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 creating three basic categories for you to shop by: Beginner, Enthusiast, and Expert. You can find that designation on every one of our product pages.

2. You also can shop by brand. We are proud to offer optic products 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 one is best for you, this is a great place to start.

4. Our selection also includes the most popular telescope  types like reflecting, refracting, optical-tube, 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.