Telescopes / For beginners
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Telescopes for for beginners

Checked 2026-10-24

User-friendly setups designed for those starting their astronomical journey 133 telescopes · 56 brands

For adults For beginners For kids Refractor For moon viewing Portable Tripod included For travel Budget With phone adapter Altazimuth mounts 90mm aperture 80mm aperture Equatorial mounts Reflector 70mm aperture Professional For bird watching For deep sky For astrophotography 600mm focal length Black Smart Digital Dobsonian 800mm focal length Monocular 400mm focal length White 50mm aperture STEM learning Tabletop mounts Maksutov-Cassegrain 130mm aperture 60mm aperture 900mm focal length 114mm aperture 300mm focal length Blue Waterproof 700mm focal length Red Green

Best Telescopes for for beginners

# Item Level House Notes See listing
1 Portable Refractor Telescope with 90mm Aperture 8.9 Dianfan Portable Refractor Telescope with 90mm Aperture $170 Dianfan For adults · Refractor · Portable
$170 See listing
2 High powered 90mm refractor 800mm length 9.2 MEEZAA High powered 90mm refractor 800mm length $170 MEEZAA For adults · Refractor · 90mm aperture
$170 See listing
3 Long focal length 80mm refractor with AZ mount 9.0 SOLOMARK Long focal length 80mm refractor with AZ mount $69.99 SOLOMARK For adults · Altazimuth mounts · 80mm aperture
$69.99 See listing
4 Portable travel refractor with 900mm focal length 9.1 Celticbird Portable travel refractor with 900mm focal length $140 Celticbird For adults · Refractor · Portable
$140 See listing
5 Tabletop Maksutov Cassegrain compound telescope 8.5 SARBLUE Tabletop Maksutov Cassegrain compound telescope $99.99 SARBLUE For adults · For kids · Portable
$99.99 See listing
6 One hundred thirty millimeter computerized reflector 8.9 Celestron One hundred thirty millimeter computerized reflector $640 Celestron For adults · For kids · Portable
$640 See listing
7 Compact 80mm aperture telescope for kids and adults 8.9 Hawkko Compact 80mm aperture telescope for kids and adults $79.99 Hawkko For adults · For kids · 80mm aperture
$79.99 See listing
8 Refractor telescope with 80mm aperture for beginners Koolpte Refractor telescope with 80mm aperture for beginners $90.24 Koolpte For adults · Refractor · For kids
$90.24 See listing
9 80mm Refractor with Altazimuth Mount Tripod 8.5 HUGERSTAR 80mm Refractor with Altazimuth Mount Tripod $89.99 HUGERSTAR For adults · Refractor · For kids
$89.99 See listing
10 Gray 80mm refractor telescope with backpack 8.7 EACONN Gray 80mm refractor telescope with backpack $99.99 EACONN For adults · Refractor · For kids
$99.99 See listing
Before you buy

First telescope questions

Is a refractor or a reflector easier for a beginner?

A refractor like the 60mm or 70mm Travel Scope needs no collimation and holds alignment through handling, which makes it the simpler choice to start with. A reflector such as the PowerSeeker 114EQ gathers more light for the same size but needs its mirrors aligned periodically. Both work on the same alt-azimuth or equatorial mounts you point by hand.

What can I actually see with a 60mm or 70mm scope?

These apertures show lunar craters, the phases of Venus, Jupiter and its moons, and Saturn's rings on a steady night. Brighter deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula are within reach from a dark site. Faint galaxies and nebulae need more aperture than this range offers.

Simple refractors and small reflectors to start with

The telescopes here are aimed at someone pointing a scope at the sky for the first time. Refractors dominate, from the 60mm Travel Scope up to the 90mm AstroMaster 90AZ, with a couple of small Newtonian reflectors like the PowerSeeker 114EQ and AstroMaster 114EQ mixed in. Manual alt-azimuth mounts and adjustable-height tripods keep the pointing and setup straightforward.

Aperture and tube sizes that stay manageable

Aperture in this group runs from 60mm to 114mm, which keeps the tubes light enough to carry outside in one trip. The 60mm and 70mm Travel Scope refractors are short-tube designs that fit into an included backpack, while the 80mm and 90mm refractors use longer tubes on a tripod. The 114mm reflectors gather more light than the small refractors but need collimation and a bit more care.

Kits, mounts, and what helps on a first night

Several models ship as kits with a smartphone adapter and a backpack, which makes it easy to grab the scope and head to a darker spot. The PowerSeeker 80AZS uses a wide-field short-tube design that is forgiving to point, and the 80EQ refractor is set up for Moon and planet viewing. Fully-coated glass optics appear across the refractors, and the included software package gives you a way to plan what to look at.

Related
For adults For kids Refractor For moon viewing Tripod included Portable With phone adapter For travel