Welcome to our best telescope guides, fully updated for 2020.
Choosing a new or replacement telescope is one of the hardest purchasing decisions we make as astronomers, which is why we at Love the Night Sky put so much effort into helping make the decision easier.
Detailed Telescope Reviews
We’ve created reviews of telescopes for all needs, looking in depth at dozens of individual models along the way. Choose from the list below to discover our view of the scopes hitting the right notes for backyard astronomers.
Best Telescopes of 2020
This is our roundup of the best telescopes of the year. We’ve reviewed 16 models, for the novices to professionals, to come up with our favorites.
Click here to see the full review.
Best Telescope for Beginners
If you’re brand new to astronomy and not sure where to begin, or if you’ll even enjoy the hobby, then this is the review article for you.
Click here to see the full review
Best Telescope to See Planets
So many of us enjoy the thrill of seeing jupiter, Saturn and the other bright planets of the solar system, that this is often the best place to start your astronomy adventures.
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Best Telescopes for Kids
Children are fascinated by astronomy from an early age. If your kids love talking about space and the planets, then take a look at our review of the telescopes for children.
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Best Telescope for The Money
For many of us, the biggest factor influencing our telescope buying is budget. We really need to know what’s the best ‘bang for our buck’? If you’ve got a strict budget, then our Best Telescopes for the Money review is perfect for you.
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Best Telescope for Deep Space Objects
Maybe the planets and solar system are old news for you. Do you already own a good scope for seeing our nearest neighbors and want to see more of deep space? If so, you need a the right telescope to get the best views of nebulae and galaxies, and this review guide is the one for you.
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Best Telescope for Astrophotography
Astrophotography is a natural path to follow for many backyard astronomers, but it brings with it a whole new kit requirement. The specifications for a good astrophotography scope are different to those for backyard observing, so see our full review of the best available.
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Best Astronomy Binoculars
Binoculars are a wonderful starting point for astronomy, especially if you don’t want to commit larger sums of money to the hobby just yet. A decent pair of binoculars will show you lots more than your eyes, including wonderful views of star clusters like the Pleiades, and help you decide if astronomy is the hobby for you.
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How Much Does a Good Telescope Cost?
This is a popular question, especially amongst new astronomers. We surveyed the market ot see how much aperture your budget will buy for each different kind of scope. Check out the results using the link below.
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What Makes a Telescope the ‘Best’?
The reason it’s hard to choose a telescope is that we need to consider a number of different factors to make the ‘right’ choice for us.
Questions you might consider include:
- What will you mainly use the scope for, moon & planets, galaxies and nebulae, etc?
- How dark is your sky?
- How often will you want to use it and how far will you need to travel before setting up your telescope?
- What experience do you already have?
- How big is your budget?
We’ve put together a simple guide to working out which is the best telescope for you. Answer a few simple questions and discover which kind of telescope will serve you most effectively.
However, if you already have a good idea of what you’re looking for, then check out one of our more detailed review articles, linked to above.