Best Telescopes for Viewing Planets

Celestron has reinvented the manual telescope with StarSense Explorer-the first telescope that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real time. Make your selection and arrows appear onscreen, guiding...

The NexStar 8se is probably the most commercially successful telescope ever. The 8" optical tube is big enough to show detail in deep sky objects, and a simple goto mount finds and follows thousands of...

This is a shop favourite. It's a really nice 6" optical tube for impressive planetary views and a simple goto mount to find and follow celestial objects. It's also a great option for starting planetary...

Celestron has reinvented the manual telescope with StarSense Explorer-the first telescope that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real time. Make your selection and arrows appear onscreen, guiding...

This 8" dob is a great option for anyone looking for get some great deep sky views. You'll detail outside of the solar system so you can see nebulosity and structure in far off galaxies.

By using a lightweight 130mm parabolic primary mirror and a compact, manual azimuth mount, the Heritage 130 is the perfect blend of portability and aperture, just as Newton intended.

Leverage your phone to navigate the night sky! These offer expansive views, and easy navigation for beginners and experts alike. Just download the app and it will give you directions to Saturn, Jupiter and 40k...

The NexStar Evolution Series builds on the immensely popular SE by adding a built in rechargeable battery, wifi, and a heavy duty mount. These are our favourite scopes for visual astronomy.

This is a great beginner scope. You have everything you need to get started. You'll see the moon and Messier objects in incredible detail, and the StarSense Explorer technology will help you to find all...

Dobsonian telescopes are some of the best beginner telescopes available. They're simple to use, and open the night sky up to everyone. These scopes will give incredible views of the planets, and will open the...

The NexStar Evolution Series builds on the immensely popular SE by adding a built in rechargeable battery, wifi, and a heavy duty mount. These are our favourite scopes for visual astronomy.

Crisp images at a reasonable price make it an excellent beginner's "first telescope", or a great travelling telescope for a more advanced observer. This optical tube can give awesome wide-field or fantastic high-magnification views.

Leverage your phone to navigate the night sky! These offer expansive views, and easy navigation for beginners and experts alike. Just download the app and it will give you directions to Saturn, Jupiter and 40k...

The Explore Scientific FirstLight 102mm f/6.5 Achro Refractor Alt-Az Telescope combines power and simplicity to provide new users with a complete observational platform for viewing the moon and planets, and bright deep-sky objects.

By using a lightweight 150mm parabolic primary mirror and a compact, manual azimuth mount, the Heritage 150 is the perfect blend of portability and aperture, just as Newton intended.

We love this scope. Part of it is having s soft spot for refractors, and part of it is being huge fans of the StarSense Explorer technology. This uses your cell phone to help navigate...

An aplanatic, flat field Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that produces aberration-free images across a wide visual and photographic field of view.

These 6" dobs are great, we use them in school programs all the time. You can't get a better view for the price. They're fantastic for viewing the planets and messier objects.

This refractor uses premium glass and excellent optical design to deliver a high quality astrograph. These are incredibly fast and wide, it's sure to impress even the most discerning astrophotographer.

This is a great little telescope. It uses a very nice 4" maksutov cassegrain for high contrast views and a simple goto mount to find and follow celestial objects. It's also a great option for...

Crisp images at a reasonable price make it an excellent beginner's "first telescope", or a great travelling telescope for a more advanced observer. This optical tube can give awesome wide-field or fantastic high-magnification views.

Developed in the 1970s, the Dobsonian-style telescope is an inexpensive solution for bright, detailed visual observing using a simple design. The name '˜Dobsonian' comes from the telescope's inventor, John Dobson, a Vedanta monk who popularized...

Premium apochromatic refractors are something special. You'll get stunning views and mind-blowing images out of this superb triplet refractor. The Sky-Watcher Esprit uses world class glass and optical design to ensure clear, high quality views.

The NexStar Evolution Series builds on the immensely popular SE by adding a built in rechargeable battery, wifi, and a heavy duty mount. These are our favourite scopes for visual astronomy.

Dobsonian telescopes are some of the best beginner telescopes available. They're simple to use, and open the night sky up to everyone. These scopes will give incredible views of the planets, mind blowing views of...

This iconic optical tube provides the best balance of portability, handling ease, light gathering ability and price ever offered to the amateur astronomer.

4" Refractors are probably the most versatile scope you can get and this is a great example. It's a fantastic scope for astrophotography, and it's pretty impressive visually as well.

An aplanatic, flat field Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that produces aberration-free images across a wide visual and photographic field of view.

Crisp images at a reasonable price make it an excellent beginner's "first telescope", or a great travelling telescope for a more advanced observer. This optical tube can give awesome wide-field or fantastic high-magnification views.

Discover our Solar System with the Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ! You"ll be ready to observe in minutes thanks to the quick and easy no-tool setup. The 127EQ provides bright, clear images of the Moon, planets, star...

With an 80mm aperture triplet objective featuring FPL-53 extra-low dispersion glass, views and captured images come through true to colour and exhibit tack-sharp resolution.

Ranging from the standard 8 to a whopping 16 inches in diameter, Flextube SynScan Dobsonians are precision engineered instruments that will allow you to easily find and enjoy viewing night sky treasures such as planets...

Advanced Coma-Free LX200 Optical Tube comes w/ Meade's Ultra-High Transmission Coatings, Oversized Low-Expansion Borosilicate Primary Mirror, Schott Borofloat Glass Corrector Plate, Diffraction Limited Optics, Losmandy-style dovetail, and Dust Cover.

For astrophotography, the CGX mount offers a sturdier, stouter platform, with a smoother, heavy-duty belt drive system, electronic and ergonomic features that favor worry free remote operation, plus advanced software.

These doublet refractors deliver dramatic, coal-black skies and faithful, contrast-rich views of planetary and deep-space phenomenon that are second to none.

The TeleVue TV85APO provides stunning 4.4° rich-field because of the combination of apochromatic doublet lens and special low-dispersion glass. This combination enhances observation and makes objects dazzle right before your eyes.

The SkyWatcher Evostar series are are beautiful doublet apochromatic apochromatic refractors. They'll help deliver beautiful wide-field images of and are great options for astrophotography.

With exceptional optics, top-notch features and beautiful fit and finish, the Orion EON 115mm ED Triplet refractor telescope offers wide-field observers and astrophotographers an impeccably crafted, true-color instrument at a great price.

The Celestron C8 is the direct (but much improved) descendent of Celestron's revolutionary C8 that transformed the hobby of astronomy when it was unveiled in 1970.

This is the deluxe NexStar. Comes with a high-end HD optical tube for sharp-to-the edges views, and a robust mount. The AutoAlign accessory means all you need to do it turn it on and tell...

An aplanatic, flat field Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that produces aberration-free images across a wide visual and photographic field of view.

The SkyWatcher Evostar series are are beautiful doublet apochromatic apochromatic refractors. They'll help deliver beautiful wide-field images of and are great options for astrophotography.

For 30 years, TeleVue has pushed the boundaries of APO refractors, as well as eyepieces, to the recognized pinnacle of performance. We were gratified but not surprised that Backyard Astronomer's Guide said of the NP101:...

The Celestron C11-A packs serious light gathering ability into a rugged aluminum optical tube. At only 24 inches long and weighing just 27.5 pounds, this telescope is still portable enough to be taken to dark...

Building on Meade's award-winning Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) optics, the 10" OTA employs a fast f/8 optical system with high-contrast baffling that ensures crisp, pinpoint imaging to the very edge of the field.

Whether you're looking to delve into the details of our solar system or explore inspiring deep sky treasures, the versatile FirstLight series has an observing package that will fit your individual needs. Designed and built...

The Advanced VX 8" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope is ideal for imagers and visual observers looking for a telescope that is much more portable than the reflector or refractor.

Designed for backyard observatories and remote imagers looking for exceptional load capacity to weight ratio, compact design, and innovative features that fully support large telescopes, imaging kits, and the latest in wireless tech accessories.

The CGEM II 925 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope features Celestron's premium StarBright XLT coated optics and the newly redesigned CGEM II computerized equatorial mount.

Celestron's signature orange-tube telescope combines advanced features and excellent optics in one easy-to-use system, the NexStar 5SE. It's the perfect choice for your first serious telescope, offering striking views at an economical price.