There are three main types of telescopes. Classic refractor telescopes gather light through a front lens while you view through the back. Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes are portable and ideal for celestial photography, though they tend to be more expensive.
In general, I recommend Dobsonian Reflector scopes. They offer the best bang for your buck and are suitable for all ages starting around eight years old. Dobsonians are specially mounted Newtonian reflectors—invented by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century.
Newtonians collect light with a primary parabolic concave mirror at the rear and reflect the image to a secondary mirror at the top, angled into an eyepiece. Eyepieces provide magnification ranging from 60x to over 300x.
While magnification matters, light-gathering ability is far more important. It allows you to see faint objects invisible to the naked eye. As Galileo put it, telescopes "reveal the invisible." Light-gathering power depends on mirror diameter and increases by the square of the mirror's diameter—ranging from 3 inches for young kids to over 30 inches for enthusiasts!
Recommended Accessory
Telrad Finder Scope
I highly recommend purchasing a Telrad Finder to accompany the factory finder scope on your telescope. It makes locating celestial objects exponentially easier!
Find at High Point ScientificA Note on Celestial Photography
I'm often asked if astrophotography is possible through a Dobsonian. The short answer is... not much. Deep space imaging requires precise tracking software and specialized cameras. Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes are much better suited for high-end photography.
However, you can do basic photography with a Dobsonian using your smartphone! To keep your phone steady against the eyepiece, I recommend The Orion SteadyPix EZ Smartphone Telescope Photo Adapter.
Top Telescope Recommendations
1. Celestron First Scope
$55 – $75Designed for young kids (ages 8 to 10). While not a full-sized Dobsonian, it utilizes a similar tabletop design with a small primary mirror that makes it simple and fun to operate.
2. Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian
~$400Ideal for teens through adults. Features a generous 8-inch mirror providing fantastic light gathering for crisp views of planets, nebulae, and star clusters.
3. Orion SkyQuest XT10i IntelliScope
~$899.99An excellent adult telescope with a 10-inch mirror. Equipped with a computerized object locator to help you locate thousands of deep-sky targets effortlessly.
4. Celestron NexStar 6SE
~$800A motorized Schmidt-Cassegrain with an automated GoTo database of 40,000+ celestial objects. Select your target, and it automatically slews to and tracks the object.
Astrophotography Note: Compatible with Starizona's Hyperstar lens attachment for rapid deep-space imaging.
5. Orion SkyQuest XX12g GoTo Truss Tube Dobsonian
~$2,100.00An advanced truss-tube Dobsonian featuring a massive 12-inch mirror and a motorized computer drive that slews and tracks over 42,000 celestial objects across the sky.