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Zane Landers

 Best Telescopes in UK (200+ Telescopes Reviewed)

Our team of experts, which includes Zane, a home telescope maker featured in TIME magazine, has tested over 200 telescopes available in the UK, and our top picks are frequently recommended on astronomical forums.

If you look at the list of best selling telescopes on Amazon you’ll see low-grade telescopes mostly reviewed by enthusiastic newbies who have probably never used another telescope in their life. Most of these newbies are content seeing a few craters on the moon and spotting the 4 moons of Jupiter … yet they probably don’t know any decent pair of binoculars that cost below £100 can do the same thing!

If you can’t trust Amazon and most of the telescope blogs, how do you truly know what makes a great telescope? That’s why we’re here. Here you’ll find all the information you need to buy the best telescope with confidence.

Some of these telescopes can be a lot of money, so you want to make sure you are investing in a great product … especially if this is your first one! Our comprehensive list contains the absolute best telescope for its corresponding price.

Basic Guide On Choosing The Best Telescope For You

The first thing you want to do is to figure out what you really want out of your telescope. Consider:

  • Where will you use it?
  • Where will you store it?
  • How much weight can you carry comfortably?
  • How will you find the things you want to see?
  • Is this for home use or will you frequently put it in your car?
  • Will you want to take it on an aeroplane?

If your observing location requires walking up or downstairs, or you can’t handle carrying something too heavy, or if you just decide you want to travel a lot with your scope, choosing a smaller one might be a better idea. 8" dobsonians are what we consider to be perfect in terms of the balance between portability and viewability.

While it’s amazing to peer through a big scope, it’s useless if it isn’t used. This goes for kids too. If you’re shopping telescope for a child, remember to choose something they can manage on their own.

Some telescopes come with built-in computer assistance for tracking and identifying celestial objects. We don’t typically recommend these over the manual ones.

Computerized telescopes can come with additional work and requirements. For example, they will need a power supply and can take longer to set up than most other scopes. Knowing what you can do with a good star chart is much more beneficial.

The money you’re spending on a telescope should be going as much towards the aperture (size of the objective lens or mirror) as possible. When you’re spending only a few hundred dollars on a computerized telescope, half your money is going to go to the drive systems and controller, and as a result, you get rather little actual “telescope” for your money. If you live in the city you’ll definitely want to prioritize aperture. A small telescope will show little under severe light pollution, but in general, you’re going to want to get as far away from cities as you can when you sky watch anyways.

If you prefer to have the scope to find the targets, then look at PushTo or GoTo computerized packages.

There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to the level of technology that you’re comfortable with though, and both kinds of scopes (tech-included or not) have their own pros and cons, so make sure to really think about what you want out of your scope before making any kind of purchase.

There are several different types of telescopes, with the most common types being refractor, reflector and catadioptric telescopes.

  • Refracting telescopes usually provide the best image for their apertures but are usually pricey. They’re seldom available with large apertures. Inexpensive ones do have a fair amount of chromatic aberration though, thanks to the achromatic lens design they use. Refractors seldom require maintenance and do not usually need to cool down before use.
  • Reflector telescopes provide the most bang for your buck in terms of light-gathering power and resolution, but require frequent alignment of mirrors and may need to cool down before being used. Unintentionally, most of the recommended scopes on this guide are reflectors.
  • Catadioptric telescopes are moderately expensive but are much more compact than most equivalent-sized refractors or reflectors. They do require periodic maintenance and need to cool down as well, but not as much as most reflectors.

Cheap telescopes under £100 are almost universally toys. Below £300 consumer telescopes tend to have corners cut. Remember, a telescope is meant to last a lifetime; don’t be afraid to spend a few extra bucks if you’re able.

You don’t have to be a technical engineer to buy an awesome telescope, but if you understand a few concepts and terms like the ones below, you’ll be fine. 

  • Optical Tube Assembly – this is the light-gathering part of the telescope. Common forms are refractor, reflector, Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, SCT, and Maksutov-Cassegrain, MCT.
  • Aperture – This is the diameter of the front lens or rear mirror of the optical tube. This is usually stated in millimetres, mm, or inches and may be noted as 150 mm or 6” in the specifications. This is the key specification for judging the telescope’s ability to show you dim and distant planets and deep-sky objects. In general, the more aperture the better.
  • Focal Length – This is a measure of the optical path within the optical tube. Using this you can determine the magnification that will be provided by any given eyepiece.
  • FL scope / FL eyepiece = magnification.
  • Focal Ratio – This is simply the focal length divided by the aperture. It tells you about the physical size of the scope. A low focal ration optical tube will be shorter than a high focal ratio optical tube with the same aperture and of the same design.
  • Focuser – This moves the eyepiece in or out along the light path to bring the image into focus. Common sizes are 1.25 inch and 2 inch which determines the size of the diagonal or eyepiece that can be accepted. Some are single speed and some are dual speed, having a quick focus and a slow focus knob that allows much finer adjustments which can be helpful when using high magnification.
  • Diagonal – These are placed into the focuser and receive the eyepiece in refractors, SCTs, and MCTs. Common sizes are 1.25 inch and 2 inch which determines the diameter of the eyepiece that can be accepted. The diagonal turns the direction of the eyepiece either 45 degrees or 90 degrees to provide a more comfortable viewing angle. The 45-degree models are usually for daytime use when the optical tube is fairly level for use as a spotting scope. The 90-degree diagonals, also called star diagonals, are better for astronomy as the optical tube is usually pointing high in the sky.
  • Mount – This is what holds the optical tube and allows you to point it effectively. Common types are Equatorial, AltAz which works similar to a camera tripod, PushTo, and GoTo. The mount is a critical part of the telescope system. If the mount is wobbly, the image will shake every time you try to focus or when there is a breeze. If the mount is wobbly it may be difficult to track your target as you move the optical tube to account for the rotation of the earth. A good optical tube on a poor mount provides a frustrating experience.
  • PushTo or DSC Mount – There are sensors in the computer control system that track the position of the mount. An initial alignment procedure is done so the mount knows the date, time, and location. After that, you put your target into the computer, usually a handset, and it tells you where to point the scope to see that target.
  • GoTo Mount – Similar to the PushTo mount, there are sensors that know the position of the mount. However, the GoTo mount has motors that are controlled by the computer, usually a handset. After a quick initial alignment, so the mount knows the date, time, and its location, you put your target choice into the computer and the computer uses the motors to turn the mount so that the target can be seen in the eyepiece. As the GoTo mounts are motorized, the computer uses the motors to track the target as the Earth rotates whereas the other mounts require you to move the optical tube to track the target yourself.
  • Eyepiece – This is an optical device that goes into the focuser or diagonal. The optical tube gathers light but it is the eyepiece that provides the magnification. Eyepieces come in various focal lengths, each providing a different magnification according to the focal length of the optical tube according to the formula Focal Length Optical Tube / Focal Length Eyepiece = Magnification. Therefore a 10 mm eyepiece will provide different magnification depending on the focal length of the telescope. Eyepieces are standardized on 1.25” and 2” diameters. Which size you can use is determined by the focuser and diagonal. 

Best Telescopes (Comparison Table)

Almost everything decent is out of stock due to the pandemic. As of December 2021, the average price inflation for telescopes since covid is around 30%, and no brand/telescope is immune. We'd also highly recommend telescope e-retailers because you'll get better technical and post-sales support, product range, deals from online telescope retailers, and also, better assurance that you'll get what you ordered. In the UK, WexPhotoVideo, PixStop, FirstLightOptics, AstroShop, Orion's Telescope.com are all reputable retailers with decades of history and offer great shipping, refund, and financing options. Your experience with them would be comparable to that of your typical Amazon purchases. We'd recommend you check out our Telescope Ranking article and choose the 2nd or 3rd best telescope if the top one is unavailable.
Model & Price Group
Rating
Why Buy
Buy From
Best Cheap Telescope
Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P
4.4
The Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P may not have all the bells and whistles that higher-priced telescopes have, but if you can’t afford something more powerful, this telescope will do the trick and provide sharp views of many of the most familiar night sky objects.
£129 at Rother Valley Check Amazon Price
Best around £200
Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P
4.5
The Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P is another tabletop Dobsonian like the Heritage 100P, with even more aperture allowing for brighter and more expansive views of the night sky—and a collapsible tube to maximize portability.
£175 at WexPhoto Check Amazon Price
Best around £300
Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P
4.5
The Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P provides even more capability than the Heritage 130P and smaller tabletop Dobsonians, but in a similarly compact and easy-to-use package.
£239 at FLO
Best £400 telescope
Ursa Major 8” Dobsonian
4.5
Our budget pick for an 8” Dobsonian is a much bigger telescope than the small tabletop Dobsonians that precede it, but with significant advantages in capability and use—double the light gathering of a 6” and with a 2” focuser too.
£369 at FLO
Best £500 telescope
StellaLyra 8” f/6 Dobsonian
4.8
The StellaLyra 8” f/6 Dobsonian is an outstanding telescope with a high-quality design and accessory bundle worth a good chunk as much as the telescope itself, making it easily one of our top telescope recommendations.
£449 at FLO
Best £600 telescope
StellaLyra 10” f/10Dobsonian
4.8
The StellaLyra 10" f/5 Dobsonian possesses the same features, accessories, focal length, and, naturally, excellent value for money as the 8" variant; the only distinction is the slightly broader tube, and it offers you 56% more light-gathering prowess and 25% more resolution than an 8”
£619 at FLO Check Amazon Price
Best in £800 range
Celestron StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian
4.6
The Celestron StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian isn’t as good of a deal as the Dobsonians from Bresser, Sky-Watcher and StellaLyra, but its unique StarSense Explorer technology is well worth the price.
£845 at Rother Valley £845 at Harrison
Best in £1000 range
StellaLyra 12” f/5 Dobsonian
4.6
The StellaLyra 12” f/5 Dobsonian is a monster, but it offers 44% more light-gathering power than a 10” Dobsonian, and 125% more than an 8” - all with the same fantastic features and accessories as the smaller StellaLyra scopes.
£879 at FlO
Best in £1000+ range
Sky-Watcher Skyliner 300P FlexTube
4.3
While a bit large for a first telescope, the Skyliner 300P’s humongous aperture gives breathtaking views of almost every target, and its collapsible tube allows it to fit in most vehicles with relative ease.
£1089 at FlO
Best GoTo for £1000
Celestron NexStar 6SE 
4
The NexStar 6SE has great optics, and the NexStar mounting will point at and track anything you want in the sky. With 6” of aperture you can see the brightest deep-sky objects and get great views of the planets, and it’s relatively compact and easy to transport too.
£1049 at WexPhoto Check Amazon Price
Best GoTo for £1000
Celestron NexStar 6SE 
4
The NexStar 6SE has great optics, and the NexStar mounting will point at and track anything you want in the sky. With 6” of aperture you can see the brightest deep-sky objects and get great views of the planets, and it’s relatively compact and easy to transport too.
£1049 at WexPhoto Check Amazon Price
Best Budget Computerised Telescope
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P
4.8
The Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P, essentially an upgraded Heritage 150P, can be used manually or with its easy-to-use wireless GoTo system, and pushing the scope manually has no effect on its computerized operations either.
£399 at Rother Valley
Best Catadioptric Telescope
Celestron Astro Fi 6”
4
The Celestron Astro Fi 6” SCT is a compact, computerised Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with sharp 6” f/10 optics
£649 at Rother Valley Check Amazon Price

Recommended Best Products Individually Reviewed

1. Best £100-150/ Best Cheap Telescope: Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P

The Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P may not have all the bells and whistles that higher-priced telescopes have, but if you can’t afford something more powerful, this telescope will do the trick and provide sharp views of many of the most familiar night sky objects.
Ranks #1 of telescopes in £150 range
  • Wide field of view
  • High-quality 130mm primary mirror provides decent deep-sky and Solar System views
  • Collapsible tube for portability
  • Excellent accessories included
See Amazon Price £129 at Rother Valley

The Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P is a miniaturised tabletop Dobsonian telescope with 100mm of aperture. It features a parabolic primary mirror for sharp views, unlike many cheap reflectors which use spherical primary mirrors that can only provide fuzzy images in most cases. 100mm of aperture means that the 100P isn’t nearly as capable as the larger telescopes on our list, but it’s vastly superior to the cheap tripod-mounted reflectors and refractors often sold to beginners in its optical performance, light-collecting power, ease of use, and provided accessories. The 100P comes with two eyepieces and a 2x Barlow lens for 4 different magnification options, a red dot finder, and a tripod mounting bracket to attach to a sturdy third-party unit if you do not wish to set the scope on top of a table.

Alternatives

The Zhumell Z100 and Orion SkyScanner 100mm f/4 tabletop Dobsonians offer identical optics and performance to the 100P, but are not as well-equipped with accessories.

2. Best £200 Telescope / Best Portable Telescope: Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P

The Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P is another tabletop Dobsonian like the Heritage 100P, with even more aperture allowing for brighter and more expansive views of the night sky—and a collapsible tube to maximize portability.
Sky-watcher Heritage 130p
Ranks #1 of telescopes in £200 range
  • Wide field of view
  • High-quality 130mm primary mirror provides decent deep-sky and Solar System views
  • Collapsible tube for portability
  • Excellent accessories included
See Amazon Price £200 at Harrison

The Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P’s 130mm of aperture gives it much sharper and brighter views than the smaller 100mm and 114mm telescopes often marketed towards beginners, but without any additional bulk – it weighs just over 6 kg and will fit in a large backpack, passenger seat, or on a shelf when not in use. 

With 130mm of aperture, you can start to see details in the brighter galaxies under dark skies, and watch shadow transits of Jupiter’s moons. You’ll also be able to begin resolving the brighter globular clusters into individual stars and see details on Mars when it is close to Earth.

The 130P comes with two eyepieces, 25mm and 10mm 3 3-element oculars providing 26x and 65x. As with most telescopes, you will probably want to expand your eyepiece collection particularly for higher magnifications on steady nights for viewing the Moon, planets, and close double stars. A collimation tool is also included for the sharpest possible views.

Alternatives

The Bresser Messier 5” Tabletop Dobsonian and Zhumell Z130 have the same optics as the Heritage 130P, but feature a bulkier solid tube design and different accessories are provided – though both are decent scopes.

3. Best £300 / Best 6” Telescope: Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P

The Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P provides even more capability than the Heritage 130P and smaller tabletop Dobsonians, but in a similarly compact and easy-to-use package.
Ranks #1 of telescopes in £300 range
  • Wide field of view
  • 150mm aperture allows for serious viewing of deep-sky objects
  • Collapsible tube for portability
  • Wide field of view for its size
  • Excellent accessories included
£319 at Harrison

The Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P borrows a lot from the smaller 130P, having essentially the same features but with 20mm more aperture. That extra 20mm may not seem like much, but it makes a significant difference when it comes to viewing galaxies and globular star clusters. 
As with the 130P, you get a collapsible tube, a pair of 25mm and 10mm eyepieces (30x and 75x respectively with the Heritage 150P), a red dot finder, and a simple tabletop Dobsonian mount. You will need to find a fairly steady surface to place this telescope on, however. Building a custom stand might not be a bad idea. A collimation tool is also included for the sharpest possible views.

Alternatives

The Bresser Messier 6” Tabletop Dobsonian offers similar performance to the 150P but with a 2” rack-and-pinion focuser and in a solid tube with rotating rings. However, it’s a bit heavier/bulkier and the provided eyepieces are not quite as good as what’s included with the Heritage 150P.

There are 6” f/8 full-sized Dobsonians available at the same price range as the 150P and Messier 6” Tabletop if you must have one. These include the Ursa Major 6” f/8 Planetary Dobsonian and Sky-Watcher Skyliner 150P Classic Dobsonian, which are easier to collimate and use at high magnifications on account of their longer focal ratio, as well as lacking the need for a table or stand. However, they are much bulkier, and their maximum field of view is more limited than a 6” f/5 tabletop Dobsonian.

4. Best £350-450/Budget 8” Telescope: Ursa Major 8” Dobsonian

Our budget pick for an 8” Dobsonian is a much bigger telescope than the small tabletop Dobsonians that precede it, but with significant advantages in capability and use—double the light gathering of a 6” and with a 2” focuser too.
Ranks #2 of telescopes in £400 range
  • Large aperture but still easy to use
  • Not much difference in storage space, setup or handling compared to a 6” f/8 Dobsonian
  • Full-sized Dobsonian mount means no need for a table, stand, crate, etc.
  • Decent provided accessory package
£369 at FLO

The Ursa Major 8″ Dobsonian is an economically-priced 8″ Dobsonian telescope, which encompasses many of the fundamental design features seen in more costly 8″ models, yet streamlined to the essentials. The Ursa Major 8″ Dobsonian delivers exceptional performance for its price, making it a desirable option for those on a budget. 

The Ursa Major 8″ is not a tabletop scope, but rather rests on the ground independently, with a tube approximately 1.2 meters in length. The scope is undeniably less compact than a 6″ or smaller tabletop instrument, but you are rewarded with twice – yes, twice – the light-gathering ability, 33% more resolving power, and a robust, freestanding telescope that can endure a lifetime of use. The Ursa Major 8″ is also compatible with 2″ eyepieces, thanks to its 2″ diameter single-speed Crayford focuser.

Alternative

The Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200P Classic Dobsonian has the same basic features and accessory package as the Ursa Major 8”, but with a slightly inferior design for its Dobsonian mount and a lower quality but still decent 2” single-speed Crayford focuser.

5. Best £450-550/Best 8” Telescope: StellaLyra 8” f/6 Dobsonian

The StellaLyra 8” f/6 Dobsonian is an outstanding telescope with a high-quality design and accessory bundle worth a good chunk as much as the telescope itself, making it easily one of our top telescope recommendations.
Ranks #1 of telescopes in £500 range
  • Large 8″ aperture and easy collimation
  • No significant portability difference from 6” f/8 Dobsonians
  • No table, stand, or tripod needed
  • Included accessories provide excellent value
  • Extremely good value for the money
£449 at FLO

The StellaLyra 8″ f/6 is the most exceptional value 8″ Dobsonian you can acquire and comes with all the necessary accessories. It is one of our top selections for a telescope for nearly any task. The StellaLyra 8″ f/6 includes two eyepieces: a 2″ 30mm SuperView (40x) and a 1.25″ 9mm Plossl (133x). The StellaLyra 8″ f/6 is the finest 8″ Dobsonian available, alongside our top overall choice for a beginner telescope, and nothing surpasses the sheer value in its price range; some of the other 8″ Dobsonians from brands like Bresser or Sky-Watcher may cost marginally less, but just the dual-speed focuser is easily worth more than double the price increase of the StellaLyra 8″ f/6. The StellaLyra 8″ f/6 Dobsonian is the telescope we most frequently recommend to novices.

Alternative

The Celestron StarSense Explorer 8” Dobsonian does not come equipped with nearly as many accessories as the StellaLyra 8” Dobsonian or even the cheaper Ursa Major and Bresser 8” scopes, but has a lightweight Dobsonian base and features Celestron’s StarSense Explorer technology to help you locate deep-sky objects.

6. Best £550-750/Best 10” Telescope: StellaLyra 10” f/5 Dobsonian

Ranks #1 of telescopes in £700 range
  • More performance than an 8” in essentially the same size package
  • Excellent included features/accessories as with 8” model
  • Still fairly portable
  • Extremely good value for the money
Check Amazon Price £619 at FLO

The StellaLyra 10″ f/5 Dobsonian possesses the same features, accessories, focal length, and, naturally, excellent value for money as the 8″ variant; the only distinction is the slightly broader tube, and it offers you 56% more light-gathering prowess and 25% more resolution than an 8”. While it’s not much taller than the StellaLyra 8” Dobsonian, the mount is a little fatter and thus transporting it by car might be a little more difficult. It’s also a bit more challenging to collimate. But if you’re willing to accept these compromises, you’ll be rewarded with even brighter images than an 8” telescope and views that simply blow away a smaller instrument. 

Alternatives

The Bresser Messier 10” Dobsonian actually has a superior designed mount to the StellaLyra, but its provided eyepiece and finder scope are extremely cheap while the price is actually higher. The Messier 10” also features a single-speed rather than a dual-speed 2” rack-and-pinion focuser, though it can easily be converted to a dual-speed unit in the future, and a solar filter is also included so you can view sunspots, as with the other telescopes in the Messier Dobsonian lineup.

7. Best £750-850, Best Computer-Assisted: Celestron StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian

The Celestron StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian isn’t as good of a deal as the Dobsonians from Bresser, Sky-Watcher and StellaLyra, but its unique StarSense Explorer technology is well worth the price.
Ranks #3 of telescopes in £800 range
  • 10” aperture packed with performance
  • StarSense Explorer technology makes it easy to locate deep-sky objects
  • Weight-optimized Dobsonian mount is more portable than the competition
£845 at Rother Valley £845 at Harrison

The Celestron StarSense Explorer 10″ Dobsonian is a remarkably lightweight and portable option among 10″ Dobsonians. Its standout feature is the incorporation of Celestron’s StarSense Explorer technology that collaborates with your smartphone to make targeting deep-sky objects an effortless task. The provided accessories are not nearly as diverse as what comes with the 10” StellaLyra, but it’s easy enough to upgrade the StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian with more eyepieces and an aftermarket cooling fan if you want.

8. Best £850-1000/Budget 12” Dobsonian: StellaLyra 12” f/5 Dobsonian

The StellaLyra 12” f/5 Dobsonian is a monster, but it offers 44% more light-gathering power than a 10” Dobsonian, and 125% more than an 8” – all with the same fantastic features and accessories as the smaller StellaLyra scopes.
Ranked #2 of telescopes in £1000 range
  • Huge aperture
  • Great accessories
  • Simple to set up and use if you can accommodate its massive size
  • Same features as smaller 10” and 8” StellaLyra models
£879 at FlO

The StellaLyra 12” f/5 Dobsonian is a 12” (304mm) Dobsonian with the same bearings and accessories as the 10” and 8” StellaLyra Dobsonians along with features like a dual-speed Crayford focuser and of course excellent optics. It’s even more capable than these and similar options on account of its huge aperture, providing fantastic deep-space as well as lunar and planetary views.

At around 35 kilos in total, the StellaLyra 12” is not a lightweight telescope. Its wide tube is rather awkward to carry too, but don’t fret! You make life easier with homemade or aftermarket straps to easily grapple the tube. Or just put the whole scope on a hand truck or dolly. 

We’d recommend getting a smaller scope to complement the StellaLyra 12” f/5 Dobsonian, just to make sure you’re hooked before bringing this beast into your home. A smaller scope would help too, for nights when it isn’t worth hauling the big scope out. But if StellaLyra 12” f/5 Dobsonian is in your budget, and if you can get this scope to where you want it, do it. There’s nothing quite like the power of a 12 inch Dobsonian

9. Best £1000+, Best 12”: Sky-Watcher Skyliner 300P FlexTube

While a bit large for a first telescope, the Skyliner 300P’s humongous aperture gives breathtaking views of almost every target, and its collapsible tube allows it to fit in most vehicles with relative ease.
Ranked #1 of telescopes in £1000 range
  • Collapsible tube makes for a fairly portable instrument without the complex assembly of a truss
  • Monster aperture will show fabulous deep-sky views and breathtaking planetary images
  • Operation is no different from a smaller telescope
  • Acceptable provided accessories
£1089 at FlO

The Skyliner 300P isn’t for everyone. It’s a big telescope that requires a large vehicle to transport, and you’ll need to be in fairly good shape to easily lift and carry the 17kg base and 21kg tube around. However, the views through a telescope this size are amazing, especially if you’re fortunate enough to get it away from city lights. With 4 times the light gathering ability of a 6” telescope and 2 times the light gathering of an 8”, you’ll be able to view thousands of interesting targets under good conditions. A decent pair of eyepieces are provided to get you started, though you’ll be sure to want more.

The provided 9×50 right-angle finder makes aiming the 300P FlexTube a breeze, though you might want to add a Telrad or red dot sight to the mix. The 300P’s collapsible tube makes storing and transporting it a fair bit easier than it would be with a solid-tubed telescope this size, though you’ll really need to make or buy a cloth shroud to go over the middle to prevent stray light, bugs, moisture, and curious hands from getting into the tube during operation.

10. Best Budget Computerised Telescope: Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P

The Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P, essentially an upgraded Heritage 150P, can be used manually or with its easy-to-use wireless GoTo system, and pushing the scope manually has no effect on its computerized operations either.
Ranked #1 of telescopes in £400 range
  • 6” of aperture with fully motorized GoTo/tracking, all in an affordable and compact package for tabletop or tripod use
  • Able to be used manually as well, even when powered on
  • Smartphone/tablet app for mount rather than a hand controller makes for an easy-to-use system
  • Otherwise same great features as Heritage 150P
£399 at Rother Valley

The Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P uses the same tube, optics, and tabletop Dobsonian mount as the Heritage 150P, but adds Sky-Watcher’s unique GTi GoTo system to the mix. The Virtuoso GTi mount can be used as a manual Dobsonian exactly like the standard Heritage 150P, or powered on for full automatic GoTo and motorized tracking controlled by your smartphone, with either the free SynScan app or another app like SkySafari. You can even aim the scope manually while the mount is powered on with no ill effects on the tracking or pointing accuracy of the motorized GoTo features. As with the Heritage 150P, you get two 1.25” Super eyepieces (25mm/10mm providing 30x and 75x respectively) with a red dot finder, and the scope is meant for tabletop use.

Alternative

The Sky-Watcher Star Discovery 150i uses the same optics, WiFi-controlled mount, FreedomFind encoders, and accessories as the GTi 150P, but with a solid tube design and mounted atop a tripod. However, its primary mirror is not easily adjusted for collimation, and the price is quite a bit higher.

Best Catadioptric Telescope – Celestron Astro Fi 6”

Ranks #6 of telescopes in £700 range
  • Wide field of view
  • 150mm aperture allows for serious viewing of deep-sky objects
  • Collapsible tube for portability
  • Wide field of view for its size
  • Excellent accessories included
Check Amazon Price £649 at Rother Valley

The Celestron Astro Fi 6” SCT is a compact, computerised Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with sharp 6” f/10 optics. It is not capable of putting up a wide field of view like a fast f/5 Newtonian/Dobsonian of this aperture nor is it as powerful as the 8” and 10” Dobsonians available at its price range. However, it is an excellent performer on the Moon, planets, double stars, and many of the smaller and brighter deep-sky objects while also offering motorised tracking/GoTo controlled by your smart device and some basic astrophotography capabilities too.

Alternative

The Sky-Watcher SkyMax 127 AZ-GTi is comparable in planetary performance to the Astro Fi 6” but isn’t quite as good for deep-sky viewing. However, it is more well-made, more compact than the Astro Fi, can be aimed manually, and doesn’t require any routine collimation whatsoever thanks to the SkyMax 127’s Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which telescope brand is better – Sky-Watcher, Celestron or Orion?

Almost all of the major telescope brands make great products – and unfortunately, they all market irredeemable garbage at low price points using their good reputations to fool newcomers. Brand loyalty or image should never be a factor in choosing a telescope or accessories.

Where should I buy telescopes from?

FirstLightOptics, 365Astronomy, AstroShop are all trustworthy retailers of telescopes with excellent customer service.

How much is a decent telescope?

A decent telescope can cost as little as £100, but we recommend spending at least £200 for something good with no compromises. You get what you pay for.

Can you see galaxies with a telescope?

Any telescope can at least show you the Andromeda Galaxy, but the quality of your views and the number of galaxies depends on your telescope’s aperture, your light pollution and sky conditions, and your skill as an observer.

Are telescopes easy to maintain and service?

The most complicated things you’ll generally need to do to your telescope are collimate it (at least check every time you take it out) and clean the optics every few months or years. Collimation requires nothing more than a star and/or a collimation tool and is explained in our guide, while cleaning is generally little more than a rinse with distilled water (for mirrors) or cleaning with optical tissue and coating-safe lens cleaner or lens wipes (for lenses).

Why are Dobsonian telescopes considered to be the best telescopes?

Dobsonian telescopes have smooth and simple motions – up and down, left and right with no complicated equatorial coordinates or locks or levers. Their simple construction means they’re also relatively lightweight, cheap, and easy to assemble, meaning you can put your money and focus on the telescope tube itself. The Dobsonian’s Newtonian reflector optical design also provides you the most aperture for your buck allowing you to see more of the Universe – and without the pesky chromatic aberration of a refractor.

Small, medium, & large telescopes – What’s the difference?

Usually, when astronomers refer to amateur-sized telescopes, they lump them into several classes. 
“Small” used to refer to telescopes of 6 inches of aperture or less, but the trend of larger and larger telescopes means that most astronomers today term “Small” to be 8 inches of aperture or less.
“Medium” usually refers to telescopes between 8 and 13.1 inches of aperture. Larger amateur telescopes (almost all of which are Dobsonians) pretty much require truss tubes to be managed by one person and fit in an automobile.
“Large” is a confusing term because there is no set definition as to where it ends. Some people would call a 30” Dob a “large telescope”. However, we would term it to be anything between 14” and 22” of aperture. A 22” is about the largest one-person scope you can buy.
“Very large” usually refers to telescopes above 22” of aperture. Telescopes above 22” (with the exception of some very exotic groundbreaking ATM builds) are simply not manageable by one person and seldom fit in a regular car or truck. They also typically cost over £10,000 so few tend to own them. The largest amateur-owned telescopes you typically see are 36” to 42” in aperture, but there are some 50-inch, 60-inch, and even two 72-inch amateur telescopes that either exist or are in development.

Conclusion

These are just a few things to keep in mind as you shop for getting the best telescope for beginners in the United Kingdom. Whether you’re an avid astronomer at the local observatory or just a college student looking for something to poke out of your dorm room window, now you are prepared enough to make a smart decision about what telescope you want next.

Good luck getting the top telescope there is for your budget. 

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