Best Telescopes for Adults - Every stargazer wants a good telescope to enjoy the colors and patterns of celestials. But not all telescopes are created equal, and to find out the best one, a lot of research must be done beforehand.

Generally, the best choice is one that matches your setup and handling skills as well as your budget. Another important consideration is what you want to see. Because some microscopes will help you see fainter objects but may not show many details, others do the reverse.

To help you decide, we have shortlisted two of the best telescopes for adults to observe planets and galaxies more vividly;

Best telescopes for adults - Our top picks

Orion 09007 SpaceProbe 130ST Equatorial Reflector Telescop

Orion 09007 SpaceProbe 130ST is our first choice for best telescopes for adults owing to its quality optics, beneficial accessories, and low-budget pricing.

This reflector telescope has fully coated lenses fitted in a 24-inch long optic tube. The objective lens has a 5.1-inch wide aperture which gathers more light from the stars, resulting in brighter and vibrant views.

Two Plossl eyepieces are provided to observe stars at 26x and 65x magnification.

This reflector microscope is fitted on an equatorial mount. Thus, you get full flexibility to move it around and follow the planets or moon in their journey at night.

To aim at planets and stars accurately, Orion provides you with a 6x30 Finder scope with SpaceProbe 130ST.

Last but not least, it comes with many useful accessories, including a collimation cap, smartphone and camera adapter, two astronomy booklets (DeepMap 600, MoonMap 260), and a sturdy, metallic tripod.

You can get this telescope from the Orion Amazon store for $299.99.

Pros

• Sturdy tripod
• Wide aperture for bright views

Cons

• Regular maintenance required
• Hard-to-understand instruction manual

Celestron – StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ

StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ is a high-quality, lightweight, and beginner-friendly telescope for adults. Due to its weight of as low as 9.2 lbs, you can easily manage it while stargazing and carry it anywhere.   

Optics features like 3.1-inch aperture, 900 mm focal length, and f/11 focal ratio make it a good option for astrophotography. With these specifications, you can view the moon and planets in good resolution.

It comes with multiple magnification options as the package includes two Kellner Eyepieces of 10 mm and 25 mm. So, you can view the skyline at 36x or 90x magnification as needed. Also, a 2x Barlow Lens is provided if you want to look even closer.

StarSense allows you to share your astronomical discoveries on social media. With its smartphone adaptor setup, you can easily capture the fascinating colors of stars and planets on your mobile.

It comes with an Altazimuth mount, allowing you to follow the celestials without losing steady focus and clarity of view.

Also, you can use the sky recognition technology of Celestron to identify star patterns using StarSense Explorer app.

It is available from Celestron's Amazon shop at $219.95.

Pros

• Lightweight and portable
• Smartphone Adaptation
• Barlow lens for enhanced magnification

Cons

• Slow-syncing mobile app

Final Thoughts

All in all, Orion 09007 SpaceProbe 130ST is our top recommendation for the best adult telescopes. It provides you with bright and crisp views from the deep sky owing to its wide field range. With a sturdy tripod and EQ mount, you can orient your telescope in any direction.

In contrast, Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ is cheaper and beginner friendly. It is great for astrophotography because its focal ratio is optimized to provide the best lunar and planetary views.

We hope this helps narrow down your options for best adult telescopes!