We, humans, have always been curious about the galaxy, stars, planets, and universe. Each planet provides a unique feature. The Saturn Rings, the surface information on Mars, and the Jupiter cloud bands are just a few common features.
If you like to see our Moon or planets like Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn you need a telescope.
There are many good telescopes available on the market, so we made a list of the best ones. To give you our top recommendations, we compared image quality, functionality, magnification, and prices.
Telescopes for Viewing Planets Top Picks
1. Sky-Watcher Collapsible Telescope
The 10′′ Sky-Watcher is a good telescope for viewing planets. It is a Newtonian reflector telescope that collects light through the mirror. It contains a 10-inch objective mirror that deposits the front surface of each primary mirror and elliptical diagonal mirror vacuum and then overlays with hard quartz.
This telescope is built for amateurs and advanced users. It provides a wide opening, short focal length, excellent optical performance and excellent light collection quality at an inexpensive cost.
Other advantages include: They are durable and well-preserved in the elements. They are quite portable and compact. And they create awesome pictures.
It offers a wide range of excellent views to see larger phenomena – for example, amazing views of the Andromeda galaxy.
It’s one of the best telescopes for viewing planets.
- Easy to setup
- Large aperture
- Collapsible
- Viewfinder
- Need to collimate
Specifications:
- Optical Design: Newtonian Reflector
- Aperture: 10 Inch / 254 mm
- Focal Length: 47Inch / 1200 mm
- Focal Ratio: 4.72
- Eyepiece Barrel Diameter: 1.25 Inch
- Eyepiece: 25 mm-48x
- Eyepiece 2: 10 mm-120x
- Maximum Useful Magnification: 600x
- Limiting Stellar Magnitude: 14.5
- Finderscope: 8×50 RA Viewfinder
- Mount Type: Dobsonian
- Weight: 42 lb / 19 kg
Reviewers report enjoying a clear view of the Andromeda galaxy, planets, and moon. Its a perfect telescope for any amateur astronomer who has only a limited budget looking to observe deep-sky objects.
2. Celestron Computerized Telescope
The NexStar 130SLT is a reflector telescope that uses mirrors to gather sufficient light to produce outstanding quality shots. The telescope has a wide aperture, and its easy set-up makes it worthwhile to enjoy the stargazing experience.
The 130SLT is a computerized telescope that provides a database of over 40,000 stars, galaxies, nebulae, and more. The telescope locates and tracks your object with pinpoint.
Celestron’s Computerized Telescope combines reasonable optics with a computer mount to give beginners a fascinating taste of what is to see in the cosmos.
The telescope, although cost-effective, can obtain spectacular views of distant objects. Additionally, a 130 mm aperture allows 30% more light inside than the previous SLT version with an aperture of 114 mm. Furthermore, with its single-fork arm and pre-assembled tripod, the 130SLT is easy to set up.
This computerized telescope’s power allows you to see the details of the lunar surface, Saturn’s rings, Mars ‘ polar ice caps, Jupiter’s cloud belts, and several Messier objects, such as the Hercules globular cluster (M13) or Orion’s Great Nebula (M42).
See Also: Best Budget Telescope Eyepieces
The computerized mounting technology of Altazimuth and Star Pointer makes it easy to locate objects during the night. It can automatically concentrate simultaneously on three items. Every time the telescope is used, the user will have to add this information manually in the date and time as it does not save this information.
It is also a good choice for experienced astronomers who wants a simple, compact model, weighing only 18 lbs (8.16 kg) pounds when fully assembled. It can be compact and even smaller, lighter parts can be dissembled.
- Easy to mount and align
- High-quality optics with improved precision
- Computerized tracking
- Widefield views
- Sensitive to vibration
- A bit heavier than similar telescopes
- Short battery life
Specs:
- Magnification: 26x, 72x
- Focal length: 650mm (26”)
- Aperture: 130mm (5.12”)
- Weight: 18 lbs (8.16 kg)
- Focal ratio: f/5
Its portability also makes it a good choice for those looking for a telescope to carry with them easily.
3. Gskyer Telescope
Gskyer is a beginner telescope and you can use it to watch the moon, stars, meteors, and planets. The telescope provides great visibility, allowing you to see the moon’s surface, Saturn’s rings, and Jupiter’s satellites. You can also use it to watch birds, reptiles, and insects on the ground.
The Gskyer is a complete set designed to provide a long-term viewing experience for beginners. It is installed on the dovetail frame with a locking knob and a safety screw. It allows the brace and the tripod to be installed for easy use and quick focusing.
The unit sports coated anti-reflection blue-film components to enhance image quality and clarity. It means that there is no internal distortion that could distort the generated objects. For a different viewing situation, the package is delivered with three eyepieces each. It helps the unit to be modified. You will use the device to watch the moon and the stars and adjust the eye part to get closer to distant wildlife.
- Solid construction for durability
- Extendable stainless steel tripod is adaptable and long-lasting
- Offered with all necessary accessories
- Ideal for beginners as well as experienced users
- Wide aperture and long focal length for clear and crisp images
- No Software for image enhancement and photography
- The tube ring makes it relatively longer to set up this telescope
Specs:
- Aperture: 80mm (3.15 inch)
- Focal length: 900mm (35.4inch)
- Focal Ratio: F11.25
- Eyepiece: K25mm, K10mm, K5mm
- Barlow lens: 3X
- Finder scope: 5 * 24
- Zenith Mirror: 48° Erecting Prism
- Tripod: Stainless Steel Tripod
- Weight: 25.5 pounds
This telescope is simple and easy to set up, even for beginners. It will encourage children to enjoy learning about space, perfect holiday or birthday gift idea for children who love science and astronomy!
Although it is a beginner telescope, you can view clear pictures and use the unit professionally when upgraded. It mirrors other Gsky telescopes with an aluminum structure that is strong and durable.
4. Zhumell Z12 Dobsonian Telescope
The Zhumell Z12 Dobsonian provides plenty of stunning pictures with its generous 12 “(305 mm) aperture.
It is designed to show exactly what consumers want.
The Zhumell Z12 Dobsonian telescope features a massive 12 “primary parabolic mirror capturing a significant amount of light and producing crisp, bright images free of visual defects such as spherical aberration.
It is equipped with a 2 “30 mm eye-piece, two fully covered eye-pieces that provide a wide-field view. The 12 “parabolic primary mirror captures sufficient light for crisp, bright images that are free from visual impairments such as spherical aberrations. The design of the Z12 is straightforward and simple. It is well built to feel sturdy.
The Zhumell contains a laser collimator that makes it much easier to align the mirrors in the telescope. This scope tends to maintain its collimation and requires no constant adjustments. There is also a cooling ventilator for quick thermal balance.
Although it is quite heavy (about 75 pounds), it can be divided into two pieces for transportation.
Specs:
- Aperture: 12” (305 mm)
- Focal Length: 1500 mm
- Focal Ratio: 4.95
- Magnification: 50x (30 mm) //167x (9 mm)
- Limiting Magnitude: 14.9
- Lowest Useful Magnification: 43x
- Highest Theoretical Magnification: 600x
- Light Grasp Compared to Smaller Model: 44%
- Assembled Weight: 75 lbs
5. Celestron NexStar 5SE Telescope
Celestron’s NexStar 5SE telescope combines portability and quality to create a small, easy-to-use telescope that will still appeal to even experienced star-watching enthusiasts. Combined with its five-inch aperture and automatic alignment capabilities, the single fork arm and disassembly of the scope makes it the ideal telescope for anyone looking to enjoy a quick star-gazing session and a quality star-gazing experience.
The NexStar 5SE is one of the portable but powerful telescopes series of Celestron. The scope was designed to be lightweight, small and easy to move from place to place and easy to set up to provide an ideal option for stargazers who are sick of dragging around larger telescopes or who have only a short time to enjoy the night sky. Like the other telescopes in this series, the 5SE enables transport with a single fork mount and the ability to disassemble into several pieces that can be transported in a relatively small space.
The 5SE offers consumers a high-quality star gazing experience that should satisfy even hardcore star gazers in addition to its ease of use. For instance, the range receives customer appreciation for the clarity of the images it provides. It offers a 5-inch aperture to make maximum use of the available light to obtain the best images possible.
The eyepiece offers 50x magnification and the SkyAlign software helps even beginner stargazers to quickly and easily match their range by concentrating it on three objects during the night.
The Celestron NexStar 5SE is an excellent telescope for enthusiasts looking for a reasonably priced and easy-to-use telescope.
Specs:
- Item number: 11036
- Weight: 15 pounds
- Dimensions: 32 in. x 26 in. x 13 in.
- Aperture: 125 mm (4.92 in.)
- Eyepiece magnification: 50x
- ASIN: BOOGUHOYE
- Materials: Steel
- Mount: Single fork arm
- Warranty: 2-year warranty on the telescope for damage and defects
- Focal ratio: 10
- Slew speeds: 9
- Batteries: 8 AA batteries
- Weight: 27.6 lbs
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
What Can You See With a Telescope?
In an optical way, all-stars, some structures on Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, multi-star clusters, globular and transparent, light nebulae, galaxies, and close galactic clusters and the Moon. There’s wildlife athletics etc. terrestrially, but note that daylight exploration is often performed in environments that can radiate heat so that people from a very distance can shine.
How Much Power Does the Telescope Have?
A telescope has 3 power types and the power of a normal human eye is measured. They raise power, gain power, and conquer problems. The three are important but managing control is the most important thing. The longer a telescope is focused, the larger the picture is magnified by a particular eyepiece. The maximum length of 2x per mm of telescope aperture is, however, acceptable. Normally, it is of little benefit to use an eyepiece that increments beyond this mark.
The amount of light a telescope can absorb depends on the size of the aperture and the higher the resolution. You will then focus on these three forces that you see through the telescope. A 150 mm aperture telescope, for example, has a maximum useful lens power of 300x, a light recovery capacitance of 600x and resolving power of 0.8 arc-seconds compared to the human eye and with the 2x per mm law.
What is the Advantage of a Large Aperture Telescope?
The bigger the aperture, the larger the practical range. Because a larger aperture telescope absorbs more light and focuses on it, more faint objects can be seen than smaller openings. For clear vision, a larger opening target has better visibility when the weather isn’t noisy. This helps you see more details.
Which Mount Should You Buy for Your Telescope?
If your telescope is for use only on land, use the altazimuth mount, but the equatorial mounting is the correct option, whether it is used for astronomical or dual-use. Make sure that you are installing the telescope you have selected is solid enough. Heavier or longer telescopes need better mounts in order to stay stable in high enlargements. When in doubt, over-mount the unit. If you want more stability, pick the size to mount up.
How Can You Transport Safely Your Telescope?
The telescope can be transported in two primary sections–tube and assembly of the telescope. Remove the thumb tubing tubes from the mount and release the tubes on the rings. The attachments (screen, bracket, and eyepiece) are recommended for removal from the optical tube. Protect with their caps the telescope tube and the eyelid. Fine-tuning cables and counterweight rod are also easy to remove. To bring the 3 tripod legs upright, remove the adapter tray. Without an issue, the telescope can be placed in a car. Padded insulation can avoid tube cracks, but this isn’t necessary. The reflective mirrors may be released after a humpy journey, but after transport, collimation may be required with or without padding.
How Can You Store Your Telescope?
The optical tube and mount are not required to be removed while the telescope is placed. In a safe, dry and dust-free climate, it can be contained in one package. Protect it with a heavy-duty plastic sheet to avoid wetting if it is to be kept outdoors. Ensure that the front dust cap and the rear opening cover of the telescopic are disabled. Accessories in a box, with all their caps on, can be kept separately. The telescope should be held in two pieces by several men, keeping the telescope tube upside down to avoid dust falling on the primary mirror. But it’s not shown that it benefits necessarily.
How to Find Objects in the Sky?
The atmosphere has a circular coordinate scheme similar to the Latitude and Longitude scheme on the Earth’s surface. On the celestial sphere, the coordinates are Declination, which is equal to and expressed in latitude, and ascension, which is similar to Longitude but expressed in hours. The divine equator is the reflection into the outer realm of the Earth’s equator. Due to the positions and other distant celestial bodies as they appear in this celestial sphere, the stars’ location varies gradually with the distance. With time, they change very slowly. Their listed stars charts are updated every 50 years.
On the other hand, planets change their position so rapidly that they must acquire their coordinates from astronomy’s latest periodicals. To help locate astronomical objects, the setting circles at your équatorial mount can be harmonized with the celestial universe.
What Do You Need to Take Photographs Through Your Telescope?
The majority of telescopes can be used for single-lens reflection (SLR) camera purposes. All you need is a camera frame, a T-ring specially designed for your device (allows it to be attached to a T-thread) and often a T-adapter combination designed to support your camera (supplies the T-thread).
This setup is ideal for terrestrial use, the Moon, or the properly filtered Sun, but time exposures with an equatorial mount and a right ascension engine for faint astronomical objects are required to correct the Earth rotating. You can use double axis motor drives and a hand lever to monitor the telescope for exposures longer than a few seconds.
How Much Magnification Can You Use With Your Telescope?
Each telescope is different, but a rough thumb rule is about 30-50X per inch of lens diameter. However, for bright objects, a good reflector could use 100x per inch, so it is not a difficult law. The magnification is always beyond these limits, but if you do not see more it is pointless. This law breaks down for larger instruments because the distortion of the atmosphere restricts realistic enlargements to 300X.
Here are some other telescopes available on today’s market:
