Okay here we go.
Man, choosing the right telescope for stargazing feels like one of those life decisions that should be simple but ends up making you question your entire personality.
Like last November—I’m in my backyard in suburban nowhere, temperature hovering around 38°F, wearing three hoodies and still shivering, trying to find Jupiter with this ridiculously overpriced 8-inch Dobsonian I impulse-bought on Prime Day because “bigger aperture = better views” according to like six YouTube guys with perfect hair and dark-sky backyards.
Spoiler: I saw a blurry yellowish blob and got so frustrated I almost yeeted the whole thing into the bushes. A raccoon actually came over and stared at me like bro what are you doing with your life.
So yeah. Here’s my super flawed, very American, occasionally embarrassing guide on how to choose the right telescope for stargazing without repeating my mistakes (or at least making totally new ones).
Why Most “Best Telescope for Stargazing” Lists Are Kinda Lying to You How to Choose the Right
Everyone and their cousin posts “Top 10 Telescopes 2025!!!” lists but half of them are affiliate spam and the other half assume you live in rural Arizona with zero light pollution.
unfrozencavemanastronomer.wordpress.com
unfrozencavemanastronomer.wordpress.com
If you’re also stuck in or near a city/suburb, aperture matters—but portability and ease of use matter way more at first.
My #1 Rule When Choosing a Telescope for Stargazing (Learned the Hard Way) How to Choose the Right
Buy the telescope you will actually use, not the telescope you think you should want. How to Choose the Right
I spent $650 on that giant Dob because “muh light gathering power.” Guess how many times I’ve hauled 40+ lbs of telescope + base out to the backyard since that first night? Four. Four times.
Meanwhile my little $220 Celestron 5-inch Maksutov sits on a photo tripod in the corner and gets used at least twice a month because I can grab it in under 90 seconds when I see a clear patch.
Types of Telescopes – My Very Biased Ranking for Beginners in 2026
- Refractors (lens up front) My current favorite for grab-and-go stargazing. Almost no maintenance. Sharp moon and planet views. Downside: chromatic aberration gets annoying on cheap ones. Recommendation: Something like the Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ or the William Optics ZenithStar 61 (if you hate yourself and have $800 lying around).
- Reflectors / Dobsonians (mirror at the bottom) Best bang-for-buck aperture. Jaw-dropping deep-sky views once you learn to collimate. But they’re big, heavy, need frequent mirror alignment, and dew is your mortal enemy. I love my 8” Dob… when I actually use it.
- Catadioptrics (SCTs & Maksutovs) Compact, long focal length = great for planets and the Moon. Expensive. Slow to cool down. Narrow field of view. Still my daily driver because I’m lazy.
I live in a Bortle 6–7 zone. You can see maybe 150 stars on a good night. My expectations were completely delusional.
Budget Breakdown – What I Actually Spent vs What I Should’ve Spent
- Under $250 → small refractor or 114mm tabletop reflector. Perfect starter. You will see Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons.
- $250–500 → 5–6 inch Dob or decent 102–127mm refractor. Sweet spot for most people.
- $500–1000 → 8-inch Dobsonian or 5–6 inch SCT/Mak. Serious hobby level.
- $1000 → you’re either rich or about to become obsessed (send help).
I started at the $500–1000 tier and should’ve started at $250. Classic.
For more honest comparisons I still check these guys regularly:
- Telescopic Watch beginner telescope guide
- High Point Scientific telescope selector tool
- Cloudy Nights forum threads (search “first telescope regrets” — pure therapy)
Quick Checklist I Wish Was Tattooed on My Forehead Before Buying
- Where will you observe? (backyard, balcony, dark-site trips)
- How much can you carry without crying?
- Do you want planets & Moon or faint galaxies & nebulae?
- Are you okay learning to collimate mirrors?
- Will dew kill you? (buy a dew shield if yes)
- Can you store it somewhere you’ll trip over it and therefore use it?
Answer those brutally honestly and you’ll probably pick better than I did.
Anyway.
I’m sitting here on my couch right now, January 2026, eating cold pizza, watching the light pollution glow outside my window, and thinking maybe next clear night I’ll drag the little Mak out again. How to Choose the Right
If you’re reading this and you’re about to buy your first (or fifth) telescope for stargazing — just start.
You’ll screw it up. You’ll swear at the thing. A raccoon might judge you.
But then one night you’ll see the Cassini Division on Saturn’s rings or the swirling arms of M51 and it’ll all feel worth it.
Drop a comment if you’ve already bought something dumb—I wanna hear the war stories.
Clear skies, fam. (And don’t forget the snacks.)
