The Best Consumer Telescope For 2024

Sara Ryan By, Sara Ryan
Updated
Best Consumer Telescope
Best Consumer Telescope

Our Top Picks

1. Best Overall: Gskyer Travel Telescope

This telescope is designed with fully coated optics glass lens that create stunning images. It comes with two replaceable eyepieces and one 3x Barlow lens, which trebles the magnifying power of each eyepiece. Plus, it also includes a free smart phone adapter and adjustable aluminum alloy tripod for optimal support. Read Review

2. Best Bang For The Buck: Celestron Portable Refractor Telescope

This telescope features a large, 70mm aperture objective lens that provides brighter and more detailed views of planets, stars and beyond. It comes complete with fully-coated glass optics and a full-height tripod for easy setup and use. Plus, it's equipped with two high-quality eyepieces that provide low- and high-power views for up-close viewing. Read Review

3. Budget Pick: NASA Lunar Telescope

This telescope is made with high-quality optical glass and comes complete with a finder scope, low power and high-power eyepieces, and a tabletop tripod for easy assembly and use. With its smooth mounting system, you'll be able to explore the night sky in incredible detail. Read Review

4. Best For Beginner: Celestron Portable Refractor Telescope

This ultra-portable telescope is designed with fully coated glass optics that provide vivid images and crystal clear views of distant galaxies and nebulae. Its manual Alt-azimuth mount and steel tripod make it easy to navigate the night sky with ease, while its deluxe accessory kit ensures you have everything you need to get started right away. Read Review

5. Best Easy To Assemble: HEXEUM Portable Telescope

Featuring two excellent-quality eyepieces which treble the magnifying power of each eyepiece, you can get an up-close and personal look at distant objects in incredible detail. The telescope also comes with a phone adapter and an adjustable aluminum tripod for easy portability, as well as a wireless remote control and carrying bag for convenience. Read Review

Telescopes are a great way to explore the night sky, and there is a wide range of different telescope models to choose from. However, when it comes to finding the best consumer telescope, there are some key features to consider. From the aperture and magnification capabilities to the mount and accessories included, there are many factors that should be taken into account when searching for the perfect telescope.

Luckily, we’ve done the research and compiled a list of the best consumer telescopes for 2024. Whether you’re a seasoned astronomer or just a beginner, you’ll be sure to find the perfect telescope to suit your needs and budget. So, get ready to explore the stars with the best consumer telescope!.

After nearly 18 hours of research, We think the best consumer telescope is Gskyer Travel Telescope. It has high-quality optics to produce the best images and is portable and easy to assemble to carry everywhere. Or you can check the Celestron Portable Refractor Telescope as the other great option, even if the first option didn't meet all of your requirements.

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 Gskyer Travel Telescope
Our Score:
9.7
Gskyer

Wireless Remote: Free includes one smart phone adapter and one Wireless camera remote to explore the nature of the world easily through the screen and take amazing celestial images.

Magnification: Come with two replaceable eyepieces and one 3x Barlow lens.3x Barlow lens trebles the magnifying power of each eyepiece. 5x24 finder scope with mounting bracket and cross-hair lines inside make locating objects easily.

Satisfaction: TWO-YEAR warranty. Technical support from our team of experts in 24 hours.

Quality Optics: 400mm(f/5.7) focal length and 70mm aperture, fully coated optics glass lens with high transmission coatings creates stunning images and protect your eyes. Perfect telescope for astronomers to explore stars and moon.

Adjustable Tripod: This telescope allows for many different viewing positions with a adjustable aluminum alloy tripod and a carry bag, the telescope and tripod can fit inside the bag for easy traveling and storage.

TOP Choice #2 Celestron Portable Refractor Telescope
Our Score:
9.6
Celestron

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.

Unbeatable warranty and customer support: Buy with confidence from the telescope brand, based in California since 1960. You’ll also receive a 2-year warranty and unlimited access to technical support from our team of US-based experts.

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.

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.

Bonus bag, tripod, and software: This Celestron telescope and full-height tripod can be taken anywhere in the included travel backpack. Accessories also include a FREE download of one of the top consumer rated astronomy software programs.

TOP Choice #3 NASA Lunar Telescope
Our Score:
9.4
Discover with Dr. Cool

PERFECT FOR BEGINNERS – This telescope is easy to assemble and use, making it ideal for young scientists and parents to enjoy together

100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - You and your child will love this Lunar Telescope! We take pride in the quality of our products and our mission to inspire a child’s natural love of science. If you or your child had a negative experience with one of our products, we want to know so we can make it right.

INSPIRE CURIOSITY – The NASA Lunar Telescope allows your child to see the moon in incredible detail; the perfect gift for girls and boys interested in space, the moon, and astronomy

HIGH-QUALITY OPTICAL GLASS AND FINDER SCOPE – This easy-to-use telescope comes with a finder scope, low power, and high-power eyepieces; when used correctly, this combination will allow your child to easily locate the moon and then zoom in for a close-up view

TABLETOP TRIPOD & SMOOTH MOUNT SYSTEM – Use the included tripod to steady your Lunar Telescope for optimal viewing, with a smooth mounting system that allows easy scanning of the entire lunar surface

4 Celestron Portable Refractor Telescope
Our Score:
9.2
Celestron
5 HEXEUM Portable Telescope
Our Score:
9.1
HEXEUM

High Magnification: Our telescope for kids and adults is quipped with two excellent-quality eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) and a 3x Barlow lens.it trebles the magnifying power of each eyepiece. Also with 5x24 finderscope makes locating objects easily.

Portable And Convenient: Comes with a phone adapter and an adjustable aluminum tripod. Wireless remote control and carrying bag make it easier for you portable and capture amazing images.

Satisfaction Quality: lifetime maintenance. If you have any questions about the product and service, please feel free to contact us, we will do our best to help you in 24 hours!

Great Gift Ideas: The telescope is a perfect gift or birthday gift for kids or beginner astronomers. It helps them build interest in astronomy and science, exploring the unknown, enjoy nature and away from the screen. The kids' astronomical journey starts from here!

Excellent Quality Optics: Astronomical telescope features 500mm(f/7.1) focal length and 70mm aperture, provides stunning views and protects your eyes.18

6 ECOOPRO Telescope
Our Score:
9.0
ECOOPRO

360mm focal length and 70mm aperture, fully coated optical glass with high transmission coatings telescope which creates crisp images with increased brightness and clarity.

70mm telescope excels at daytime birding use as well as viewing wildlife, scenery and casual nighttime observing of the Moon

No-tools quick set up and easy find your objects, perfect telescope for kids and astronomy beginners and it’s good gift to send your children.

Includes two 1.25" eyepieces (K25mm & K10mm) which you can enjoy the magnification from 51X to 128X, And 5X24 Finder Scope can made the starscope telescope locate objects faster.

Come with adjustable tripod , it allows for any viewing position. Great gifts refractor telescope for kids 8-12, 5-7.

7 Gskyer RefractorTelescope
Our Score:
8.9
Gskyer

【Satisfaction Quality】Reliable and friendly customer service within a 24 hour time frame. 1-YEAR care for free replacement.

【Adjustable Tripod】This telescope allows for many different viewing positions with a adjustable tripod. Adjustable full size tripod ensures a stable platform.

【Optimum Magnification】Three replaceable eyepiece (16X, 40X, 80X) with a 3X Barlow lens. 6*30 finder scope with mounting bracket, erect-image diagonal make locating objects more easily.

【Ultra-clear Refracting Telescope】With 400 mm focal length and 80 mm aperture to capture more light picture and optical glass coated for enhanced image brightness to protect your eyes.

【Applicable Use】This telescope is quick and easy to set up even for the novice and will encourage kids to love learning about space, great gift idea for kids who love science and astronomy!

8 ToyerBee Refractor Telescope
Our Score:
8.8
ToyerBee

Easy to assemble& dismount】 We have a full set of paper and video Installation Guidelines. Don't worry about any installation problems. Even for first-time users, kids&beginners can install it themselves without any tools. It is a great telescope for 8-12 kids and it’s a great astronomy gift to send them.

【Great Telescope for Kids& Beginners!】 The telescope meets all the needs of astronomy beginners, the adults & kids’ astronomical journey begins from here! Equipped with 3X Barlow len and two eyepieces, H20mm and H6mm, you can get magnification of 15X to 150X. This is a great telescope for adults astronomy beginners.Whether it's viewing planets and stars, our telescope is the best helper for adults & kids.

【Wireless Control】This telescope set includes one smartphone adapter and one Wireless camera remote. Just install your mobile phone on the phone adapter, connect to the the eyepieces of the telescope. These help you explore the nature of the world easily through the screen and you can take some amazing images.

【70mm Large Aperture】The telescope equipped with 70mm aperture and 300mm focal length, which provide more lights and clearer images, even beginners can get clear images. The bigger the aperture, the bigger the field of vision, and the clearer the image.

【Reliable Service Team】You can get unlimited technical support from our customer service and online expert team. Regardless of any questions, please contact us.

9 HEXEUM Portable Telescope
Our Score:
8.6
HEXEUM

Excellent Quality Optics: This telescope is 600mm(f/6.7) focal length and 80mm aperture, 80mm aperture to capture more light picture and multi-fully high transmission coated all-optical lens enhance image brightness and clarity. 18

Satisfaction Quality: lifetime maintenance. If you have any questions about the product and service, please feel free to contact us, we will do our best to help you in 24 hours!

Easy To Set Up: In order to save your time. Even for novices, no tools are required to set up the telescope. quick and easy to focus. Truly realize a no-tool-set telescope.

Portable And Convenient: Comes with a phone adapter and an adjustable aluminum tripod. Wireless remote control and carrying bag make it easier for you portable and capture amazing images.

Optimum Magnification: Our telescope for kids and adults is quipped with two replaceable excellent-quality eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) for 24X and 60X magnification. 3x Barlow lens trebles the magnifying power of each eyepiece. magnificate moon up to 72 or 180 times. Also with 5x24 finder scope makes locating objects easy.

10 Zhumell Refractor Telescope
Our Score:
8.5
Zhumell

Superior optics: The Zhumell 50AZ features high-quality, coated glass optics, a potent 50mm objective lens, a lightweight frame, a smartphone adapter, and a custom case to carry it all

50mm objective lens: Our refractor telescope is equipped with a 50mm aperture objective lens for enhanced, bright views. Setting up and using the Zhumell 50AZ is quick and easy

Powerful eyepieces for up-close viewing: Our telescope for astronomy beginners is equipped with two high-quality eyepieces (20mm and 8mm) that provide low- and high-power views of celestial objects at night and terrestrial objects during the day

Bonus bag, tripod, 3x Barlow lens, and smartphone adapter: This kit is ultra-portable and ready for all your adventures. Capture images and video through the eyepiece!

Trust Zhumell for field-tested, precision-crafted optics to help you view the world in a new way with amazing clarity and detail

What to Look For in a best consumer telescope?

Portability And Weight

A telescope that is easy to transport and set up takes would be a good choice. You will be less motivated to use your telescope when it is set up and taking too much time.
You'll find it difficult to take a heavy, bulky telescope outside when the temperatures drop. Advanced amateur astronomers build observatories at home to keep their large telescopes up at all times.
Extra-large mounts and telescopes are not recommended for those with health problems or who cannot lift heavy objects. It is better to choose something smaller and lighter. It will be more useful.

Objective

The objective is the main light-collecting element of a telescope. A larger objective will allow for greater detail and reveal smaller targets. A reflector design makes it possible to have a larger telescope objective for a more affordable price. However, a refractor with the same size would be expensive.

Aperture

This aperture is recognizable by photographers. It controls how much light enters the telescope, just like on a manual camera. The aperture is the diameter of either the primary or lens mirror. A telescope with a larger aperture will draw more light, which can result in deeper views. The most important spec to be aware of is F-ratio. For wide-field observation and photography, low f-ratios such as f/4 and f/5 are best. However, high f-ratios such as f/15 make deep-space objects and nebulae easier to capture and see. Both can be done with midpoint f-ratios.

Optical Design

There are many optical options for telescopes. These include reflectors and refractors as well as compound telescopes. Each telescope has its strengths and weaknesses. Refractors are my favorite type of telescope from an astrophotography standpoint, but they might not be the best choice for beginners.
Three types of optics are available for consumer telescopes. They will assist you in achieving three different goals. Refractor telescopes make it easy to focus celestial bodies such as the moon and nearby planets using a variety of glass lenses. Refractor telescopes, also known as Newtonian scopes after their inventor Sir Isaac Newton, swap lenses for mirrors. This allows stargazers to see further into space. The versatile compound telescope combines both of these methods with a compact, portable design that puts it right in the middle.

Eyepieces

There are many telescope eyepieces on the market. There are many options for magnification and viewing angles. A set of telescope eyepieces allows you to see large areas of the night sky and high magnification views on planets. If taken care of properly, a quality telescope eyepiece will last a lifetime.

Mount

There are many types of telescope mounts available. Some even have computerized models that track and follow the movement of the skies. A sturdy Dobsonian or altazimuth mount will make stargazing enjoyable. Telescopes not mounted on a computerized mount should not be moved or adjusted for focus.
An equatorial tracking mounting mount is necessary for astrophotography. The telescope will track objects in night sky when it is properly polar aligned. This will "freeze" an object in space, allowing for long exposure photographs.

FAQs

What is a telescope?

A telescope is an optical instrument used to observe distant objects by collecting and magnifying light. It consists of an objective lens, an eyepiece, and an adjustable mount.

What kind of telescope should I buy?

The type of telescope you should buy depends on your specific needs. If you are a beginner, a small refractor or Dobsonian telescope is a good starting point. If you want to observe planets and the Moon in greater detail, a larger aperture telescope is recommended.

How do I set up a telescope?

Setting up a telescope is a relatively simple process. Make sure you have all the necessary components, such as the telescope, tripod, and eyepieces. After you have set up the telescope mount and tripod, make sure your telescope is securely attached. Adjust the focus knob until the image is clear.

What is the best way to view the night sky?

The best way to view the night sky is through a telescope. A telescope will allow you to see stars, planets, and other celestial objects in greater detail. Make sure you are in a dark area with minimal light pollution, and have the right eyepieces for the telescope.

How do I take care of my telescope?

To keep your telescope in good working condition, make sure you store it in a dry, dust-free environment. Additionally, make sure you clean the lenses regularly and store it away from extreme temperatures. Lastly, always make sure to cover the telescope when not in use.


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About Sara Ryan

Sara Ryan

Sara Ryan is a freelance writer for CampFireHQ and avid diver. She first discovered her love for diving while on vacation in the Caribbean and has been hooked ever since. Sara loves exploring new dive sites and observing the fascinating creatures that live beneath the waves. As a native of Colorado, Sara enjoys spending her free time hiking and camping in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. She also enjoys writing about her adventures in diving and wildlife conservation.

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