You will see that many of the telescopes we reviewed come with 2 different eyepieces. If your magnification becomes too large, you may start to get distorted images. The higher the magnification, the more detail you will see. In reality, when you buy a quality telescope, you will get all the details of each eyepiece and its magnification.įor a beginner, a good quality scope will offer a magnification of 20x-60x, which is ideal for crisp, razor-sharp images. For example, a 6 inch scope can magnify up to 300x, while an 8 inch refractor telescope can magnify up to 400x. For example, if your telescope has a 1000mm focal length and you are using a 25mm eyepiece, the magnification would be 1000mm ÷ 25 = 40Īnother useful calculation for those who are not too technical is to use the aperture size in inches and multiply it by 50.Magnification = Telescope focal length ÷ Eyepiece focal length.To calculate the magnification, we take the focal length of the telescope and divide it by the eyepiece focal length.Depending on the telescope, magnification values will vary from around 10x up to around 300x. Magnification is simply how much larger the image you are viewing is, compared to seeing it with the naked eye. These telescopes are for hardcore astronomers who intend to dedicate serious time to gazing at the universe. The weight of the telescope typically correlates with the viewing capability, so the heavier the telescope, the better it will be (this also determines the price, which can rise exponentially as the aperture grows). High-end: $1,000+ – High-end telescopes are distinctly different in two ways, the size of the aperture and focal length.
Most products in this range provide better eyepiece focusers, which are capable of magnifying the image between 50x to 200x of its normal quality. Apertures for this range typically fall between 120 and 200 mm. At this price range, apertures generally remain the same, though focal lengths change to provide better and crisper views. Upper mid-range: $600-$1000 – Upper to mid-range telescopes dwell in the $600+ range. You can expect an aperture range of around 127mm or less in this range. These models typically begin to include an apochromatic feature, which negates the chromatic aberration effect that plagues cheaper versions. Mid-range: $400-$600 – With mid-range refractors, observers will be able to view star clusters and galaxies more clearly with better contrast. Expect an aperture between 90mm and 102mm in this price range, with some exceptions pushing a few millimeters higher or lower. They’re best for beginner astronomers or those on a budget. However, dropping an extra hundred or so is still worth it in the long run.īudget: $150-$400 – Budget-refractors will come with fewer features and less capability but are still suitable for planetary viewing and general stargazing. The most important thing about a telescope is its aperture, so each range mentions what aperture to expect.īargain: $50-$150 – Similar to buying a musical instrument, telescopes under the price of $150 use cheap parts-the optical components in telescopes are expensive to produce correctly! These telescopes are acceptable if you’re only going to use it once or twice, or if you have a child interested in astronomy but don’t have a lot of cash to spare. Each category describes the price ranges of refractors and what kind of quality you can expect to get depending on your budget (keep in mind these are price ranges for the telescope themselves, some don’t come with a tripod mount or any external accessories). We’ve broken down the prices below into five categories: bargain, budget, mid-range, upper mid-range, and high-end.
You’ll have to pay at least $200-$300 for a quality budget-friendly refractor, and upwards of $1,500+ for some of the fancier models. Since refractors use a hardy piece of glass, which is crafted specifically for use in a telescope, they can be a bit pricey.
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