10 Best Beginner Telescopes 2025 in the United States

The Gskyer Telescope is designed with beginners and kids in mind. It features a 70mm aperture and a 400mm focal length, which are suitable for observing the moon and stars. The fully coated glass optics ensure clear and sharp images while also protecting your eyes. The telescope comes with an Altazimuth (AZ) mount, which is user-friendly and ideal for beginners as it allows smooth horizontal and vertical movements.

It's also portable, weighing just 5.7 pounds and including a carry bag, making it easy to take on trips or store away when not in use. Additionally, the telescope is equipped with two eyepieces and a 3x Barlow lens, providing a range of magnification options for different viewing experiences. The 5x24 finderscope helps in locating objects easily, which can be particularly beneficial for new users.

The package also includes a smartphone adapter and a wireless remote, allowing you to capture celestial images conveniently. However, the manual focus might be a bit challenging for some beginners, and the tripod, while adjustable, may not be as stable as more advanced models. This telescope is an excellent choice for beginners who are curious about astronomy and want a user-friendly, portable device to start their stargazing journey.

The HEXEUM AZ80600 telescope is a great option for adults and beginner astronomers who are eager to explore the night sky. It features an 80mm aperture and a 600mm focal length, which means it captures more light for brighter and clearer images. This is especially useful for viewing details on the moon and other celestial objects. The multi-coated lenses further enhance image quality, making your stargazing experience more enjoyable.

The telescope comes with two high-quality eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) that provide different levels of magnification (24X and 60X), and it also includes a 3x Barlow lens that can triple the magnification power. This combination allows you to see up to 180X magnification, which is impressive for a beginner telescope. A 5x24 finder scope is included to help you easily locate objects in the sky. The telescope uses an Altazimuth mount, which is simple to use and ideal for beginners. No tools are required for assembly, making it user-friendly and quick to set up.

This telescope is also portable, thanks to its lightweight design (6.2 pounds), adjustable aluminum tripod, phone adapter, wireless remote control, and carrying bag. This makes it easy to take with you on trips or to different viewing locations. One potential downside is that manual focus and the Altazimuth mount may limit more advanced users who might prefer automatic tracking or equatorial mounts. However, for beginners, this simplicity can be an advantage as it reduces the learning curve. The telescope also comes with a lifetime maintenance guarantee and excellent customer support, which is reassuring for those new to astronomy. In conclusion, the HEXEUM AZ80600 is a well-rounded beginner telescope that offers good optical quality, ease of use, and portability, making it a solid choice for novice stargazers.

The Celestron NexStar 6SE Telescope is an excellent choice for both beginners and more experienced users looking to explore the night sky. One of its standout features is the 6-inch aperture, which allows for impressive views of celestial objects, from the Moon to deep-sky phenomena like the Orion Nebula. The computerized GoTo mount is a significant advantage; it can locate and track over 40,000 celestial objects for you, making stargazing much simpler, especially for newcomers to astronomy. The SkyAlign technology streamlines the setup process, allowing you to get started quickly, and it breaks down into manageable parts for easy storage, enhancing its portability.

On the downside, the NexStar 6SE can be somewhat heavy at 21 pounds, which may make it less convenient to transport for some users. While it’s designed to be user-friendly, the initial learning curve associated with using computerized mounts can be a little daunting for absolute beginners. Additionally, the included eyepiece is a basic 25mm lens; while it’s suitable for general use, you might find limitations and eventually want to invest in additional eyepieces for a broader range of viewing experiences.

The telescope also comes with a 2-Year warranty and superb customer support, which is reassuring for users. To enhance your experience further, it includes a free download of Starry Night software, allowing you to explore and simulate the night sky. This combination of features makes the NexStar 6SE a solid option for anyone looking to dive into astronomy, balancing portability and powerful performance.