Best consumer telescope - Whether you’re a beginner or an expert stargazer, coming up against the celestial bodies, and viewing them from closer than ever before, could be an exciting venture.
However, as astronomy is quite complex, the only thing that might be troublesome, if not paid attention to, is getting your hands on a telescope that doesn’t fit your needs for space exploration.
And this is where our expertise steps in. So, let us help you find the best consumer telescope without having you scroll through hundreds of options since, for this read, we’ve picked only the 2 best of them.
Without any further ado, let’s begin!
Best Consumer Telescope – Our Top Picks
1. SOLOMARK 80EQ Refractor Professional Telescope
If you want a powerful yet affordable professional telescope, the SOLOMARK 80EQ refractor telescope is our best bet since it comes with all the premium features, at a reasonable cost (because budget matters the most!).
With an 80mm objective lens, 700mm focal length, and two eyepieces (10mm and 20mm), it successfully gathers enough light to create a clear and bright image and magnifies it.
You can make fine adjustments in all directions in the sky during your star gazing sessions with a manual German equatorial mount with a slow-motion rod for smooth pointing.
Moreover, a hard and stable stainless steel tripod provides a safe and perfect angle in the sky.
Apart from that, the kit also includes a smartphone adapter to capture your favorite spots in the sky via your phone and a Barlow 3x lens with each eyepiece to triple the power.
You can get this telescope from Amazon for just $239.
Pros
- Easy to use and assemble.
- Sturdy built quality.
- Large aperture.
Cons
- Difficult to use in polluted areas
- Not the best option for expert astronomers.
2. Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Professional Reflector Telescope
The Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ professional reflector telescope is yet another great option, enough to fulfill the needs of a beginner and intermediate astronomer, leaving him wanting more views.
Its easy-to-use, compact, and portable design makes it the first choice of many astronomers.
It has a 130mm aperture, 650mm focal length, and two high glass-coated eyepieces that are satisfactory for a close view of the lunar surface and other celestial objects.
Its 610mm long optical tube acts as a light bucket and can produce even more bright and clear views.
Like the previous one, this telescope also has a fairly lightweight GC-3 equatorial mount that is fairly lightweight and provides a more versatile astrographic experience as it can track objects in all directions.
Moreover, an adjustable travel tripod allows the users to explore the space from different viewing directions. Its height can be adjusted from 32 inches to 51 inches.
You can get a Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ telescope from Amazon for just $279.
Pros
- Great aperture.
- Suitable for beginners and intermediate.
- Offers wide field of view.
Cons
- Low power eyepiece is not so good.
- The equatorial mount is difficult to handle for beginners.
- Optical quality is sometimes not the best.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the SOLOMARK 80EQ refractor telescope is our best recommendation as a consumer telescope as it has a suitable price and all the features that serve as the heart of astronomical observation.
But, if you are searching for a telescope with even better specs and higher optics, the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ reflector telescope is our recommendation for you, as it comes with better visual properties and is more reliable.
We hope this article helps you pick the right telescope for your astronomical observation.