Cheap telescopes have a bad reputation that is half deserved. The instruments that ruin people's interest are not the small ones, they are the ones sold on magnification: long thin tubes on wobbly tripods, promising 525x and delivering a shaking blur.
Which telescope do I need? Ask us below
The best affordable telescope: what the money can honestly buy
At $79.95 this index carries a 76mm reflector with a 300mm focal length on a tabletop base, from a major brand, with the aperture and focal length printed on the same page as the price. It is a real telescope. It will show craters along the lunar terminator, the phases of Venus, the four bright moons of Jupiter and, from a dark site, the brighter clusters.
The two shapes to avoid
First, any telescope whose box leads with a magnification figure. Second, any long refractor under about 70mm of aperture on a thin tripod with a plastic mount, because the mount will shake for several seconds after every touch and finding anything becomes an exercise in frustration. Both are usually found in the same product.
Where the money goes in the best inexpensive telescope
Into the mirror and into a base that holds still. A tabletop dobsonian spends almost nothing on gears, tripods and electronics, which is why it can put a 130mm mirror in front of you for a price that would buy a 70mm refractor on an equatorial mount. That trade is the single best value decision on this shelf.
Questions people ask about telescope
What is the best telescope under $200?
In this index the printed options under two hundred are Celestron's 76mm at $79.95 and Explore Scientific's 114mm at $91.00 on sale. The larger aperture is the better instrument if the sale price holds.
Are cheap telescopes worth buying?
A small telescope from a real brand is worth buying. A magnification-led telescope on a wobbly mount is not, at any price.
What should I avoid in a budget telescope?
Boxes advertising magnification, tripods that flex when you touch them, and 0.965 inch eyepiece fittings, which are obsolete and limit you to poor eyepieces.