The Best Telescopes Brands for Beginners and Experts

Choosing the best telescope for your needs can be a daunting task, especially when you are not too familiar with the market. But don’t worry. We have you covered!

To be clear, a telescope is an instrument that makes distant objects appear closer and clearer. Telescopes are used for astronomical observations. They are also used in other fields, such as meteorology, navigation, and surveying.

Different Types of Telescopes

Telescopes are one of the most important inventions in the history of science and are used to observe objects that are too far away from us. There are two main types of telescopes: refractors and reflectors. Refractor telescopes use lenses to focus light, while reflector telescopes use mirrors to focus light.

The most famous example of a refractor telescope is the Hubble Space Telescope. It was launched into orbit by NASA on April 24, 1990, and is still operational today. The telescope’s purpose is to provide high-resolution images of stars, galaxies, and other objects in deep space.

The reflector telescope is a long, lightweight telescope and is what we usually picture in our minds when we think about someone observing the stars from their backyard. They use a curved mirror to focus light from the sky onto a small point so it can be magnified. These telescopes are usually mounted on an alt-azimuth or equatorial mount.

The Best Telescope for Your Needs

There are three different types of telescopes:

(note: good place for a graphic)

1) Beginner’s telescope — these telescopes are designed for beginners who want to explore astronomy without spending too much money or time learning about how telescopes work

2) Intermediate telescope — these telescopes are designed for amateur astronomers who want a higher level of quality and functionality than beginner’s telescopes provide

3) Professional telescope — these telescopes offer high-quality images with extreme detail and clarity

Regardless of which type you choose, be sure you purchase a well-known brand. Read about some of the best brands on the market today below.

The Best Telescopes Brands in the Market

Planewave Instruments

Planewave Instruments is a designer and manufacturer of telescopes. They offer three types of telescopes: CDK, IRDK, and RC. Telescopes can be designed for specific needs such as astrophotography, comet hunting, or planetary observation. Some of their best-selling products are their CDK telescopes. The CDK telescope is made to be operated by hand and is recommended for beginners or anyone who wants smaller, more portable telescopes. It can be used as an astrophotography camera mount and includes a battery that allows it to be operated wirelessly with a hot shoe attached to the camera body. The CDK can also be converted into a photo-electric photometry instrument.

Radian

Radian provides top-of-the-line telescopes and astronomy equipment for those interested in exploring the night sky. They offer a wide range of products, from telescopes to eyepieces and filters, that allow users to see deep into space with clarity. Their best-selling items are the premium optics mentioned above. Premium optics are the core of any telescope and are the most important part of ensuring the image is clear.

TPO Telescopes

TPO is a popular online retailer of telescope equipment. They offer affordable prices on products such as telescope filters, telescope eyepieces, and telescope accessories. The company has been around for over a decade and is an expert in choosing the best products in the market. Their best-sellers include reflecting optical tube assemblies, or OTAs, which are one of the main parts of the telescope. An OTA is used as the primary imaging device of a telescope.

Askar Lens

Askar is a company that specializes in high-quality telescopes, professional camera lenses, and other astronomy equipment. The ACL200mm F4 lens is a lightweight, affordable telescope lens from Askar. The maximum aperture of the lens is 2.8, which is plenty wide enough to capture even the smallest details surrounding bright stars and planets. The lens has a focal length of 200mm and weighs only 1 pound, which is light enough for any astrophotographer. The lens comes in a compact and portable metal pouch that transforms into a pocket-sized lens box when folded. Lens quality is excellent — it produces high-quality images in various conditions, such as low light, indoors, or natural lighting.

Sharpstar Optics

Internationally known as Sharpstar and locally known as Jiaxing Ruixing Optical Instrument Co., Ltd., it is located in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province. Founded in 2000, the company is a modern company specializing in the design, manufacture, and sales of medium and high-end astronomical telescopes, ground observation telescopes, and their peripheral supporting products. Check out their Mark III Harmonic German Equatorial Mount, which allows the movement of celestial objects to be followed.

Takahashi America

Takahashi America is a leading manufacturer of refractor telescopes, visual astronomy, and astrophotography equipment. They offer a series of quality refractor telescopes ranging in price from intermediate to high-end. Refracting telescopes are a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image. Additionally, they offer accessories like mounts, tripods, eyepieces, reducers, finders, and more.

William Optics

One of the best-known manufacturers of short-tube, highly-portable refractors is William Optics. They have established themselves and their products as world leaders in this industry, and they have also achieved quality recognition for many accessories, including the well-celebrated WO Diagonals. Their latest offering, the RedCat 71 Petzval Apo Refractor Telescope, builds on the success of its predecessor, the RedCat 51. This optical design uses four lens elements instead of the three found in triplet refractors. By incorporating this extra element, the RedCat 71 can achieve a flat field without needing an additional field flattener.

Unistellar Smart Telescopes

Unistellar develops and manufactures smart telescopes, which are the first fully automated telescopes in the world. These telescopes use artificial intelligence to track celestial bodies and provide video footage of these objects in real-time. Unistellar’s telescopes can be controlled using mobile devices or their web app. Their awesome eVscope2 bills an immersive galactic experience. This product allows astronomers to spend more time exploring space without manual calibration.

Vaonis

Vaonis is a French startup that offers the world’s smallest, fully automated astronomical observation station. Their Vespera is a revolutionary, all-in-one observation platform with the power of both telescopes and cameras. The user experience has been designed to be intuitive, so it’s easy to set up and start using. With a completely redesigned observation experience, substituting the eyepiece with a mobile application, everyone can easily access the wonders of the Universe. Users can use the app to view any image captured by the RADIUS telescope. You can even choose which filters you want to stream through and which ones you want to block out. You’ll have a 360° panoramic view with colors that enhance your experience while watching over your phone’s camera. Weighing less than 11 lbs and completely mobile, explore and observe the night sky anywhere in the world.

Meade Instruments

Meade Instruments is one of the most innovative and dynamic companies in the telescope industry. Meade is known for their innovative telescope technology. Meade Instruments was founded in 1972 by John C. Diebel. It started as a one-man mail-order business, supplying small refracting telescopes. Today, they’re celebrating 50 years of strong success by re-introducing the LX85 Equatorial Mount and re-launched the Infinity/Polaris brands. They’ve also introduced several new accessories and binoculars while securing new distribution partners in Canada, India, and the United Kingdom.