Best telescope for viewing planets

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Our astronomy advisor, Richard J. Bartlett , reviewed a variety of telescopes for viewing planets and galaxies to find the best of the best. After looking at the pros and cons of each option, he chose the Orion SkyQuest XT6 as the best overall telescope for viewing these celestial objects. With excellent features and performance, this Dobsonian reflector telescope is a great choice for beginner and intermediate astronomers alike. Buy on Amazon. Here are the top picks from our astronomy expert.

Best telescope for viewing planets

One of the first things a new astronomer usually wants to look at through their new telescope is one of the planets. Each planet offers something unique and different to observe: the cloud bands on Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, or the surface detail on Mars are just a few of the more popular planetary features to enjoy with your telescope. Both aperture and focal length play a role in your planetary observing. Larger aperture increases the maximum resolution of your telescope, while increased focal length increases the magnification of your telescope with a given eyepiece. There are practical limitations to both of these figures. The general rule of thumb is 50x of useful magnification per inch of aperture or 2x per millimeter. Keeping these things in mind, if planetary viewing is what you desire most, we recommend one of our Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes. They produce very sharp images like refractors as they have small secondary central-obstructions and tend to have longer focal lengths and tend to be significantly cheaper than a refractor. These will give you large apertures and long focal lengths for the least amount of money and the fewest transportation headaches. Refractors are also a good choice, although long-focal length, big-aperture refractors can be expensive and difficult to move. However, quality refractors will produce the sharpest and highest contrast views for a given aperture. Finally, Schmidt-Cassegrains are also excellent telescopes for viewing planets, as they are also very affordable and easy to move.

We think Newtonian reflector telescopes on a simple undriven alt-azimuth mount known as a 'Dobsonian' offer the best value in terms of aperture. The downside is that the higher the aperture, the more expensive the refractor gets.

It takes crisp, attractive images thanks to its mm aperture, and with an optical tube length of Enthusiasts like this telescope for its bright, well contrasted images and for its reasonable price given its abilities. The Celestron NexStar 8SE is a beast of a telescope that will take stunning views of not only objects within the solar system like the moon and planets, but also more distant objects like galaxies and star clusters. The big advantage this telescope has for newer astronomers, and perhaps for the more experienced crowd as well, is its computerized features. It works with a huge catalogue of over 40, celestial objects, so you can punch in the object you want to observe and the telescope can locate and track it for you. It uses a technology called SkyAlign which requires three bright objects to be in view, from which it can align itself and find the objects you want to observe. It has a controller right on the telescope as well, rather than a smartphone app, which might be preferable for those who want an easy to use interface.

Best for beginners 3. Best budget telescope 4. Best value enthusiast 5. Best premium 6. Best for planets 7. Best for portability 8. Best for astrophotographers 9.

Best telescope for viewing planets

This site contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Choosing the right telescope to see planets involves understanding several key factors that impact performance and usability. The Celestron NexStar 6SE is a high-quality computerized telescope perfect for amateur and professional astronomers. This telescope features a 6-inch aperture, allowing bright and clear images of planets and other celestial objects. Remember, we said that a good telescope for planetary viewing should have a longer focal length of at least mm or higher. The Celestron NexStar 6SE has a high-quality Schmidt-Cassegrain optical design with a focal length of mm, which equips it to provide striking views at an economical price. This mount allows you to quickly find and track celestial objects with the simple push of a button. The telescope also has a built-in GPS receiver and a database of over 40, deep sky objects, making it easy to locate and observe planets and other things in the night sky.

Imobile app

Best for portability: A compact, high-power tabletop astronomy with auto-tracking. The SynScan app contains various catalogues that you can access and, at the push of a button, your telescope will find its target. The general rule of thumb is 50x of useful magnification per inch of aperture or 2x per millimeter. The telescope also comes with a Smartphone Dock that allows you to use your smartphone to automatically align the telescope and find objects in the night sky. It will give you high magnification of the planets and the moon. The Celestron NexStar 8SE is a beast of a telescope that will take stunning views of not only objects within the solar system like the moon and planets, but also more distant objects like galaxies and star clusters. This is a great beginners' scope and mount package that will provide hours of viewing pleasure. We are confident that our buying advice on telescopes is the best in the market, so you can make informed decisions about purchasing an instrument or not. While the field of view might be a bit restricted, the SkyAlign software and GoTo feature simplify locating objects in the night sky, minimizing any inconvenience. Seattle Website Design. Sky Watcher Classic Dobsonian Best telescope for stargazing at home Image used with permission by copyright holder Pros Cons Beautiful images Very heavy Powerful for deep sky objects View faint objects. Outstanding optics and sharp views.

You are in the right place. The best telescope for viewing planets and galaxies comes with at least a mm aperture astronomical sweet spot and a 1,mm focal length preferably higher if your aperture is higher too.

Up Next Previous. While the initial setup of the motorized mount might take some time, it becomes user-friendly with the SkyPortal app, compatible with both iOS and Android. Therefore the exit pupil delivered by an eyepiece ideally needs to be 7 mm or smaller so that all the light gathered by the telescope — especially when attempting to see faint objects — can be taken in. We check whether there are any apparent issues with the telescope's parts, and whether they're all in working order. If you're interested in skywatching more broadly, take a look at our guide to the best telescopes , or to the best beginner telescopes if you're just starting out on your astronomy journey. Speak to people who know best, and you may even get the chance to try before you buy. The price is steep, but the optics and quality of this telescope are unmatched. We think it's worth upgrading the eyepieces for a better experience, but for value for money, we highly recommend this scope. Sky-Watcher HeritageP Virtuoso. If portability is your main concern, the Celestron Astro Fi would make a great option.