The Best Portable Telescopes for Your Next Trip

Traveling to dark sky sites is one of the secrets to capturing the most stunning astronomy images. Yet, traveling with telescopes can seem like a complicated task with bulky equipment and so many accessories. Worry less about how to travel with telescopes with the help of this guide on our best portable telescopes! Most of the featured portable telescopes include a backpack making traveling with your telescope and accessories a convenient experience.

The Best Portable Telescopes

Celestron Travel Scope 70 Portable Telescope

Celestron Travel Scope 70 Portable Telescope Features

• f/5.7 focal ratio.

• 70 mm aperture.

• Lightweight portable telescope.

• Custom backpack and 2 eyepieces included (20 mm and 10 mm).

The Celestron Travel Scope 70 is a portable telescope that you can take with you almost anywhere! Made of exceptional materials to ensure stability and durability, you’ll get a lifetime of pleasure with a minimal amount of maintenance. Take this portable telescope with you on your next venture to dark skies!

Celestron Travel Scope 70 DX Doublet Portable Refractor Telescope

Celestron Travel Scope 70 DX Doublet Portable Refractor Telescope Features

• f/5.7 focal ratio.

• 70 mm aperture.

• Includes smartphone adapter, 1.25 Moon filter, and more!

• Travel Scope and accessories all fit in the travel backpack.

The Celestron Travel Scope 70 DXdoublet portable refractor telescope delivers great views of the planets, the Moon, star clusters, and brighter deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy by night and by day a spotting scope to observe birds, wildlife, and more! See a new perspective on nature and the Universe with the ideal day-to-night Celestron Travel Scope with included accessories.

Celestron FirstScope Portable Telescope

Celestron FirstScope Portable Telescope Features

• 76 mm aperture.

• f/3.9 focal ratio.

• Beginner telescope.

• TheSkyX First Light CD ROM included.

The FirstScope Telescope by Celestron is a 76 mm aperture Newtonian reflector on a single-arm Dobsonian Cradle Mount (table-top). It's easy-use and portability makes it an ideal beginner portable telescope. Observing is quick and easy, simply navigate the night sky by moving the tube in the direction of your desired celestial object. Take it with you on your next outdoor adventure with its compact and lightweight design. When not in use, it's stylish enough to be a decorative fixture on your bookshelf or desk.

Meade Adventure Scope 80 mm Portable Telescope

Meade Adventure Scope 80 mm Portable Telescope Features

• Aperture: 80 mm.

• Focal ratio: f/5.

• Amazingly portable and convenient beginner telescope.

• Includes a lightweight aluminum tripod, eyepieces, backpack, and more!

The Meade Adventure Scope doublet refractor is a compact 80 mm aperture telescope that comes with a backpack perfectly sized to carry your astronomy equipment. Observe the Moon and planets at night or use it as a spotting scope in the day to observe birds and wildlife. The lightweight OTA comes with a mount, tripod, and several accessories to enhance your astronomy experience by expanding your range of options. All of this can be carried in the rugged backpack that accompanies it all, perfect for transporting your simple astronomy setup to your dark sky site of choice.

Vaonis Stellina Smart Portable Telescope

Vaonis Stellina Smart Portable Telescope Features

• This smart and automated device will let you travel across the cosmos in less than 5 minutes. Choose your next destination from a catalog of over a hundred celestial objects.

• STELLINA integrates a SONY sensor extremely sensitive in low light. In a few seconds, beautiful details appear on your screen that only the station can reveal.

• Connect up to 20 mobile devices to your station with the multi-user mode. Then share your photos of the universe in Ultra HD on your favorite social network.

• As featured in Forbes, WIRED, Bloomberg, and Space.com!

• Includes a 30-day trial! See below for details.

The STELLINA from Vaonis is what we get when innovation meets automation. Never has astrophotography been so easy to get into before this mobile observation station. Simple enough for children to understand, yet full of capabilities that will impress seasoned astronomers, the STELLINA smart telescope is a perfect fit for all levels of experience.

Completely controlled through the sleek and intuitive smartphone application, “Stellinapp,” experience is not required with its user-friendly features. The Stellinapp is equipped with an extensive catalog of deep-sky objects and recommendations, real-time image stacking and processing, and full GoTo functionality. Explore the universe with ease and in style with the STELLINA.

Meade ETX80 Observer Portable Telescope With Backpack

Meade ETX80 Observer Portable Telescope With Backpack Features

• Fast set-up time.

• Aperture: 80 mm (3.15-inch).

• Focal ratio: f/5.

• Backpack and accessories included!

This Meade ETX80 Observerportable telescope is an ideal choice for any beginning astronomer in search of new and interesting experiences, with it's computerized mount, fast focal ratio, and solid optical quality. The ETX80 Observer is fully equipped with an automated and portable telescope. Its dual-purpose design includes a removable OTA that is ideal for both day or night observing and includes exceptional features like AudioStar, GoTo technology, and a large 30,000 object database. A backpack and other accessories are included with this portable telescope!

Forgot something? Check out our list of the top telescope accessories to ensure a successful imaging trip! Contact us if you have any questions.