The 10 Best Portable Telescopes Of 2024, Researched By Us

Katie Finn By, Katie Finn
Updated
Best Portable Telescopes
Best Portable Telescopes

Our Top Picks

1. Best Overall: Gskyer Telescope

Explore the night sky with the Gskyer Telescope. This powerful telescope captures crisp, clear images and offers robust magnification capabilities. You can explore the stars and planets quickly with two different eyepiece sizes. Read Review

2. Best Bang For The Buck: Celestron 70mm Telescope

While traveling, the Celestron Telescope 70mm is ideal for observing celestial objects or observing terra firma. It might be an easy-to-use manual alt-azimuth telescope with a pan handle for quick astronomical exploration. Read Review

3. Best For Kids: ToyerBee Telescope

Explore the night sky with the ToyerBee Refractor Telescope. This telescope offers a magnification range of 15X to 150X, thanks to its three eyepieces and 3X Barlow lens. Read Review

4. Best Design: SOLOMARK Telescopes

Discover the wonders of the night sky with SOLOMARK Telescopes. With the built-in mount, you can track celestial objects with ease. The adapter lets you take pictures of your discoveries and share them with friends and family. Read Review

5. Best Compact: HEXUM Telescope

Get ready to explore the night sky with the HEXUM telescope! Designed for adults and children, this telescope is equipped with two high-quality eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) that magnify three times more powerfully than before. Read Review

Telescopes have come a long way over the centuries, and today, there are portable telescopes capable of providing fantastic night sky views. Whether an experienced astronomer or a beginner, you can find the perfect telescope that meets all your needs and fits your budget. Portable telescopes allow you to explore and observe the night sky without lugging around a bulky and expensive traditional telescope.

They come in all shapes and sizes, with many features, making them the perfect choice for anyone exploring the universe's wonders. In this article, we'll look at some of the best portable telescopes on the market.

Our staff had to concentrate on studying over 16 hours to acquire such outcomes for readers. Such research depends on both customer star ratings and interviews with customers about their experience of the product. As a result, We think the best portable telescopes of 2024 is Gskyer Telescope. With this product, the image can be fine-tuned to have a dynamic appearance thanks to the interchangeable lenses and a standard rack-and-pinion mechanism for focusing. For your convenience, We've included an in-depth buyer's guide and other excellent alternatives to choose the final option.

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 Gskyer Telescope
Our Score:
9.8
Gskyer

The Gskyer telescope captures crisp, clear images and has robust magnification capabilities. The 10 mm and the 25 mm eyepieces provide various magnification settings. The magnification of this instrument spans from 16 to 120 times so that it can capture clear and detailed images of faraway treetops, birds, and other forms of wildlife, in addition to the moon, planets, and numerous star configurations. Because of their low weight and ability to be readily stored within the travel bag, the central unit, its attachments, and the tripod are all portable, easy to transport, and convenient.

With this product, the image can be fine-tuned to have a dynamic appearance thanks to the interchangeable lenses and a standard rack-and-pinion mechanism for focusing. While looking at distant objects, eyepieces with a wide field of view and the most recent generation of HD Gskyer eyepieces offer increased viewing comfort by minimizing the amount of eye strain and preventing dizziness. Even though the camera remote might not work as initially after a long time, this telescope is an excellent choice for loving astronomy.

TOP Choice #2 Celestron 70mm Telescope
Our Score:
9.7
Celestron

The Celestron Telescope is perfect for studying celestial objects or terrestrial landscapes while traveling. It can be a manual alt-azimuth telescope that is simple to operate and equipped with a pan handle for easy sky exploration. Because the optics in this product are composed of totally coated glass, it is possible to observe images of wildlife, the Moon, and planets with an extraordinary level of clarity. In addition, the mount is held in place by an adjustable steel tripod with a diameter of 1.25 inches and can have its height adjusted to suit your height.

This telescope contains two quality eyepieces, one measuring 20 millimeters and the other measuring 10 millimeters, and a star diagonal, enabling clear viewing at low and high powers, regardless of whether it is day or night. This will allow you to experience close-up views of wildlife while you're out in nature or stargazing with your loved ones. Moreover, the coating on the 70mm lens lets in more light, resulting in a clearer and more distinguishable view between celestial and earthly objects, whether day or night. Nevertheless, the tripod might become a bit wobble in rugged places, so you should pay attention to this to have incredible experiences when using this telescope.

TOP Choice #3 ToyerBee Telescope
Our Score:
9.6
ToyerBee

The ToyerBee Refractor Telescope provides a magnification range of 15X to 150X, thanks to its three eyepieces and 3X Barlow lens. The ToyerBee refractor telescope is designed for beginners may get clear views of Jupiter's major moons, the rings of Saturn, and the craters on the moon. Because the telescope has a 70-millimeter aperture and a 300-millimeter focal length, it can let in more light and produce more explicit images, making it suitable for use by novices.

This telescope set comes complete with a smartphone adapter and a wireless remote control for the camera. You may easily connect your mobile phone to the eyepieces of the telescope by simply installing it on the phone adapter and clicking it. This allows you to explore the natural world through the screen quickly, and you can snap some incredible pictures. In addition, this compact product makes it simple to set up and relocate, making it a convenient camping companion. However, it would be best if this product's tripod could extend to help you quickly adjust to suit you.

4 SOLOMARK Telescopes
Our Score:
9.4
SOLOMARK

This excellent telescope provides a clear view and high magnification power, making it appropriate for young people. You may see the moon, planets, and nebula with this telescope and quickly investigate the universe's wonders. Besides, you can take pictures using an adapter for your cell phone and share the joy and splendor you capture with your friends and family. However, it would be best if the instructions were clearer to help the beginners use it efficiently.

This telescope measures 700 millimeters in length and 70 millimeters in width, making it an excellent choice for astronomers who want to investigate the vast expanse of the night sky. It comes with two-part oculars that can be replaced easily, each providing a variable magnification ranging from 35X to 70X and increasing the range of viewable objects. Moreover, the high-quality multi-coated glass optics, which include a 70-mm high-permeability refractor lens, are ideal for bird watching during the day, studying nature, and photographing landscapes. These optics are also helpful for observing stars and the moon at night. 

5 HEXUM Telescope
Our Score:
9.3
HEXEUM

With a focal length of 500mm (f/7.1) and an aperture of 70mm, this astronomical telescope will provide stunning views and protects your eyes. It has two high-quality eyepieces and a 3x Barlow lens, making it appropriate for adults and children (25mm and 10mm). Each eyepiece can magnify three times more powerfully than previously. In addition, this product also has a 5x24 finderscope that makes it easier to locate objects. 

The telescope makes a beautiful birthday or new-to-astronomy gift for kids. It encourages young people to become interested in science and astronomy, discover new things, appreciate nature, and escape screens. It includes an aluminum tripod that is strong and durable and has a height-adjustable mechanism to customize it to your needs. Also, it has a wireless remote control that works with various smart devices, making connections quick and easy. Even though this telescope is simple to use, it will take some time to become familiar with the different lens diameters to select the right lens.

6 MAXLAPTER Telescopes
Our Score:
9.2
MAXLAPTER

This beginner's telescope for astronomy comes with two high-quality eyepieces (25mm and 6mm), a 3X Barlow lens and a 1.5X Barlow lens, which allow for low-power and high-power views of celestial objects, respectively. Four colors of moon filters help improve resolution and decrease glare during lunar and planetary observations. In addition, it has a 5x24 finder scope that makes locating objects simple. With this product, you can watch a clearer picture of the moon thanks to omnidirectional observation, which rotates horizontally for 360 degrees and vertically for 180 degrees.

The MAXLAPTER astronomical telescope features a 70mm aperture and a 400mm AZ mount, allowing it to cater to your specific requirements for seeing the cosmos and learning more about the unknown. This aluminum tripod has a height range of 14.8 to 49.6 inches and is adjustable to suit your height. The wholly coated optical glass lens provides you with clear and brilliant images. However, this product may be a bit wobble when it's windy, making it hard to see a satellite. Therefore, you should use this product in good weather conditions to watch images such as the moon and the planets... quickly.

7 SARBLUE Telescope
Our Score:
9.0
SARBLUE

The Maksutov-Cassegrain lens and this telescope's high-precision, fully multi-coated optical glass minimize spherical and chromatic aberrations. It enables daytime viewings of bright, contrast-rich images that allow exploring different locations and celestial objects like Saturn and Jupiter. Nevertheless, it would be best if this telescope had a red dot finder to help you locate objects quickly.

This product is an excellent alternative for vacation because it is portable, and you can use it to view the night sky. Thanks to its detachable cover, you can quickly observe how this telescope is assembled inside. Besides, the telescope's excellent 20mm eyepiece magnifies 37.5 times, providing clear, high-power views of distant objects. You can see any targets farther than 8 meters away from you. Furthermore, this product has premium optics that help the natural scenes in front of you be as crisp and lifelike as possible by almost eliminating aberrations. 

More To Consider

8 KIOSESI Telescope
Our Score:
8.8
KIOSESI
9 HEXEUM Telescope 80mm
Our Score:
8.7
HEXEUM
10 Emarth Telescope
Our Score:
8.6
Emarth

What to Look For in a best portable telescopes?

Upon looking for the perfect best portable telescopes, a lot of things should be taken into account. Each item has its own challenge of purchasing.  As a result of the formation, we're here to help, advise, and provide answers to these problems.

Please keep in mind the following points to select best portable telescopes that fit you most:

Aperture

This aperture is recognizable by photographers. It controls how much light enters the telescope, just like on a manual camera. The aperture is the diameter of either the primary or lens mirror. A telescope with a larger aperture will draw more light, which can result in deeper views. The most important spec to be aware of is F-ratio. For wide-field observation and photography, low f-ratios such as f/4 and f/5 are best. However, high f-ratios such as f/15 make deep-space objects and nebulae easier to capture and see. Both can be done with midpoint f-ratios.

Portability And Weight

A telescope that is easy to transport and set up takes would be a good choice. You will be less motivated to use your telescope when it is set up and taking too much time.
You'll find it difficult to take a heavy, bulky telescope outside when the temperatures drop. Advanced amateur astronomers build observatories at home to keep their large telescopes up at all times.
Extra-large mounts and telescopes are not recommended for those with health problems or who cannot lift heavy objects. It is better to choose something smaller and lighter. It will be more useful.

Mount

There are many types of telescope mounts available. Some even have computerized models that track and follow the movement of the skies. A sturdy Dobsonian or altazimuth mount will make stargazing enjoyable. Telescopes not mounted on a computerized mount should not be moved or adjusted for focus.
An equatorial tracking mounting mount is necessary for astrophotography. The telescope will track objects in night sky when it is properly polar aligned. This will "freeze" an object in space, allowing for long exposure photographs.

Objective

The objective is the main light-collecting element of a telescope. A larger objective will allow for greater detail and reveal smaller targets. A reflector design makes it possible to have a larger telescope objective for a more affordable price. However, a refractor with the same size would be expensive.

Eyepieces

There are many telescope eyepieces on the market. There are many options for magnification and viewing angles. A set of telescope eyepieces allows you to see large areas of the night sky and high magnification views on planets. If taken care of properly, a quality telescope eyepiece will last a lifetime.

Optical Design

There are many optical options for telescopes. These include reflectors and refractors as well as compound telescopes. Each telescope has its strengths and weaknesses. Refractors are my favorite type of telescope from an astrophotography standpoint, but they might not be the best choice for beginners.
Three types of optics are available for consumer telescopes. They will assist you in achieving three different goals. Refractor telescopes make it easy to focus celestial bodies such as the moon and nearby planets using a variety of glass lenses. Refractor telescopes, also known as Newtonian scopes after their inventor Sir Isaac Newton, swap lenses for mirrors. This allows stargazers to see further into space. The versatile compound telescope combines both of these methods with a compact, portable design that puts it right in the middle.

FAQs

What is a portable telescope?

A portable telescope is a type of telescope that is designed to be easy to transport and set up for viewing. They are typically smaller and lighter than traditional telescopes, making them ideal for viewing the night sky from different locations.

What are the benefits of using a portable telescope?

Portable telescopes are great for astronomy enthusiasts who like to explore the night sky from different locations. Because they are smaller and lighter, they are much easier to transport and set up, making them the perfect choice for those who want to observe the night sky without the hassle of lugging around a large and bulky traditional telescope.

What type of mount should I use for a portable telescope?

Most portable telescopes come with a simple alt-azimuth mount, which allows you to move the telescope up and down (azimuth) and side to side (altitude). This type of mount is ideal for quickly locating and tracking celestial objects, and is the best choice for most beginner and intermediate astronomers. More advanced astronomers may opt for a more sophisticated equatorial mount, which is better suited for tracking objects through the night sky.

What types of accessories should I consider for my portable telescope?

Accessories that may be useful for portable telescopes include filters, eyepieces, finder scopes, and motorized tracking systems. Filters can help enhance the visibility of certain objects and reduce glare, while eyepieces and finder scopes can help with locating and tracking objects in the night sky. Motorized tracking systems are especially useful for those who want to observe the stars for longer periods of time.

The list of best portable telescopes will be regularly updated to be included in additional data by our editor's team. Please keep an eye around for any amendments made to our website.

Our consultants could support you with problems related to best portable telescopes and other things as well. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need advice.


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About Katie Finn

Katie Finn

Katie Finn is a freelance writer who loves to explore the world and go camping. She's also an editor for CampfireHQ, where she enjoys writing about wildlife and camping tips. She also has a passion for reading and learning new things, which she often incorporates into her writing.

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