Top 10 Telescopes for Backyard Stargazers

If you want the most aperture for the least money, nothing beats a Dobsonian. Sky-Watcher's 8-inch classic delivers light-gathering power that punches far above its $400-500 price range. The simple rocker-box mount has no motors or electronics — just smooth manual push-to navigation. You'll see detail in galaxies, resolve globular clusters into individual stars, and watch Saturn's Cassini Division with ease. The trade-off is size: this is a big tube. But for raw optical performance per dollar, it's unbeatable.

A 6-inch tabletop Dobsonian that's perfect for families and beginners who want more than a toy telescope but aren't ready to commit to a full-sized rig. The compact reflector sits on any table or sturdy surface and delivers surprisingly sharp views of the Moon, planets, and brighter deep-sky objects. At around $300, it's one of the best value propositions in amateur astronomy. The wide-field views at low power make it excellent for scanning the Milky Way on dark summer nights.

Celestron's cleverest innovation in years: instead of a motorized GoTo mount, the StarSense uses your smartphone's camera to plate-solve the sky in real time. Point the scope anywhere, and the app shows you exactly what you're looking at and guides you to thousands of objects with on-screen arrows. No alignment procedure, no batteries, no WiFi needed. The 130mm Newtonian optics are solid for the price (~$450), but the real star is the StarSense technology — it makes finding objects genuinely fun.

The Tesla of telescopes. This fully automated smart scope uses "Enhanced Vision" to stack exposures in real time, showing you nebulae and galaxies in color on its built-in eyepiece — something impossible with traditional optics at this aperture. Point it at a faint galaxy and watch it materialize over 30 seconds. GPS alignment, automatic GoTo, and a companion app make it truly point-and-observe. At $2,500, it's expensive, but for people who want results without learning astrophotography, nothing else comes close.

Meade's mid-range German equatorial mount paired with a choice of refractor or reflector OTAs. The LX85 mount is the real story — it's one of the most affordable GoTo equatorial mounts capable of basic astrophotography. The AudioStar controller has a 30,000-object database and guided tours of the best objects for your location and time. The 8-inch Schmidt-Newtonian version offers excellent planetary views. It's heavier and more complex to set up than alt-az scopes, but the tracking capability is worth the effort.

A sleek, all-in-one smart telescope that looks more like a designer speaker than an astronomical instrument. The Vespera uses a 50mm refractor with a Sony sensor to capture and stack images automatically, controlled entirely via smartphone app. No eyepiece — everything is viewed on your phone or tablet. It's not for purists who want to "look through" a telescope, but for social astronomers who want to share stunning deep-sky images at star parties without any technical knowledge. Runs about $1,500.

The Apertura AD8 is the Dobsonian that telescope forums won't shut up about — and for good reason. It ships with a better focuser, finder scope, and eyepiece kit than comparably priced 8-inch Dobs. The dual-speed Crayford focuser is a standout at this price point (~$500), making fine focusing on planets silky smooth. The included laser collimator saves you a separate purchase. It's essentially the Sky-Watcher Dob with premium accessories baked in. The community considers it the best value 8-inch Dob on the market.

A WiFi-enabled 130mm Newtonian that you control entirely from Celestron's SkyPortal app on your phone — no hand controller needed. The app identifies objects overhead and slews the telescope to them automatically. At around $350, it's one of the most affordable computerized scopes available. The 130mm mirror gathers enough light for decent views of Jupiter's bands, Saturn's rings, and brighter nebulae. It's not the most precise GoTo system, but for beginners who want guided stargazing on a budget, it's hard to beat.

A collapsible 6-inch Dobsonian that folds down small enough to fit in a backpack. The FlexTube design retracts the upper tube assembly, cutting the stored length nearly in half. Extended, it delivers the same views as any 150mm reflector. At around $280, it's possibly the best telescope for people who live in apartments or want to drive to dark-sky sites without renting a truck. The parabolic primary mirror punches well above its price class. The only compromise is the tabletop mount — bring a sturdy surface.

If you want the most aperture for the least money, nothing beats a Dobsonian. Sky-Watcher's 8-inch classic delivers light-gathering power that punches far above its $400-500 price range. The simple rocker-box mount has no motors or electronics — just smooth manual push-to navigation. You'll see detail in galaxies, resolve globular clusters into individual stars, and watch Saturn's Cassini Division with ease. The trade-off is size: this is a big tube. But for raw optical performance per dollar, it's unbeatable.

A 6-inch tabletop Dobsonian that's perfect for families and beginners who want more than a toy telescope but aren't ready to commit to a full-sized rig. The compact reflector sits on any table or sturdy surface and delivers surprisingly sharp views of the Moon, planets, and brighter deep-sky objects. At around $300, it's one of the best value propositions in amateur astronomy. The wide-field views at low power make it excellent for scanning the Milky Way on dark summer nights.

Celestron's cleverest innovation in years: instead of a motorized GoTo mount, the StarSense uses your smartphone's camera to plate-solve the sky in real time. Point the scope anywhere, and the app shows you exactly what you're looking at and guides you to thousands of objects with on-screen arrows. No alignment procedure, no batteries, no WiFi needed. The 130mm Newtonian optics are solid for the price (~$450), but the real star is the StarSense technology — it makes finding objects genuinely fun.

The Tesla of telescopes. This fully automated smart scope uses "Enhanced Vision" to stack exposures in real time, showing you nebulae and galaxies in color on its built-in eyepiece — something impossible with traditional optics at this aperture. Point it at a faint galaxy and watch it materialize over 30 seconds. GPS alignment, automatic GoTo, and a companion app make it truly point-and-observe. At $2,500, it's expensive, but for people who want results without learning astrophotography, nothing else comes close.

Meade's mid-range German equatorial mount paired with a choice of refractor or reflector OTAs. The LX85 mount is the real story — it's one of the most affordable GoTo equatorial mounts capable of basic astrophotography. The AudioStar controller has a 30,000-object database and guided tours of the best objects for your location and time. The 8-inch Schmidt-Newtonian version offers excellent planetary views. It's heavier and more complex to set up than alt-az scopes, but the tracking capability is worth the effort.

A sleek, all-in-one smart telescope that looks more like a designer speaker than an astronomical instrument. The Vespera uses a 50mm refractor with a Sony sensor to capture and stack images automatically, controlled entirely via smartphone app. No eyepiece — everything is viewed on your phone or tablet. It's not for purists who want to "look through" a telescope, but for social astronomers who want to share stunning deep-sky images at star parties without any technical knowledge. Runs about $1,500.

The Apertura AD8 is the Dobsonian that telescope forums won't shut up about — and for good reason. It ships with a better focuser, finder scope, and eyepiece kit than comparably priced 8-inch Dobs. The dual-speed Crayford focuser is a standout at this price point (~$500), making fine focusing on planets silky smooth. The included laser collimator saves you a separate purchase. It's essentially the Sky-Watcher Dob with premium accessories baked in. The community considers it the best value 8-inch Dob on the market.

A WiFi-enabled 130mm Newtonian that you control entirely from Celestron's SkyPortal app on your phone — no hand controller needed. The app identifies objects overhead and slews the telescope to them automatically. At around $350, it's one of the most affordable computerized scopes available. The 130mm mirror gathers enough light for decent views of Jupiter's bands, Saturn's rings, and brighter nebulae. It's not the most precise GoTo system, but for beginners who want guided stargazing on a budget, it's hard to beat.

A collapsible 6-inch Dobsonian that folds down small enough to fit in a backpack. The FlexTube design retracts the upper tube assembly, cutting the stored length nearly in half. Extended, it delivers the same views as any 150mm reflector. At around $280, it's possibly the best telescope for people who live in apartments or want to drive to dark-sky sites without renting a truck. The parabolic primary mirror punches well above its price class. The only compromise is the tabletop mount — bring a sturdy surface.