what is the most powerful telescope for home use - Want to see stars? The best telescopes for stargazing can make the most distant astral bodies feel like they're within touching distance, without you having to leave your back garden. Starting out with stargazing isn't cheap, however, especially if you want to do it properly, so it makes sense to do your research before you buy in order to figure out which telescope is best suited to your needs and ability level. 

You might be happy with a straightforward starter scope that'll give you a clear view of the Moon's surface but not much else. Or perhaps you have more far-ranging ambitions of looking out into deep space, for which you need an advanced, computerised scope that can help you find astronomical points of interest.

Unsurprisingly, the more advanced telescope will cost you more, but if you're prepared to pay then you'll be rewarded with more flexibility and better results, so you're unlikely to run out of enthusiasm as quickly as you might with a cheaper scope. We'd suggest shelling out for the best telescope you can afford – this is a market in which too much penny-pinching will almost certainly equate to disappointing results.

Do I need to spend a lot on a good telescope?

Not necessarily. If you shop carefully, do your research and are realistic in your aspirations, you can pick up a starter telescope for around $150. You won’t get amazing close-up views of Jupiter or Saturn, but you’ll still get a good look at the planets and brighter celestial objects.

That should be enough to stoke interest in astronomy and make the effort feel incredibly worthwhile. You can find beginner-level telescopes for over $1,000, but you need to think long and hard about whether it’s worth the investment. You might be better off starting with a good mid-range scope with a GoTo mount and upgrading later once you’ve exhausted its potential. That could take some time.

Here are some of the most powerful telescopes for home use:

Vaonis Stellina - What is the most powerful telescope for home use?

With this scope, all you have to do is choose what you want to look at via the app and watch the image build on your phone’s screen, which is both exciting and rewarding.

Obviously, the first thing that you’ll notice about the Stellina is that it’s no ordinary telescope and actually looks like it wouldn’t be out of place on the set of a sci-fi movie. At the touch of a button, the modernist black and white housing beautifully reveals the refractor telescope.

It also allows you to share the discoveries and experience with a multi-user mode that allows up to 10 mobile devices to connect to the scope. Through the app, you’ll be able to zero in on over 100 deep-sky targets, as well as get a good look at the lunar surface.

The Stellina is fully computerised to take the headache and guesswork out of astronomy and with a quick pairing to your smartphone, you’ll be up and running in minutes. Using the phone’s GPS signal to geolocate, all the pointing and tracking is completely automated, as is the focus, giving the most user-friendly experience of all the scopes on test.

Pros

• 10000mAh Portable Battery
• Free Mobile App
• Vaonis 2 Year Limited Warranty
• Automatic adaptation to weather conditions
• Auto initialization

Cons

• Costly

Celestron Advanced VX 9.25in

One of the big advantages of an equatorial mount is that is allows you to enjoy longer sessions of stargazing because you can progressively track stars as they move across the night sky. The NexStar+ handset that moves the mount of the Celestron was easy to understand and a joy to use.

The telescope’s quality optics and excellent magnification meant that we could study a range of deep sky objects as well as a broad range of solar system points of interest. When moving closer to home, we enjoyed some astonishing views of a super moon.

This is a tool for anyone who is starting to get serious about their stargazing and the NexStar+ handset meant that we could enjoy any one of the 40,000 objects that are currently dialled into its database.

It’s even possible to go portable, as it’s surprisingly compact and lightweight for such a powerful telescope.

Pros

• Features All-Star Polar Alignment
• High performance

Cons

• Weak AVX mount

Conclusion - What is the most powerful telescope for home use

With three different styles to choose from, many consumers aren’t sure how to pick the best telescope for their individual needs.

If you’re just getting started with this hobby, then you can get a reflector or refractor telescope. For consumers who want to avoid maintenance, a refractor telescope is a great choice to consider.

Refractor and compound scopes are great for observing birds and similar Earth objects, and to view faint objects in the deep sky, compound and reflector telescopes are best.

For astrophotography, a compound scope is a great choice, and if you just want to get the most value for your money, we recommend reflector scopes.