Looking for the best telescopes for beginners and enthusiasts? We have selected beginner-friendly refractors, reflectors, Dobsonians, portable telescopes and computerised models to help you choose the right telescope for astronomy and stargazing.
✔ Beginner telescopes • Refractors • Reflectors • Dobsonians • Computerised telescopes • Portable scopes
↓ See our recommended telescopes below
Top Recommended Telescopes
Best Overall
Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ
A popular beginner reflector telescope with good aperture for the Moon, planets and brighter deep sky objects.
Best Value
Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P
A compact tabletop reflector offering good value and simple setup for beginner stargazing.
Upgrade Pick
Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ
An entry-level reflector with strong magnification potential, best suited to beginners willing to learn an equatorial mount.
Looking to improve your setup? Explore our
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Best Beginner Refractor Telescopes
Refractor telescopes are often a good choice for beginners because they are simple to use, low maintenance and excellent for viewing the Moon, bright planets and star clusters.
Beginner Pick
Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ
A simple beginner refractor telescope with easy setup and pleasing views of the Moon and brighter planets.
Portable Pick
Celestron Travel Scope 70
A lightweight refractor telescope ideal for travel, camping and quick observing sessions.
Planet Pick
Sky-Watcher Evostar 90
A clear refractor telescope well suited to lunar detail, planets and brighter star clusters.
Wide Field
Sky-Watcher Startravel 80
A compact short-tube refractor that is easy to carry, quick to set up and useful for wide-field views.
Beginner Refractor
Sky-Watcher Mercury 707
A simple beginner refractor telescope for lunar observing, bright planets and learning the basics of stargazing.
Budget Pick
Bresser Classic 60/900
A budget-friendly refractor with a longer focal length, useful for viewing the Moon and brighter planets.
Easy Starter Refractor
Celestron AstroMaster LT 70AZ
The AstroMaster LT 70AZ is a straightforward 70mm refractor with a longer
focal length than a typical travel telescope. Its simple alt-azimuth mount
and f/10 optics make it well suited to beginners concentrating on the Moon,
brighter planets and general visual observing.
Aperture: 70mm
Focal length: 700mm
Focal ratio: f/10
Mount: Manual alt-azimuth
Best for: Moon, brighter planets and simple first-telescope observing
Beginner + Smartphone Option
Celestron Inspire 70AZ
The Inspire 70AZ combines a traditional 70mm beginner refractor with
features aimed at first-time observers, including a simple alt-azimuth
mount and smartphone-friendly design. Its 700mm focal length makes it
particularly suitable for lunar observing and brighter Solar System targets.
Aperture: 70mm
Focal length: 700mm
Focal ratio: f/10
Mount: Manual alt-azimuth
Best for: Moon, brighter planets and simple smartphone imaging
Beginner Equatorial Refractor
Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ
The PowerSeeker 80EQ offers a little more aperture than the common 70mm
beginner refractors and introduces the user to a German equatorial mount.
Its long 900mm focal length favours lunar and planetary observing, although
the mount requires a little more learning than a simple alt-azimuth design.
Aperture: 80mm
Focal length: 900mm
Focal ratio: f/11.25
Mount: German equatorial mount
Best for: Moon, brighter planets and beginners learning an equatorial mount
Strong Planetary Beginner Scope
Celestron AstroMaster 90AZ
The AstroMaster 90AZ is a useful step up from smaller 70mm refractors.
Its 90mm aperture gathers more light while the long 1000mm focal length
suits the Moon and planets particularly well. The manual alt-azimuth
mount keeps operation simpler than an equatorial system.
Aperture: 90mm
Focal length: 1000mm
Focal ratio: f/11
Mount: Manual alt-azimuth
Best for: Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and beginners wanting more aperture without GoTo
Compact Computerised Telescope
Celestron Astro Fi 102 Maksutov-Cassegrain
The Astro Fi 102 is a compact Maksutov-Cassegrain aimed at beginners
who want computer-assisted object finding. Its long 1325mm focal length
makes it particularly well suited to the Moon and planets, while the
Wi-Fi-controlled GoTo mount can help users locate targets through a
compatible smartphone or tablet.
Aperture: 102mm
Focal length: 1325mm
Focal ratio: f/13
Mount: Computerised single-arm alt-azimuth GoTo
Best for: Moon, planets, compact observing and computer-assisted navigation
Best Reflector Telescopes
Reflector telescopes usually offer more aperture for the money than small refractors. They are a good choice if you want brighter views of star clusters, nebulae and some galaxies.
Reflector Pick
Sky-Watcher Explorer 130P
A strong beginner reflector with a good balance of aperture, portability and value.
Budget Reflector
Celestron PowerSeeker 70EQ
A budget-friendly starter telescope for beginners learning how to use an equatorial mount.
Starter Reflector
Sky-Watcher Skyhawk 114
A beginner reflector telescope with enough aperture to show the Moon, planets and brighter deep sky objects.
Strong Starter Scope
Sky-Watcher Starquest 130P
A capable 130mm reflector offering a useful balance of aperture, portability and beginner-friendly performance.
Best Dobsonian Telescopes
Dobsonian telescopes are excellent for visual astronomy because they provide large aperture on a simple, stable mount. They are especially good for deep sky observing and are often one of the best value choices for serious beginners.
Best Budget
Celestron FirstScope
A simple tabletop Dobsonian telescope ideal for complete beginners and casual lunar observing.
Tabletop Dobsonian
Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P
A popular tabletop Dobsonian with good light-gathering ability for beginners wanting more than a basic starter scope.
Larger Tabletop Dob
Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P Flextube
A larger tabletop Dobsonian that gives brighter views than smaller beginner scopes while staying fairly portable.
Dobsonian Pick
Sky-Watcher Skyliner 150P
An excellent Dobsonian telescope with strong deep sky performance and a stable, easy-to-use mount.
Deep Sky Pick
Sky-Watcher Classic 200P Dobsonian
A powerful 8-inch Dobsonian telescope for deep sky observing, lunar detail and impressive planetary views.
Best Smart and Computerised Telescopes
Smart and computerised telescopes help beginners find objects more easily. They usually cost more, but they can make stargazing less frustrating if you are still learning the night sky.
Smart Telescope
Celestron StarSense Explorer LT
A smartphone-guided telescope that helps beginners find objects in the night sky more easily.
Modern Pick
StarSense Explorer 130 Dobsonian
Dobsonian simplicity combined with smartphone guidance for easier object finding.
Computerised Pick
Celestron NexStar 127 SLT
A computerised telescope with automatic object tracking, especially useful for the Moon and planets.
App-Controlled
StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ
A smartphone-enabled reflector telescope for beginners who want help navigating the night sky.
Computerised Pick
Celestron NexStar 4SE
A compact computerised telescope that can locate and track many night sky objects once set up correctly.
Smart Dobsonian
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P
A compact GoTo tabletop Dobsonian combining useful aperture with app-controlled object finding.
Best Compact Planetary Telescopes
Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes are compact designs with long focal lengths. They are useful for viewing the Moon and planets, especially if storage space and portability matter.
Planetary Pick
Sky-Watcher Skymax 102
A compact Maksutov telescope well suited to lunar and planetary observing where portability is important.
Compact Upgrade
Sky-Watcher Skymax 127
A stronger compact telescope for detailed views of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn.
