5 brand product pages verified 2026-09-09
The telescope price index
Aperture is what a telescope buys you, and it is the number the price is really paying for.
- $305median printed price of the entry instrument
- $79.95 to $995printed price range across brands
- 5brands with a verified printed price
By brand
| # | Brand | Entry price | Aperture · Focal length | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celestron | $79.95/unit | Aperture 76 mm apertureFocal length 300 mm focal length | celestron.com | September 2026 |
| 2 | Explore Scientific | $91/unit | Aperture 114 mm aperture | explorescientific.com | September 2026 |
| 3 | Sky-Watcher | $305/unit | skywatcherusa.com | September 2026 | |
| 4 | William Optics | $498/unit | williamoptics.com | September 2026 | |
| 5 | Lunt Solar Systems | $995/unit | Aperture 40 mm aperture | luntsolarsystems.com | September 2026 |
| 6 | Bresser | No price printed on the page; dealer or quote only (checked September 2026) | |||
| 7 | Unistellar | Product page could not be read (checked September 2026) | |||
| 8 | Vaonis | No price printed on the page; dealer or quote only (checked September 2026) | Aperture 50 mm apertureFocal length 250 mm focal length | vaonis.com | September 2026 |
The entry figure is the lowest price the brand advertises on its own product or store page for an instrument in that category, quoted exactly as printed in USD. The aperture and focal length beside it are the specification that same page states for that same instrument, so the price and the optics are read off one page rather than assembled from two. Shipping, mounts sold separately and dealer pricing are excluded, and a brand whose page prints no price is listed with that fact rather than an estimate.
Download the telescope pricing index (CSV), free to reuse with citation.
By category
| Category | Priced brands | Median entry price | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner telescopes | 3 | $91 | $79.95 to $305 |
| Dobsonian telescopes | 3 | $91 | $79.95 to $305 |
| Smart telescopes | 2 | $85.48 | $79.95 to $91 |
| Solar viewing | 4 | $198 | $79.95 to $995 |
Cite or embed this figure
The median printed price of the entry instrument in each category in the consumer telescope and observing optics market was $305 in September 2026, across 5 verified retailer product pages recorded in TelescopeCompareHQ Telescope Price Index.
Cite as: "TelescopeCompareHQ Telescope Price Index", updated 2026-09-09, https://telescopecomparehq.com/telescopes/.