The Best Telescopes for Beginners in 2026
Ready to go beyond binoculars? Choosing your first telescope can feel overwhelming—there are dozens of options and a lot of confusing jargon. I've helped hundreds of beginners pick their first scope, and this guide distills everything into a simple decision: what do you want to see, and what's your budget?
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01The Three Types of Telescopes
Before we talk specific models, you need to understand the three main types:
Refractor — Uses lenses. Simple to use, low maintenance, great for planets and the Moon. Typically more expensive per inch of aperture.
Reflector (Dobsonian) — Uses mirrors. Best value for aperture. Excellent for deep sky objects. Requires occasional collimation (alignment of mirrors).
Compound (SCT/Maksutov) — Combines lenses and mirrors. Compact and portable. Good all-around, but more expensive.
My recommendation for beginners: A 6" or 8" Dobsonian reflector. Maximum aperture for the money, simple to use, and you'll never outgrow it.
Aperture is King
02Best Beginner Telescopes by Budget
Here are my top picks at each price point. I've personally used or tested every single one of these.
Apertura AD8 Dobsonian
“8 inches of light-gathering power at an unbeatable price.”
Why we love it
Outstanding optics, smooth motion, and the accessories (laser collimator, eyepieces) are included. This is the telescope I recommend to 90% of beginners.
03What You'll Actually See
Let me set realistic expectations. You will NOT see Hubble-quality color images through the eyepiece. That's astrophotography, not visual observing. Through a good scope, most nebulae and galaxies appear as faint gray smudges. Managing expectations is key to enjoying visual astronomy.
The Moon
Incredible detail. Individual craters, mountain ranges, the shadows at the terminator. Worth the telescope alone.
Planets
Jupiter's cloud bands and Great Red Spot. Saturn's rings. Mars's polar ice caps during opposition.
Deep Sky
The Orion Nebula as a glowing cloud. Andromeda as a fuzzy patch. Dozens of star clusters.
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