What is an Astronomical Telescope?
A Telescope is like a binocular with extra powered lenses, which makes distant objects appear nearer, whereas the astronomical telescope is designed especially for observing the sky, planets and galaxies in our solar system.
The galaxy is unfathomable. If the sheer beauty of the universe, the planets and the stars…astonishes and intrigues you, buying a telescope can be worth your money.
A good astronomical telescope brings the entire galaxy right in front of you, helping explore what lies beyond the earth.
However, buying a telescope is not easy. There are different brands and models available in the market but only few of them are worth purchasing.
For astro-photography enthusiasts, beginners or those having keen interest in astronomy, we have compiled only the best telescopes in India, known for their cutting-edge features and performance.
Check out our comprehensive Telescope buying guide to help make a smart choice.
Top 10 Astronomical Telescopes for Beginners in India
| Astronomical Telescopes | Focal Length | Magnifying Capacity | Aperture | Expert Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Celestron Specialty Series FirstScope | 300 mm | 180x | 76 mm | Best Telescope for kids and beginners |
| 2.Gskyer 60mm AZ Refractor Telescope | 350 mm | 105x | 60 mm | Entry-level astronomical telescope |
| 3.Celestron PowerSeeker 70EQ Telescope | 700 mm | 165x | 70 mm | Great for children and families |
| 4.Celestron Speciality Series Travel Telescope | 400 mm | 165x | 70 mm | Ideal for casual as well as terrestrial astronomical observation |
| 5.Orion Observer 80ST Equatorial Refractor | 400 mm | 165x | 80 mm | A powerful grab-and-go telescope |
| 6.Celestron 21062 AstroMaster 70 EQ | 400 mm | 165x | 70 mm | One of the best astronomical telescopes in India |
| 7.Celestron Inspire 100Az Refractor | 660 mm | 266x | 100 mm | A good choice for hungry learners |
| 8.Celestron NexStar 5 SE Telescope | 1250 mm | 295x | 81 mm | Best telescope for deep space exploration |
| 9.Sky Watcher EvoStar 100 APO Doublet Refractor | 900 mm | 197x | 100 mm | Ideal for astro-photography and visual astronomy |
| 10.Celestron Power Seeker 21039 | 600 mm | 118x | 50 mm | Perfect for celestial or terrestrial viewing |
Best Telescope for Viewing Planets & Galaxies in India
1. Celestron Speciality Series FirstScope Telescope
If you are looking for the best astronomical telescope for beginners in India, the Celestron Speciality Series FirstScope is certainly worth considering.
The entry-level telescope is lightweight, compact and easy to use – most suitable for beginners who want to pursue astronomy as a hobby or profession.
The 76mm aperture provides bright and clear view of the night sky.
It has a magnifying capacity of 180x which helps view distant objects in the galaxy with most clarity.
The light gathering power is 118x. It has a range of smart features that will make astronomical viewing fun and enjoyable for children and beginners.
2. Gskyer 60mm AZ Refractor Telescope
The Gskyer 60mm AZ is a nice entry-level astronomical telescope that features 350mm focal length and 60mm aperture that provide superior clarity in viewing celestial bodies during the day or at night.
A striking feature of this telescope is its 3x Barlow lens that increases its magnification level by up to 105 times.
So you can expect a higher viewing capacity than other telescopes in its price range.
It is lightweight and portable which you can easily carry while traveling.
3. Celestron PowerSeeker 70EQ Telescope
If you have just started off in astronomy and want a telescope that is powerful in performance, then the Celestron PowerSeeker 70EQ is one of the best telescope for viewing planets and galaxies in India.
It sports a powerful focal length of 700mm with an astounding 165x magnification.
Its 3x Barlow lens triples the magnification level to deliver excellent viewing clarity.
The telescope comes with two eyepieces, one of which provides the highest useful magnification of 175x.
4. Celestron Speciality Series Travel Scope 70 Telescope
The Celestron Speciality Series Travel Scope 70 is a refractor telescope that is suitable for celestial and terrestrial viewing.
The focal length is only 400mm while the aperture is 70mm, perfect only for children who want to experience the galaxy through a telescope.
It is compact and lightweight, and can be easily taken on your travel expeditions.
The telescope comes with two eyepieces, alt-azimuth mount type, a 5×24 finderscope, 45-degree erect image diagonal, and a custom backpack.
5. Orion Observer 80ST 80mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope
The Orion Observer 80ST 80mm Equatorial Refractor is a decent entry-level telescope that is lightweight, easy to set up, and ensure superior performance at an affordable price.
It has a small aperture of 80mm and a wider viewing field that make it a good choice for observing objects in the solar system or the clusters, galaxies or other Messier Objects.
It is built with high quality optics that renders bright, crisp and crystal clear images of the moon and the planets.
The telescope comes with an equatorial mount and adjustable tripod that helps observe celestial bodies with more ease and accuracy.
6. Celestron 21062 AstroMaster 70 EQ Refractor Telescope
The Celestron 21062 AstroMaster 70 EQ telescope features an achromatic refractor that delivers superior optical performance.
It is one of the best telescope to buy under 20000 rupees in India.
It does require any set up and comes with two power eyepieces, a correct image diagonal prism, and planetarium software.
Achromatic refractors with two-piece objective lens eliminate “chromatic aberration”, i.e. blue fringes or false colour that you will often see in cheaper telescopes.
Its 70mm aperture with equatorial mount and superior performance makes it one of the best astronomical telescopes in India.
The tripod is built with stainless steel which is sturdy and provides a strong base to ensure smooth-free celestial observing.
7. Celestron Inspire 100Az Refractor Telescope
The Celestron Inspire 100AZ is a short refractor telescope with 100mm focal length and combines advanced Celestron technology with great optics, portability and ease of use.
It has the largest aperture in the Inspire product range and comes with a short tube that delivers a wider viewing field.
At an affordable price point, this is good telescope suitable for observing the moon, planets, star clusters, and even deep sky objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy or the Orion Nebula.
It features an Erect Image Star Diagonal that allows you to leverage the optical tube as a Spotting Scope for terrestrial viewing during the day.
8. Celestron NexStar 5 SE Telescope
The Celestron NexStar 5 SE is a computerized telescope that combines advanced GoTo tracking and excellent optics in a stylish and portable design.
Premium Starbright XLT optical coatings deliver high contrast and crisp view of the planets, the moon and other brighter objects in the deep space.
It comes with a 25mm plossl eyepiece with 50x magnification that is highly powerful and renders excellent viewings.
Revolutionary SkyAlign alignment technology does not require you to have knowledge in astronomy.
Simply center any three bright objects and the scope will automatically target thousands more.
9. Sky Watcher EvoStar 100 APO Doublet Refractor Telescope
If you have a knack for astrophotography, the Sky Watcher EvoStar 100 APO Doublet Refractor telescope is the best telescope to buy in India.
Offering a wide viewing field, it is most suitable for astronomical observation of galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae from a dark-sky location.
The scope is also ideal as an astrograph for high-quality sky photography.
With a telephoto lens and terrestrial spotting scope, it delivers superb performance.
It comes with Schott glass optical lens that delivers exceptionally crisp, bright and clear images.
The telescope also features ultra-high contrast that aids in observing and tracking even the smallest of details.
10. Celestron Power Seeker 21039 Telescope
The Celestron Power Seeker 21039 is a popular entry-level telescope for novices but delivers superior performance.
It is available as 50AZ, 60AZ, 70AZ and 80AZ short refractor scope.
The unique erect image optics is most suitable for astronomical as well as land observing.
It comes with 2x Barlow lens that almost doubles its magnifying power of 118x for clear and deep viewing.
It features a 600mm focal length and 5×24 finderscope.
The telescope is powerful yet portable and provides improved optical performance that will inspire a beginner to explore the interesting world of astronomy.
A Comprehensive Telescope Buying Guide
Now that we have reviewed the top 10 telescopes in India, let’s understand what factors you should consider to buy the right telescope.
But if you are truly serious about observing the moon, the planets or even beyond, it is first important to find the right observing location.
You should have a dark spot and not some light-polluted night sky that gives you faint galaxies to observe.
Additionally, here are some important factors you should keep in mind before buying a telescope.
Types of Telescopes:
Typically, there are three primary types of telescopes in the market today:
1. Reflectors:
Reflector is the best telescope to buy in India. It captures light from distant galaxies and celestial bodies through a concave mirror located at the back of the main tube.
Reflectors are the most widely used telescopes by professional astronomers as well as beginners.
An advantage of buying a reflector telescope is its affordability.
However, it would need adjusting the optical alignment frequently and also requires cleaning & maintenance.
2. Refractors:
Refracting telescopes have a large front lens which captures and focuses the light from the galaxy, and renders it like an image through a smaller lens known as eyepiece.
However, as the aperture gets larger, the price of the telescope increases substantially. Refractors offers improved optical quality and are low maintenance.
Typically, these are built sturdier and are less cumbersome.
These are ideal for planetary and lunar observations. But refractors are very long in size and if you want the eyepiece to be at a decent viewing height, you would need a strong and tall tripod for support.
Additionally, these are not ideal if you want to buy the best telescope for deep space.
3. Catadioptric Telescopes or Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes:
These bring the best of both reflectors and refractors, and present a unique lens-and-mirror combo.
The compound telescopes come with compact tubes and are fairly lightweight.
Optical folding capability makes for a lighter mounting and increased portability.
These telescopes come with technological accessories and instructions, making them user-friendly and easy-to-use for beginners.
Compound telescopes are also suitable for astrophotography.
Telescope Features:
To buy the best telescope for viewing planets and galaxies in India, it is important to take the following key features into consideration:
i. Lens/Mirror
The primary component of a telescope is its lens or mirror – the bigger the lens, the better.
Whether you are a beginner or need a telescope for astronomical or scientific purpose, it is crucial to take the quality of mirror or lens into consideration.
Mirrors are more precisely built and may have smoother surfaces than lenses.
On the other hand, lenses can bend the light differently of different wavelengths. This can increase the complexity of focusing the right object.
ii. Magnification
The telescope’s magnification plays an integral role in delivering high quality, crisp and bright images.
Higher the magnification power, better the quality of image you will get.
But excessively magnifying an image that the telescope’s lens or mirror creates will either make a bright object appear blurry or a dim object dimmer.
Therefore, just having the right magnification level is important.
iii. Aperture
The aperture helps determine the scope’s ability to gather light and is one of the most important features you should consider when buying the best telescope in India.
Typically, a larger aperture is better to make the objects appear brighter but these are highly expensive too.
Additionally, you should also take into consideration factors like storage space and portability when choosing a larger aperture.
iv. Focal Length
Focal length of the telescope is an important feature because it helps determine how well it magnifies an object.
It is the distance between the primary mirror/lens and the point where the object comes into focus.
v. Finderscope
It is better to buy a telescope that comes with a finder because it makes it simpler to find celestial or terrestrial objects.
Size of the Telescope:
Bigger is not always better; at least not when you want to buy a telescope to pursue your hobby of sky gazing.
If you are a beginner in the field of astronomy or inquisitive about viewing the planets or the moon, then a smaller, lightweight and portable telescope is worth considering.
Find one which you can easily carry or fits into the car.
However, if you are a professional astronomer and want the best telescope for deep space, then you can consider buying a larger size.
The bigger sized telescope will help capture more light from dimmer objects and make them appear brighter, crisp and clear.
Mount Type:
A telescope needs something strong and sturdy to provide support during celestial or terrestrial viewing.
Most lightweight and portable telescopes often compromise with the quality of mount and this can distract your overall galaxy viewing experience.
Additionally, it can make it more complex to get the right viewing angle.
Therefore, merely considering the price, compactness or portability of the telescope is not enough.
The mounting should also be built strong and robust to provide the right level of support to the scope.
Taking these factors into consideration will help you make a wise choice regarding the best telescope to buy in India.
Telescope FAQs for Beginners
Still not sure which telescope should you buy? The answers to these frequently asked questions will help you choose right.
What type of telescope is right for me?
It will depend on the location of setting up the telescope, type of observations you want, and your level of expertise in astronomy.
Do you want to observe the planets and the moon or go more deep into the nebulae or galaxies?
Are you looking for a larger telescope with a larger aperture or a more lightweight and compact one for your hobby? Reflectors are ideal for deep-sky astronomy, while refractors are the best bet for planetary and lunar observations.
Your choice will depend on whether you want an entry-level telescope or one for professional astronomy or Astro-Photography.
What should be the ideal magnification of my telescope?
Magnification is one aspect where beginners are likely to get misguided when buying their first telescope.
Do not fall prey to 200x or 400x magnification hypes you will come across – it is not the ideal factor you should consider in buying a telescope.
An optimal magnification level can be easily achieved through an eyepiece; what is more important is the aperture which provides true measure of the scope’s performance.
Should I buy a bigger telescope?
That would depend on why you need the telescope. For instance, professional astronomers engage with deep sky observation and astrophotography, and would want a telescope with a bigger aperture. A bigger aperture means a larger telescope as found in observatories.
On the other hand, if you have just started off with astronomy or pursuing it as a hobby, it is better to buy a smaller telescope which is lightweight, portable and easy to store.
I want to buy a telescope for my kids? Which is the right one for them?
One of the key features to consider when buying a telescope for kids is its aperture.
A Telescope with 4” aperture is good enough for kids to enjoy observing the moon and the solar system planets.
Additionally, it must be lightweight with a kids-friendly and strong telescopic mount so that they can easily view through the eyepiece. A basic and inexpensive telescope is ideal for kids.
Conclusion:
Buying the best telescope in India should not be complex if you focus on simple aspects such as the telescopic design & type, and the aperture.
In addition to these, user experience, focal length and focal ratio of the telescope are other crucial factors to consider.
It is important to thoroughly review each feature, specification, pros & cons of the telescope before investing in a telescope.
Based on the above review, you can make a smart decision in buying the best astronomical telescope in India.