10 Best Telescopes For Beginners 2026 in the United States

The Gskyer 600x90mm AZ refractor telescope is a solid choice for beginners interested in astronomy. Its 90mm aperture is large enough to gather a good amount of light, allowing you to see the moon, planets, and some star clusters with decent clarity. With a focal length of 600mm and multiple eyepieces (24X, 60X, 120X) plus a 3x Barlow lens, it offers flexible magnification options up to 360x, which is more than enough for beginner stargazing.

The altazimuth mount is simple to use and intuitive, letting you move the telescope up/down and left/right easily, which is ideal if you’re new to telescopes. The adjustable aluminum tripod is sturdy and can be set between about 31.5 to 49 inches, making it easy to set up for both kids and adults. While the telescope weighs 18 pounds and is somewhat bulky (about 38 inches long), it’s still portable enough to take outside for night viewing. The optics are fully coated, enhancing image brightness and protecting your eyes.

A manual focus requires some practice to achieve sharp images, especially at higher magnifications. Also, while the telescope is easy to operate without tools, some users might find the setup slightly heavy compared to smaller beginner models. This telescope offers great value with quality optics and good magnification flexibility, making it well-suited for beginners who want a dependable and versatile instrument to explore the night sky.

The Gskyer Telescope is an appealing choice for beginners looking to explore the night sky. With a 70mm aperture and a 400mm focal length, it offers good light-gathering ability, allowing for clearer views of celestial objects such as the moon and stars. The telescope's fully coated optics enhance image quality and make stargazing enjoyable without straining your eyes. One of its strengths includes a 3x Barlow lens, which significantly increases the magnification, giving users more versatility with the two included eyepieces.

This telescope is designed with portability in mind, featuring an adjustable aluminum alloy tripod and a convenient carry bag, making it easy to transport for outdoor stargazing sessions. The inclusion of a smartphone adapter and a wireless remote is a fantastic bonus, allowing users to capture images of what they're observing and share their experiences easily.

There are a few considerations to keep in mind. The manual focus may require a bit of patience and practice for beginners who are unfamiliar with focusing telescopes. Additionally, while the finderscope is helpful for locating objects, those more interested in deeper space observations might find the telescope's limitations as they begin to explore more complex celestial targets.

As a beginner’s telescope, the Gskyer Telescope stands out with its user-friendly features and solid performance for casual astronomers. It is well-suited for kids and novice enthusiasts, providing an engaging way to start exploring the wonders of the universe.

The Celestron StarSense Explorer 8-inch Dobsonian telescope is a strong choice for beginners wanting an easy and engaging way to explore the night sky. Its 8-inch (203mm) aperture allows bright and detailed views of the Moon, planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and some deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula. This large aperture is a big plus, as it gathers a lot of light for clearer images compared to smaller beginner scopes. The telescope uses a simple altazimuth Dobsonian mount, which is stable and easy to move up/down and left/right, making manual tracking straightforward.

What sets this telescope apart is the StarSense technology: you dock your smartphone and use the app to help find celestial objects by following on-screen arrows. This makes learning the sky much less intimidating and avoids the usual frustration of manual searching. It’s compatible with both iPhones and Android phones, making it quite accessible. The setup is simple, requiring no external power, which enhances portability for backyard or park use, though the telescope is relatively heavy at over 40 pounds and quite large, so it’s best suited to users who don’t need to carry it far.

The manual focus and included 25mm eyepiece are standard and easy for beginners to handle, but there’s no motorized tracking, so you’ll need to nudge the scope occasionally to keep objects in view. Some may find the weight and size a bit challenging for very young users or those with limited space. The included warranty and customer support from a reputable brand add peace of mind. This telescope is an excellent option for beginners who want hands-on experience combined with helpful tech guidance, offering strong optics and user-friendly features. It’s ideal for those ready to invest in a more serious beginner’s scope with smart assistance, but less suitable if you need something ultra-light or fully automated.