Best Telescope for Astrophotography Buyer's Guide

Want to capture the beautiful views of the sky and celestial objects? You can do that with the help of the best telescope for astrophotography. Browse our entire guide of the best telescopes to buy for Astrophotography enthusiasts and purchase one right now.

Want to capture the beautiful views of the sky and celestial objects? You can do that with the help of the best telescope for astrophotography.

Astronomy is as old as man himself. Previously, man used to look at the sky with his bare eyes and revel in the mysteries of the worlds beyond. As technology progressed, so did the art of sky-gazing. Telescopes make it easier for us to look out at the sky and unravel the galaxies and the secrets they hold. 

You cannot only look at the sky with telescopes but with the right telescopes, you can capture those amazing views as well. Choosing the ideal telescope can be a confusing task, especially if you are new to Astrophotography. 

Now comes the million-dollar question: Which is the best telescope for astrophotography? 

To help you buy the Best Telescope for Astrophotography, we have researched plenty of telescopes and put together this list of the top 10 Best Telescope for Astrophotography for you.  These telescopes will suit your needs and requirements, all the while keeping your budget in mind.

The buying guide at the end will help you know which features to look at when you are out there buying the perfect telescope.

Ready to begin? Let's go!

Our Overall #1 Rated Pick


  • Easy to move and store
  • Large Aperture
  • A handful of accessories included
  • Well-built and reliable

If you are a beginner who is searching for a better telescope, then this telescope would be a flawless choice for you. This telescope is used for creating images of deep-space materials. It consists of a large parabolic mirror inside it that helps in producing the clear and comprehensible images of deep-space targets. EQ-2 equatorial mount helps to track the objects easily. Furthermore, it helps in keeping the image centered when you are using it for astrophotography. 

This 5.1-inch gathers an adequate amount of light to capture faraway views for planets and moons, not only this but also galaxies, star clusters, and nebulas. 24-inch optical tube, another great feature is designed just for its trouble-free portability. Swift f/5 focal ratio for satisfying wide-angle and vast field performance makes this telescope a very multitalented and adaptable telescope.

The 10 Best Telescope for Astrophotography Comparison Chart

The 10 Best Telescope for Astrophotography

In this section, we review the Top 10 telescopes available for amateurs and professions.

If you are a beginner who is searching for a better telescope, then this telescope would be a flawless choice for you. This telescope is used for creating images of deep-space materials. It consists of a large parabolic mirror inside it that helps in producing the clear and comprehensible images of deep-space targets. EQ-2 equatorial mount helps to track the objects easily. Furthermore, it helps in keeping the image centered when you are using it for astrophotography. 

This 5.1-inch gathers an adequate amount of light to capture faraway views for planets and moons, not only this but also galaxies, star clusters, and nebulas. 24-inch optical tube, another great feature is designed just for its trouble-free portability. Swift f/5 focal ratio for satisfying wide-angle and vast field performance makes this telescope a very multitalented and adaptable telescope. 

Strong EQ-2 telescope mount along with the modifiable tripod allows you to slow-moving manual tracking of astronomical objects. The total weight of the assembled telescope is only 27 lbs for trouble-free transport. 

It has two eyepieces with a pinion focuser, 6 finder scopes, a collimation cap, approach to a special Astronomy software, which makes this telescope more captivating. It is a telescope having simple but quality features.

Features and Specs

  • Primary Aperture: 100-150 mm
  • Optical diameter: 130 mm
  • Focal Length: 650 mm
  • Two Sirius Plossl eyepieces: 25mm and 10 mm

PROS

  • Easy to move and store
  • Large Aperture
  • A handful of accessories included
  • Well-built and reliable

CONS

  • For beginners use only
  • Assembly gets a little complicated
Orion 09565 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

If you are a serious hobbyist astrophotographer, then this telescope is a perfect match for you. This telescope prices for $2400, not the cheapest option in the market, but it is a marvelous telescope that offers very high-end work in return. The Orion 09565 EON is an apochromatic refractor telescope having better correction of chromatic and spherical aberration. 

"Apo" reflectors (apochromatic) capture amazing images of the night sky. They are long-lasting and heave-duty, adapt fast change in temperature as well. It comes with a dew shield to protect the lens against the dew or moisture forming on the lens. 

This telescope weighs 22.5 lbs, which makes it so easy to transport. It comes with a hard-carrying case and tube rings but no mount. This telescope has a focus-lock thumbscrew; once in focus, you can use this in this position as long as you want to. 

Also, this focuser has an Orion finder scope, which makes it feasible to use with other Orion products. Overall this telescope creating competitive astronomical images is a lot for a telescope at a reasonable price. 

Features and Specs

  • Focal length: 910mm
  • Focal ratio: f/7
  • Cray ford focuser: 3-inch
  • Aperture: 130mm

PROS

  • Effective and user-friendly
  • Designed to make image framing simple for astrophotographers.
  • Easy to move and carry 

CONS

  • The case only fits scope with no attachments
  • Comes with no mount
Gskyer Telescope Astronomical Refractor Telescope

If you are a hobbyist astronomer with a goal so this telescope suits both close and distanced objects. Also, to get very accurate views of little clusters of craters on the Moon with the eyepiece of 5mm and 3x Barlow lens together is a special treat. 

It is a bit complicated to find the exact focus as you increase the magnification. However, the focus knob will help you get a clear image as long as you keep a steady hand. The tripod has a sturdy build. But you have to be careful so that you don't screw the legs too tightly. 

It's an ultra-reflecting telescope with a focal length that captures bright pictures of celestial objects. The telescope has optimum magnification with three replaceable eyepieces. It also has a finder scope along with a mounting bracket. The erect-image diagonal makes it easy to locate objects. 

Not only this, but it has more to offer with an adjustable tripod allowing the users to view astronomical objects from different positions. In addition to this, an adjustable full-size tripod stable platform. 

Features and Specs

  • Focal length: 400mm and 80 mm
  • Aperture: 80mm
  • 3X Barlow lens

PROS

  • Capture more light pictures
  • Reliable
  • User-friendly
  • Cheap

CONS

  • Expensive 
Sky-Watcher Evoguide APO Refractor

Sky-Watcher's Evoguide-50ED is a high-quality telescope. The telescope is furnished with a fine and accurate helical focuser. For connecting the auto guider, cameras, or eyepieces. You get collimation rings so that you can adjust the telescope as per your needs. 

Each of them has 3 screws that are nylon-tipped. The Guidescope has a Vixen-style dovetail as well. Sky-Watcher Evostar reflectors come up with the exceptional images. These doublet refractors create dramatic, coal-black skies and faithful, contrast-rich views of planets and deep-space phenomenon that are incomparable. 

These refractors are the rational choice for the perceptive amateur astronomer looking for an investment in advanced instrumentation for remarkable viewing and astrophotography.

Features and Specs

  • Focal length: 242mm
  • Aperture: f/4.8
  • Helical focuser: 1.25-inch
  • Widest diameter: 60mm
  • Apochromatic refractor: 50mm

PROS

  • Small very high-quality telescope
  • Provides pinpoint sharp images
  • Great telescope for traveling

CONS

  • Only for beginners
Gskyer Telescope Astronomical Refractor Telescope

The Gskyer AZ Telescope is designed for beginner astronomers or hobbyist astrophotographers. This telescope is one of the exclusive beginners' telescopes, offering exclusive observable power. 

The optical tube of this telescope comes with an aluminum alloy, making it long-lasting and heavy-duty. The telescope is easy to use credit goes to the tube ring that amplifies mounting. It comes with an altazimuth mount. The stainless-steel tripod makes the telescope secure enough to be used with increasing focus. 

Although it is a beginner telescope, it can still be used to observe the stars, Moon, planets, and meteors effectively. Not only that, but it can also be used for earth-viewing.

This telescope comes with a fully coated optics glass lens with high transmission coatings that creates extraordinary images and also protects your eyes. An adjustable tripod is an add-on treat in this telescope for different viewing positions.

Features and Specs

  • Focal length: 600mm
  • Aperture: 90mm
  • Focal Ratio: F6.7
  • Barlow lens: 3X

PROS

  • Easy setup and easy focus
  • Heavyweight style tripod
  • Comes with 3 eyepieces
  • Real good optics
  • Decent weight

CONS

  • Only for the beginner or amateur astrophotographers
  • Cheap Barlow lens
EXPLORE ONE Aurora  Reflector Telescope

Exhibiting various sky objects to the pleasure of the eyes is the best hobby one can chase. Sticking eyes to the electronic gears and making them exhausted is of no use. You can treat them with the extraordinary and exceptional views of celestial and terrestrial objects. Astronomy can prove to be a flawless hobby. ExploreOne manufacturers have produced a great range of telescopes, all of the good quality and easy to use. 

The ExploreOne Aurora AZ Telescope is an ideal one for beginners and amateurs with a bundle of features. It has a gleaming and modish design. For the observation of farther celestial objects, the considerable 4 ½ inch aperture is what makes it ideal. The magnification and focusing on various objects have become easier with a focal length of 500mm. 

Two different eyepieces are provided with different magnification levels. This reproduces high-end and well-defined images for an understandable stud of astronomical learning. Moon and its craters, Rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, Star clusters like Orion and Nebulae, and messier objects like galaxies are easy to observe from this telescope. 

If used with a camera, images can be taken and stored for later use. Furthermore, slow-motion tracking allows the user for fine and minute adjustments when moving the telescope. It comes with a full-size tripod that is completely adjustable and includes an accessory tray for holding extra eyepiece.

Features and Specs

  • Focal length: 500 mm
  • Aperture: 4 ½ inches
  • Weight: 15.2 pounds
  • Batteries: one included CR2 batteries

PROS

  • Lightweight and compact
  • Easy to carry anywhere
  • Economical
  • Plossl Eyepieces
  • Tripod Included
  • Altazimuth Slow Motion Mounting

CONS

  • For beginners use only
Celestron - AstroMaster Telescope

For hobbyist astronomers get a high-quality telescope can be a tiresome task, and if they do not find the right one at the right time, it leads to their lack of interest in this field. The Celestron AstroMaster telescope is a sturdy reflector telescope for astronomy beginners and hobbyist astrophotographers. It contributes a fully coated glass optics, a sturdy and lightweight frame. 

If you are an outdoor enthusiast and love to enhance your knowledge about planetary, then this telescope is both budget-friendly and user-friendly also produces high-end images. It also includes AstroMaster manual mount that includes two slow-motion tracking knobs that give you precise adjustments for viewing terrestrial and celestial objects in divergent quality. 

Celestron AstroMaster telescopes are built with high-quality materials that give you clear images of Saturn, Jupiter, and the Moon, along with galaxies and nebulae. You can also use this telescope for viewing earthly objects during daytime hours.

Features and Specs

  • Eyepiece: 20mm (45x magnification) and 10mm (90x magnification)
  • Steel tube legs: 1.25-inch
  • A StarPointer red-dot finderscope
  • Glass optic objective lens: 130mm

PROS

  • Quick setup
  • Lightweight frame
  • No tools require for assembly
  • Kids and adults both can use

CONS

  • For amateur and entry-level use only
Orion Atlas Pro Telescope

This is a portable, yet seriously strong and tough mount. The mount and tripod have a weight of 51 lb. The mount can be disjoined from the tripod with a single hand knob. A bundle of great features like threaded power input jack, a built-in auto guider port for accurate astrophotographic use, and offers 9 different slew speeds. 

The telescope has a tough steel-legged tripod. There is also a dovetail saddle that comes with the telescope. If you are just looking for a perfect and reliable telescope for astrophotography, then Orion's Altas Pro is just the best choice to go with. It offers a smooth, smart, and stable performance that is up to the mark as well. 

Features and Specs

  • Design head: computerized
  • Power supply: 12V DC or 4V adapter AC-to-DC
  • Communication cable: RS:232
  • Load capacity: 44 pounds

PROS

  • Great design
  • Good quality images
  • Not bulky

CONS

  • Issues with the Polar alignment
Celestron Newtonian Telescope

You want your hands on some star locating technology so, the telescope that fits your family's budget is the 114LCM. It locates objects pretty easily for you. 114LCM is a computerizes telescope that locates an abundance of celestial objects for you automatically. 

To get started with this telescope, you just have to perform a simple task first—a simple SkyAlign alignment by centering any three bright objects in your telescope's eyepiece. Then your LCM can calculate the time, date, and location and orient itself with the night sky. 

This telescope is the beginner in its family but still provides the precise images of celestial objects as per your LCM. Exploring our planetary system, travel deep into the space to see other stars and galaxies like a nebula, star cluster, and hundreds of thousands of new objects, this telescope will never fail you. It is everything you need to get started. 

Features and Specs

  • Focal length: 1000mm
  • Aperture: 114mm
  • Aluminum tripod
  • Eyepiece: 25mm and 9mm

PROS

  • Locates objects even with hand control
  • Have a top-rated astronomy software
  • Design head is computerized
  • User-friendly
  • Budget-friendly

CONS

  • Batteries are weak
  • Calibration is a bit difficult
Celestron NexStar Computerized Telescope

The Celestron Nexstar is a computerized telescope that stores the data of stars, nebulae, galaxies, and more. The telescope locates the object with preciseness and tracks it. The design of this telescope is made for both kids & adults. This telescope is perfect if you are planning for weekend camping vacations to the places having amazing night sky sceneries. Its dense and closely packed structure makes it trouble-free transport and easy to assemble about anywhere because no heavy-duty tools are required. You can view all celestial features from moons of Jupiter to the rings of Saturn. It provides very clear and precise imaging.

Features and Specs

  • Focal length: 1500mm
  • Aperture: 127mm
  • Focal ratio: f/12
  • Assembled weight: 18lbs.

PROS

  • Lightweight easy to transport
  • Easy assembling
  • Enhanced precision
  • Free astronomy-based software programs

CONS

  • Design can be a bit unusual
  • Can be a bit expensive as compared to the other telescopes having the same Aperture

Buying Guide

There are several options available to you when it comes to the best Telescope for Astrophotography. The problem is to find the best product that suits all of your needs and requirements. A good telescope for astrophotography takes images in a way that takes your breath away while being fun and easy to use.

Let's look at a few factors that should be present in a good telescope for astrophotography.

Types of Telescopes

The first thing that you are going to look at is the type of telescope you are going to use.

Reflector Telescopes

Reflectors use either a combo of curved mirrors or a single mirror. They reflect light in order to form an image. Their design allows them to have objective lenses of large diameters. However, they are prone to optical aberrations.

Reflectors are high-maintenance telescopes. This is because the mirrors become unaligned even by small movements and bumps. 

Refractor Telescopes

They are the earliest kind of telescopes to hit the market. Instead of mirrors, Refractor telescopes make use of lenses and focus light to produce a clear, sharp image. The body of these telescopes is sealed. This makes them tough and durable, and no dust can accumulate inside the tube.

Furthermore, you don't have to make any adjustments like collimation, etc. the way you need with reflector telescopes. 

Achromatic Refractors

Achromatic telescopes use two glass pieces to focus the light. However, these lenses only focus on the blue and red light and don't focus on the green light. This makes the images blurry. Thus, people usually go for Achromatic telescopes.

Apochromatic Refractors

Apochromatic refractors have an objective lens in them made of extra-low dispersion glass. They give you crisp images that have no chromatic aberration. It is considered the ultimate telescope for planetary observation and photography by many people.

They are lightweight, compact, and portable. They have excellent color correction and can be easily focused. Moreover, they are quick to adjust to varying temperatures. If you are an entry-level astrophotographer, you should give the Apochromatic Refractors a chance.

Aperture

Telescopes create images by collecting light and then focusing it. Light is collected with the help of a lens in refractor telescopes or mirrors, as is the case with reflector telescopes. Aperture is the rating of the opening through which light passes. It shows the diameter of the objective lens or the primary mirror, depending on the type of telescope that you use. 

Keep in mind that bigger the Aperture is, the heavier your telescope will be. Moreover, it will be expensive as well. So, find a balance between weight, budget, and Aperture.

Focal Length

After the light enters through the Aperture, it travels a certain distance to the focal plane. This is the focal length. The focal ratio is the ratio between the Aperture and focal length. It tells you how fast a telescope is. Aperture, focal length, and focal ratio are all co-related. A long focal length and a slow focal ratio telescope will work well in a small field of view and is good for photographing distinct and bright objects such as planets, the Moon, etc.

Fast focal length ratio and short focal length telescopes are suited for photographing objects that are far away and faint, with a wide field of view. 

If your telescope has a long focal length and a large aperture, it will definitely be powerful, but it will be heavy, large, and unwieldy. Consider the portability of a telescope as well and don't just go for maximum Aperture and long focal length. Balance, people, Balance!

Magnification

Magnification of a telescope is important, but you need to keep one thing in mind: You can change the magnification by swapping out the eyepiece. Moreover, magnification is not going to help if the Aperture of the telescope is not big enough to go with it. You can zoom as much as you want, but it will be meaningless if the image is going to be blurry and grainy.

Signal to Noise ratio

For visual astronomy, Aperture plays a vital role. But in astrophotography, you have to look at the optical speed as well. Optical speed is the speed with which the photons pass through the camera to give you the image. Optical speed depends on the signal to noise ratio. The more photons you capture, the better the picture will be. The SNR gives this. The better the SNR is, the smoother the image will be.

In order to reduce noise, you can use narrowband filters. Speed depends on the focal length as well. It depends on the square of the focal length. 

Mount

Some telescopes come with a mount, and various other models don't have one. If the telescope doesn't have a mount, it gives you the freedom to get one that you think works best for you. 

On the other hand, if the telescope has a mount that comes along with it, then you don't have to buy one separately. Mounts can be in the form of tripod stands. Some are in the form of tabletop support. The kind of support you need depends on the purpose that you are going to use the telescope for.

A mount is very important when it comes to astrophotography because you don't want to get a mount that is wobbly and will ruin your perfect shots. Think about the size of the telescope your mount has to support. 

There are two types of mounts commonly used by astrophotographers.

Altazimuth

They are easier to use and are relatively inexpensive.

Equatorial

These mounts move with the rotation of the Earth. If you are going to follow the changing position of objects in the sky overnight, then these are a good option.

Essentials

Other than a DSLR or any other camera, plus a telescope, you need a few other things when you are out for a good night of Astrophotography. 

Diagonal

You would need a diagonal as well for visual observation, as well as the alignment of the mount. A diagonal is a prism or an angled mirror that allows you to view from a direction that is perpendicular to the eyepiece axis.

Finderscope

You should get a finderscope that will help you with the auto-guiding of your telescope. It helps you find the objects that you are looking to photograph.

Tube Rings

These are adjustable rings that you can attach with your finderscope. They help you to mount your finderscope easily. You can also get a dovetail bar if you want to attach something else to your telescope.

Carrying case

This goes without saying. You don't carry your telescope in your hand, or let it move about it in the back of your car now, do you?

Field Flattener

A field flattener is a lens that counters the dependence of the field angle of the system's focal length.

Field of View

When it comes to astrophotography, having a wide field of view is very important. Moreover, with a telescope of long focal length, you don't notice a few errors in the imaging if you have a wide-field view of the sky.

If you have a tight field of view, then your focus needs to be more precise. Many people make use of a crop sensor camera with a long telephoto lens. It works great for viewing and capturing nebulae.

Personal Interests

Your personal preferences, particularly your field of interest, are very important when it comes to choosing the right telescope. If you are an astronomical observer, who loves to see the planets and stars up-close, and simply want to take a few photos, then the telescope you choose would be different from the telescope you would get if you are a dedicated astrophotographer.

If you are looking to photograph objects such as planets that are bright, then you should get a telescope that produces crisp, high-resolution, detailed images. This means a telescope that has a long focal length.If you are going for deep-sky photography, then a telescope with a short focal length and a wide field view would be helpful.

Portability

You are going to carry your telescope and other equipment out with you. If the telescope is heavy and cumbersome, it will slow you down and cause unnecessary pain for you. Buy telescopes that are lightweight, compact, and portable. If the telescope comes with carrying bags, that is an added plus.

Budget

You need to choose your budget beforehand. Every telescope has good features that are designed to cater to the needs of a specific group of people. Take a look at the budget you have, your needs, and then find a telescope that fits into those parameters. You don't have to go for the higher-priced products thinking that they will provide you the best quality. Many moderately priced telescopes work just as well.

FAQs

What is Deep Sky Astrophotography?

Usability and Practicality are two words that you should keep in mind when looking for the best telescope for astrophotography. Deep sky Astrophotography is capturing of various objects in the sky. You can take pictures of the stars, the Milky Way, and the Moon. A telephoto lens is needed to take the close-up photo of the Moon or a planet.

Is Aperture the only thing I need to consider?

A large aperture means that more light will be collected. Therefore, powerful telescopes have large apertures. However, you need to keep in mind that the other factors also play a role in making a telescope powerful, not only the Aperture.

How can I find the power of a Telescope?

If you divide the objective lens' focal length with the focal length of the eyepiece, you will get the power of your telescope.

Final Words

Stargazing is a source of knowledge and entertainment for loads of people. To become a great astronomer and stargazer, you not only need good skills, but you also need good equipment. With several products out in the market, it can be a bit hard to choose the right one. 

In this article, we have put together the reviews of the 10 Best Telescopes for Astrophotography. These are the best quality products out there, and you will definitely find one that suits your needs. With the help of the compact yet comprehensive buying guide above, you will know what to look for in the best telescope for astrophotography.

Happy Stargazing Folks!