Stargazing is a time-honored hobby. People will gather in dark-sky areas to name constellations and spin fantastic yarns about the stars and shapes they see in the sky.
Well, there might not be a man on the moon or little green men on Mars, but there’s still plenty to see. If only you could look just a little bit closer…
Fortunately, there are plenty of telescopes under $100. It doesn’t take a fortune to give you a closer view of the lunar surface, to see why we call Mars the red planet, or to spot Saturn’s Rings for yourself.
Both of these telescopes are designed to give you a better glimpse of the stars, the solar-planets, and more. We’ll talk about the important features of each, and why that makes these telescoped the best telescopes under $100.
Celestron – 70mm Travel Scope – Portable Refractor Telescope – Best Telescope Under 100
OUR RATING
This telescope, made by one of the most popular telescope manufacturers out there, is a perfect option for beginners and more experienced stargazers looking for a portable telescope. It’s durable and lightweight design is meant to travel with you, while superior optics give you a better view.
- 70mm Objective Aperture:
This size is suitable for viewing the lunar surface, Mars, and will even let you see a few of the weather bands on Jupiter.
70mm is a little bigger than the 60mm apertures commonly used in introductory and children’s telescopes. That means you can see farther, and with greater clarity, than the smaller telescope aperture sizes.
This telescope is also designed to offer superior optical clarity.
- 2 High-Quality Eyepieces:
One thing any astronomer will tell you is that you can’t use the same equipment to see all the things you want to see in space. Different equipment opens opportunities to see things both near and far in a new way.
The 20mm and 10mm eyepieces let you switch between low- and high-power views with ease. You can see which works better for your favorite space objects. Or, they can be a handy tool for showing people the differences between different lenses.
The low useful magnification on this telescope is 10x, and the highest theoretical magnification is 165x.
- Portable Tripod and Travel Bag:
The stable tripod that comes with this set is perfect for taking the whole set with you. It’s designed to provide a stable and reliable platform for your new telescope. It’s the perfect companion for going camping or out to dark skies viewing sites.
The travel bag is big enough to accommodate the telescope, tripod, and needed accessories. That way you won’t have to worry about packing your gear into a ton of different containers and bags.
Plus, the lightweight design, only slightly over 4 lbs., is easily portable for almost anyone.
- 2 Year Warranty:
Celestron offers a 2-year warranty on their telescopes. They’re a California-based company since 1960 and stand by their products. Not only can you be sure that you won’t get stuck with a shipping damaged telescope, they want to make sure your product works to the best of its capabilities.
In addition to the 2-year warranty, Celestron also provides free lifetime technical support to its customers. If you’re having trouble with a specific function, give them a call. One of their technicians will walk you through how to work the telescope and a simple fix for many common problems.
They’ll also let you know when it’s time to get it professionally repaired instead of causing more damage by trying to fix the telescope yourself.
TELMU Telescope, 70mm Aperture 400mm AZ Mount Astronomical Refracting Telescope
OUR RATING
This telescope is perfect for beginners, and for users who are looking to capture images of the skies with their cellphone. Or, using the cellphone as an adaptive device, this telescope is accessible even for people who would not otherwise be able to look through the eyepiece.
- 70mm Aperture:
The TELMU 70mm aperture is designed to give you a great deal of clarity of flexibility. It’s suitable to view solar objects like the near and larger planets and the lunar surface. You can also view nebulas and other bright space objects with this telescope aperture.
This aperture is also specially coated to protect your eyesight. The coatings offer enhanced crispness in telescope images. It’s also designed to provide brighter images. That way your eyes aren’t straining to see details in an image that’s too dark to be clear.
- Finder Scope and Eyepieces:
This telescope also comes with two replaceable eyepieces, and a finder scope designed to mount easily on the top of the telescope.
The two eyepieces, both 25mm, offer a high-power view of the cosmos. These eyepieces bring the solar objects in your view into clearer, sharper focus.
The finder scope is also especially useful for beginners, or the first time you look for a specific solar object.
- Phone Adapter:
Another innovative feature offered by this telescope is the phone adaptor. It attaches to the eyepiece and allows your phone to see (and show) the same view you have in the telescope. That also means that you have access to brightness adjustments and can play with the focus without having to crane your neck to look through the scope at the same time.
This is perfect for space photographers, beginners looking to capture an image of their new hobby.
Using a phone can also be a more adaptive experience. People who can’t otherwise use a telescope might be able to see the images better which a phone.
It’s also perfect for showing younger kids who don’t otherwise have the patience for looking through your telescope.
Conclusion:
These telescopes are some of the best options if you’re looking for a telescope under $100. While many manufacturers focus more on keeping the price low than keeping the quality up, these telescopes are designed to offer the best possible performance.
Both of these telescopes are adaptive to a wide range of situations and users. Whether you’re looking for a supremely portable telescope, or on that will allow space photography and easy viewing, these scopes have you covered.
We’re confident that both of these telescopes, and their manufacturers, will serve you well.