Some people love to see the sky closely. To get a closer view of the stars and sharp objects in the sky, you need a good telescope. Different telescopes come with different and unique features, sizes, and aperture for a better view.
The price of the telescopes varies according to the features, construction, and size. If you are a beginner and are looking for an efficient telescope, but don’t have any idea about the pricing, then this article is for you.
Here you will get to learn about how much does a good telescope cost and what are the features that affect the price.
Types of Telescopes
Before going towards the cost of a telescope, let us discuss the two types of telescopes that are quite common.
Refractor Telescope: A refractor telescope uses convex lenses that bend the incoming light to the focal point and makes it look like the particular object is closer to you than it really is.
Reflector Telescope: A reflector telescope, also known as Newtonian telescopes, uses mirrors instead of lenses. They use convex lenses that direct rays of lights to the focal point. The light reflects towards the secondary mirror and then to the eyepiece, where the image magnifies to the size of the eye’s pupil.
Refractor telescopes are easy to maintain, and no training is required to use them. Whereas, reflector telescopes are lighter in weight than refractor telescopes and also performs better in low light. But you need to maintain them properly from time to time.
How Much Does A Good Telescope Cost?
Here we will give you a detailed description of how much would a good telescope cost and the factors that affect the price. A telescope comes in a different size, features, specs, and functionality.
Some of them cannot provide you the best experience, especially the cheap telescopes, as they come with a small aperture and low power lenses. To get a better image of the objects, you need to increase the budget.
The price of a telescope also depends on the size of the aperture. Telescopes come with different sizes of apertures.
Aperture is the diameter of a telescope’s mirror or lens that gathers the light. A large aperture gathers more light, therefore you will get a sharper and brighter image of the object.
For viewing the Moon, stars, and other distant objects, a 70 mm – 100 mm aperture will be preferable. And if you want to view open clusters, double stars, galaxies, planets, you need a 130 mm – 150 mm or more large aperture.
Telescopes under $100
Most of the good quality telescopes range from $100 to $1000 plus. But, you can also find some decent telescopes equipped with durable construction and good quality optics under $100. They mostly come with aperture less than 75 mm.
I find the Celestron – 70 mm Travel Scope ideal for beginners as it comes with superior optics and powerful eyepieces, great for both kids and adults. They can get a beautiful view of the moon with this small and budget-friendly telescope.
Telescopes within $100-$400 Range
Telescopes within this range are featured with better opticals, large aperture, and functionality. They are simple, easy to maintain, and are quite portable. Most of the refractor telescopes in this range come with less than 120 mm aperture, fully-coated glass optics, and a sturdy frame.
The Celestron – AstroMaster 70EQ Refractor Telescope can be the best option if you want a user-friendly telescope. It is featured with a manual German equatorial mount for accurate pointing and a 70mm high-quality optics.
On the other hand, some of the reflector telescopes that fall in this price range are featured with efficient magnification and high aperture capability. You also get a red dot finder and an adjustable tripod that makes tracking the objects easy.
Among the huge number of reflector telescopes, the Celestron – AstroMaster 130EQ Newtonian Telescope is my favorite for beginners.
If you increase your budget to $400, you can get a greater quality computerized telescope like the Celestron – NexStar 4SE Telescope, featured with a 4-inch aperture that has an excellent light-gathering ability to offer you with a clear and detailed view of the solar system.
These computerized telescopes feature a database of more than 40,000 celestial objects and automated GoTo mount that helps the beginners in locating and tracking the objects automatically. You can view the Moon, planets, galaxies, and other deep sky objects with greater magnification and detail with the help of these telescopes.
Read our article: Best Telescope Under $100
Telescopes within $400-$600 range
Telescopes that are more than $400 are more powerful and come with extra features and accessories to make the experience better.
In this budget, you will get computerized telescopes with larger apertures measuring around 110mm-130mm. You get two good optical telescopes from Meade and Celestron, that performs the same as the manual scopes, but they come with better opticals and mounts.
The Celestron NexStar 102 SLT GoTo Refractor and Meade StarNavigator 102 GoTo Refractor falls in this price range. They are featured with a precise and accurate tracking system and an efficient database of more than 30,000+ celestial objects.
Read our article: Best Telescope Under $500
Telescopes over $600
If you wonder how much does a large telescope cost, then the answer is it will cost you more than $600. At this high budget, you will get high-quality telescopes with bigger apertures and powerful opticals.
One Dobsonian telescopes (details for click there) come in this high budget, one is a 10-inch XT10 manual telescope. Dobsonian telescopes are similar to Newtonian telescopes, but they come with floor mount and are quite heavier.
You can find the targets easily with the PushToIntelliscope, as they are featured with a computer assistant system. But the scope doesn’t come with a motor, so you need to move the scope by yourself to track the objects. This Intelliscope has a better and large aperture than computerized scopes.
The manual 10-inch Dobsonian telescope comes with a large 10-inch aperture to give you a sharp and amazing stargazing experience. Next, you can also get Celestron NexStar 6SE and 8SE that comes with a unique design, updated technology, latest features, and unbeatable warranty – all in one.
The more expensive a telescope is, the more effective and capable it will be. When you increase your budget, you get more efficient and better options to choose from, plus the experience with high-quality telescopes is surreal.
If you are an amateur astronomer, then it is recommended that you avoid the costly options and purchase one within $100-$300 price range.
Conclusion
Looking at the sky through a telescope is always exciting. The telescope you choose will decide how clear and bright the image of what you see will be. There are plenty of telescopes at a different price range.
So, you need to purchase one according to your budget and priority. I hope you have gained enough ideas from this article on how much a good telescope cost that will help you in making a purchasing decision.
Hi, Daniel Here! When I’m not busy working at my own startup, you may find me roaming around the Univers and whats beyond our sky, telescope is a must.
