already impressive list that includes awards for product innovation from readers digest, popular science, pc magazine, popular mechanics, the consumer electronics association and more.

Celestron sells and markets its products worldwide through a variety of specialty retail outlets and international distributors. Celestron astromaster telescope is a great dual-purpose telescope appropriate for both terrestrial and celestial viewing.

The astromaster is capable of giving correct views of land and sky. This telescope can produce bright, clear images of the moon and planets. It is easy to see the moons of jupiter and the rings of saturn with this fine instruments.

This telescope is great for beginning and advanced astronomers. Specificationsweight: 28 lbs.

Celestron has reinvented the manual telescope with StarSense Explorer–the first telescope that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real time. StarSense Explorer is ideal for beginners thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials.

It’s like having your own personal tour guide of the night sky. Dock, Launch, Explore Leave complicated star charts, imprecise planetarium apps, and computerized mounts behind. With StarSense Explorer, locating objects has never been easier, faster, or more accurate.

Within minutes of setting up the telescope, you’ll be navigating the sky with confidence. Simply place your phone in the unique StarSense dock and launch the StarSense Explorer app. After aligning your phone to the telescope’s optics (a quick, 2-minute procedure), StarSense Explorer generates a list of celestial objects currently visible.

Make your selection and arrows appear onscreen, guiding you as you to move the telescope. When the object is ready to view, the bullseye turns green. Smartphone Compatibility StarSense Explorer works with most modern smartphones, including iPhone 6 and up and most devices running Android 7.

1. 2 or later manufactured since 2016. Patented StarSense Sky Recognition Technology StarSense Explorer uses patented technology and your smartphone to determine exactly where the telescope is pointed in the night sky.

A Lost in Space Algorithm (LISA), like the ones satellites use in orbit to correctly orient themselves, helps the app match star patterns it detects overhead to its internal database. While other astronomy apps may claim that they can help you find objects, they rely exclusively on the phone’s gyros and accelerometers, which aren’t as accurate as LISA technology.

No other app can accurately tell you when your target is visible in the eyepiece.

Let a Celestron NexStar SE Telescopehelp you find thousands of stars, planets, galaxies and more at the touch of a button! In the tradition of Celestron’s famous orange optical tubes, the NexStar SE Family combines the classic heritage of the original orange tube telescopes with state-of-the-art features, including a fully computerized operating system, flash upgradeable hand control, superior optical coatings, and much more.

With the NexStar SE, you are in the driver’s seat. Simply choose an object from the menu and the telescope will find it for you. Using our patented NexStar technology, the SE scopes have the ability to locate nearly 40,000 objects.

All you have to do is look through the eyepiece and enjoy the view! Don’t know what object to choose? Let the intelligent NexStar SE lead you on a guided tour of the night sky! The ”Tour” feature offers a customized list of the best objects in the sky to view for your exact time and location, anywhere in the world! Not only can your NexStar SE find objects, it can teach you about them as well.

Information on the most popular objects can be viewed in the LCD screen of your hand control. Whether you are a seasoned astronomer looking for a portable telescope with advanced features, or just starting your astronomy adventure and looking for an easy way to enjoy the night sky, a NexStar SE will help you take a closer look.

Celestron NexStar SE Key Features Computerized hand control with nearly 40,000 object database & motorized altazimuth mount. Quick release optical tube offers easy, no-tool setup. StarBright XLT enhances coatings for maximum light transmission and clarity.

Flash upgradeable hand control lets you update your telescope’s software via the internet. Internal battery compartment prevents cord wrap during use. Includes NexRemote telescope control software for advanced control of your telescope via computer.

Superior optics: The Celestron 70mm Travel Scope features high-quality, fully-coated glass optics, a potent 70mm objective lens, a lightweight frame, and a custom backpack to carry it all. Its quality is unmatched in its class and against competitors.

Powerful eyepieces for up-close viewing: Our telescope for astronomy beginners is equipped with two high-quality eyepieces (20mm and 10mm) that provide low- and high-power views of celestial objects at night and terrestrial objects during the day.

Large 70mm objective lens: Our refractor telescope is equipped with a large 70mm aperture objective lens that provides enhanced, brighter views compared to the 50mm model while adding very little additional weight.

Setting up and using the Travel Scope is quick and easy. Bonus bag, tripod, moon filter, 2x barlow, bluetooth shutter release, smartphone adapter and software: Highly portable and ready for your digiscoping adventures.

Dimensions: 18. 0 x 13. 8 x 6. 9 inches.

The Celestron AstroMaster-70 is a very good telescope for beginners. It is ideal for both terrestrial and celestial applications. The AstroMaster-70 offers multi-coated glass optics to allow clear and crisp images.

This refractor model can also be used for astrophotography with an appropriate T-Mount adapter. It comes with a rugged pre-assembled tripod, 10mm and 20mm eyepieces and a permanent mounted Starpointer finder scope to easily locate heavenly objects.

Designed to be an affordable entry level to mid-level computerized GoTo telescope, the NeXStar SLT refractors, reflectors, and Maks are available in the most popular sizes and are loaded with valuable design features.

With preassembled, adjustable stainless steel tripods, and quick release fork arms and tubes, NeXStar SLT telescopes can be set up in a matter of minutes with no tools required! You can see details of the lunar surface, Venus and its phases, polar caps on Mars, Jupiter and its four moons, Saturn with its rings plainly visible and much more! Most NeXStar SLT’s can also be used as a land-based spotting telescope.

Intelligent Design Powered by 8 AA (user supplied) batteries or an optional AC adapter (#18778) these NeXStar GoTo’s love to travel. The internal battery compartment provides power to the high precision servo motors for rigid low-vibration performance while eliminating cord wrap issues associated with external battery packs.

With the NeXStar’s ergonomically designed hand control, the user is free to remove the hand control from its holder for remote use or leave it cradled for hands-free operation. With a touch of a button you can select the object catalog, change the slew speed, view fascinating information about an object, or simply know if a desired object is visible in the sky.

Celestron’s Revolutionary SkyAlign Using Celestron’s patented SkyAlign (patent pending), simply input the date, time and location into the hand control then slew the telescope to any three bright celestial objects in the sky.

You do not need to know the names of the stars you can even pick the Moon or bright planets!.

AstroMaster 307x 30mm Reflector Telescope (31051) by Celestron. Motor Drive. This model includes the motor drive for automatic tracking. If you’re looking for a dual-purpose telescope appropriate for both terrestrial and celestial viewing, then the AstroMaster Series is for you.

Each AstroMaster model is capable of giving correct views of land and sky. The AstroMaster Series produce bright, clear images of the Moon and planets. It is easy to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn with every one of these fine instruments.

For views of the brighter deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae, Celestron recommend the larger aperture and light gathering ability of the Newtonian reflectors.

A powerful and capable telescope, the Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian is one of our most popular reflectors due to its elegant combination of precision optics, mechanical simplicity, and rock-solid stability.

You and your whole family will appreciate the bright, clear views of the night sky provided by the XT8 Classic. The Moon and planets of our solar system like Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars shine brightly in the SkyQuest XT8 Classic, allowing you to inspect them in detail.

The XT8s 8-inch aperture is also large enough to gather a significant amount of light from more distant celestial objects for great views of sparkling star clusters, cloudy nebulas, and faraway galaxies.

The XT8 Classic Dob is a tremendous value considering the high quality views it provides on such a wide variety of celestial objects. The point-and-view simplicity of the Dobsonian design is not as complicated as an equatorial (EQ) mount and tripod, so with a little practice, your whole family can scan the heavens just like experienced hobbyists.

For any astronomer seeking serious adventure, the XT8 Classic Dob has it all!.

Its manual alt-azimuth mount has an altitude lock and slow-motion controls for precise tracking of subjects. This telescope comes with 2 eyepieces that provide 27x and 78x magnifications with a 2x Barlow lens that doubles the magnification of each eyepiece for a wider-range of observing possibilities.

An adjustable-height stainless steel tripod provides a stable platform for sky-watching, and the included 90 degree erect-image diagonal makes looking through the scope more comfortable, especially when aiming the telescope toward the zenith.

This Sky-Watcher 120mm (4-inch) f/5 telescope is a two-element, air-spaced, fully multi-coated objective, achromatic refractor, which can give exciting rich field astronomical views. It can provide excellent vistas of star fields, clusters, nebulae, galaxies, planets, the Moon and (with correct filtering or by projection) the Sun.

It is also a fine terrestrial telescope when mounted on an alt-azimuth mount or a photographic tripod. Beginner’s Telescope. Crisp images at a reasonable price make it an excellent beginner’s first telescope or a great travelling telescope for a more advanced observer.

This larger aperture model has more light collecting power at the same focal ratio and accepts 2-inch diagonals for awesome wide field views, while only a small amount of chromatic aberration and weight.

Weighing about 8. 6 lb the optical tube assembly is readily carried and with a compressed length of approximately 63. 5 cm (25-inch) it is easily transported. Quick and Easy To Set Up. As a refractor, it is quick and easy to set up and the low-maintenance, enclosed optics come fully collimated from the factory.

The optical tube assembly comes with tube mounting rings. These hinge open to allow easy installation of the optical tube and the locks can be loosened during use to allow tube rotation and balancing.

Mounting the telescope on an alt-azimuth or an equatorial mount is quick and simple with the appropriate mounting plate. Fast f/5 Focal Ratio. The fast f/5 focal ratio, combined with today’s high-speed films, is excellent for capturing lunar and solar eclipses as well as for nature photographs.

A solid, equatorial mount and a method of guiding are required for longer exposure astrophotography. A T-mount thread on the eyepiece holder allows direct attachment of an appropriate T2-adapter and the optional extension tube gives closer focusing for terrestrial photography.

Celestron · Refractor · Altazimuth Mount · f/11 · 80 mm · Computerized · With Barlow Lens · 9. 2 lb · Beginners · With Finderscope Discover galaxies far and beyond using the Smart Tracking Telescope.

Special sky recognition technology enables you to use your smartphone to analyze star patterns and calculate its position in real time! Download the free app to view a list of planets, galaxies, star clusters and more.

App compatible with iPhone (iOS 10. 0 or later) and Galaxy/Android (OS 7. 1 or later). Features an 80mm refractor lens, 25mm and 10mm eyepieces, 2X Barlow lens and an optional red dot finder. Ideal for beginners and enthusiast users.

Includes a full-height tripod with an accessory tray and smartphone dock.

Item model number: AZ90600. Tube Ring Mounting Knob & Safety Screw in the dovetail bracket. Read more View larger View larger View larger View larger High Power Eyepieces Using the high power eyepiece, perfect for observing the Moon and planets or bringing distant wildlife in close for detailed views.

The largest aperture of the CPC GPS line, The CPC 1100 GPS Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope has the most light gathering power and has a limiting magnitude of nearly 15. The CPC 1100 GPS takes full advantage of its vast database of thousands of NGC and Abell galaxies as well as delivering a level of detail to all your favorite deep sky objects.

This CPC 1100 GPS features Celestron’s premium StarBright XLT coatings. With sophisticated software features like Hibernate function, the CPC can maintain its star alignment night after night without needing to be re-aligned, making it an ideal instrument for a permanent observatory facility.

The CPC GPS is the most portable of Celestron’s top-of-the-line fork-mounted astronomical telescopes. This telescope is at home as a superb visual instrument or, with optional wedge and CCD cameras, as a serious astrophotographer’s tool.

Turn this scope to planets and see amazing detail on the surface of Jupiter; see Cassini’s Division in the rings of Saturn, and resolve details on the surface of Mars. Even the distant Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are within your reach.

Although large in aperture, with its conveniently located carrying handles and an instrument weight of 65 lb. , this telescope is portable enough to setup in your backyard or take with you to your favorite dark sky location.

Given its technical superiority and amazing adaptability, the Sky-Watcher Classic 8” Dobsonian is a great addition to the collection of any amateur astronomer. A powerful and efficient telescope, the Sky-Watcher Classic 8” Dobsonian combines technological excellence with user-friendly efficiency to allow you to view the moon, stars, planets and mysteries of deep space from your own backyard! DesignThe Sky-Watcher Classic Dobsonian Telescope has a 203mm mirror diameter with a focal length of 1200mm (8″) and a F-ratio of f/5.

9. This model includes the new feature-tension control handle which allows the user to change the settings and move the mount with minimal pulsation. Even when released, the telescope will sustain its position and keep its view of the skies.

ConstructionA simple, elegant form of an alt-azimuth mount made to carry a Newtonian reflector was popularized by John Dobson in the late 1970’s. The Dobsonian mounted telescope has been a favorite among amateur astronomers and telescope makers because of its simplicity and ease of use ever since.

The Sky-Watcher Classic Dobsonian has a parabolic primary mirror to eliminate spherical aberration and a four-arm, secondary mirror bracket with fine supports (0. 5mm thick), to reduce diffraction spikes and light loss.

In addition, this model includes a 2 inch single-speed Crayford-style focuser with a 1. 25 inch adapter, allowing the use of either eyepiece size. Ease-of-UseSky-Watcher Classic Dobsonians has an easy two-piece assembly allowing for quick dismantling into tube and base for quick transport or storage.

TheSky-Watcher’s 94% reflectivity mirrors ensure you get bright, detailed views for the best possible sightings.

The worlds most beloved telescope! The classic, 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain revolutionized amateur astronomy in the 1970s. Now, the iconic orange tube design is updated with all the latest features to provide the best stargazing experience for beginners and experienced observers alike.

Large, 8-inch aperture with excellent light-gathering ability provides spectacular views of the Moon and planets, along with deep sky objects like the Whirlpool Galaxy and Hercules Globular Cluster. Fully automated, GoTo mount with database of 40,000+ celestial objects automatically locates and tracks objects for you.

SkyAlign technology gets your telescope aligned and ready to observe in minutes. Even if youre unfamiliar with the night sky, you can easily align your telescope on any three bright objects. Unique single fork arm design and sturdy steel tripod all break down into separate components for easy transport and quick assembly.

Description From our National Geographic series, the Explorer NT114CF Newtonian Astronomical Telescope is a perfect portal into the realm of deep sky observation. Offering a 114mm aperture and a 500mm focal length, the telescope comes with two Plossl eyepieces that produce images with excellent definition and contrast.

The set also includes an adjustable tripod with pan and tilt control, a red dot viewfinder, a Smartphone Camera Adapter, a 2X Barlow lens, Stellarium computer software download and a star map. Just add clear, dark skies on a moonless night and a red flashlight to protect your night vision and you are set to explore the universe! Specifications 114mm aperture has impressive light-gathering capability to provide excellent views of planets and bright deep sky objects.

Fast focal ratio (f/5. 2) shortens exposure times for deep sky photography. Pan and tilt control on alt-azimuth mount allows for smooth movements when navigating the night sky. Comes with two interchangeable Plössl eyepieces and a 2x Barlow lens that provide magnifications ranging from 19x to 103x.

Carbon fiber optical tube wrap assembly is lightweight but durable. Full size tripod includes accessory tray to keep eyepieces handy and provide additional stability. Included adapter helps observers use their smart device to capture and share images.

Use the red dot viewfinder and downloadable astronomy software to locate observing targets.

This Galileo SS-760 700mm x 60mm Refractor Telescope and Galileo G-SPA Smartphone adapter kit lets you use the camera feature on your smartphone to take pictures or video through the optics of your telescope, or use your smartphone to assist navigating your telescope view to your celestial object of interest.

Finding your target is easy with its Altitude Azimuth yoke mount featuring a slow motion altitude adjustment rod for precision adjustments, attached to a very sturdy, fully adjustable, pre-assembled metal tripod with retractable rubber feet.

Terrestrial viewing and photography is possible as well with the included 45 erect image prism which produces a totally erect image. The Galileo SS-760 optical tube assembly features a 700mm focal length.

The objective lens is a 60mm two element achromat, fully multi-coated air spaced objective lens. The tube itself is aluminum, painted flat black internally, and fully baffled for excellent visual and CCD imaging.

The finderscope is Galileo’s Mars’ Eye electronic Finderscope which helps by getting the observer behind the telescope without losing the surrounding field of view when targeting objects. Also included with the SS-760 are a 1 6mm eyepiece (116X Power/Magnification) and a 1 20mm eyepiece (35X Power/Magnification).

As well as mounting to the telescope, the Galileo G-SPA Smartphone adapter lets you use the camera feature on your smartphone to take pictures or video through the optics of your binoculars, spotting scope, microscope etc.

as well. It also allows you to mount your Smartphone on a standard camera tripod for hands-free video calls, family photos with everyone in the picture, or anytime you want to include yourself in the action.

Fits most popular smartphones.