Telescopes

Refracting Telescopes

• Ideal for moon, planets, and stars
• Good for distant terrestrial viewing
• Require little or no maintenance
• Classic telescope design

• Most expensive per inch of aperture
• Cost/bulk factors limit maximum size
• Less suited for faint, deep-sky objects

Catadioptric Telescopes

• Easy to use, compact and portable
• Excellent optics provide sharp images
• Great for astrophotography
• Best all-purpose telescope design

• Most expensive telescope type
• Slight light loss due to mirror system
  
• Somewhat unusual appearance

1. We want you to find the right telescope for you. That's why we begin by placing our telescopes in one of three basic categories: Beginner, Enthusiast, and Expert. You can find that designation on every telescope product page.

2. You can also shop by telescope brand. We are proud to offer telescopes from respected names like Celestron, Meade, Zhumell, Vixen Optics, Bushnell, and more.

3. To assist you in your search, our Telescope Wizard lets you narrow your search by price, telescope type, aperture, usage, and more. If you're not sure which telescope is best for you, this is a great place to start.

4. Our selection includes the most popular telescope types, including reflecting and refracting telescopes, optical-tube telescopes, Dobsonians, and more.

5. Still not sure what you're looking for? You can even shop by top-rated products to find out what our customers have to say about specific telescopes.