Scored, ranked, and explained — with the reasoning behind every score.
Most people don't want a telescope — they want a kind of night. Pick the observer you want to be.
“Celestron's flagship 8-inch imaging SCT, with aplanatic optics that hold stars pinpoint to the corners of a large sensor in a portable 2032mm tube. Buy it for one instrument that does high-res planets and serious deep-sky imaging, on a real mount.”
“Takahashi's 6-inch flagship refractor, a double-ED ortho-apochromat triplet that sits at the very top of what a refractor can do for both demanding visual and imaging work.”
“Flat-field 51mm Petzval astrograph, pin-point stars for widefield deep-sky imaging.”
“Sky-Watcher's 10-inch Dobsonian: 254 mm of aperture on a smooth, no-nonsense rocker base. The current-brand answer to the classic big-Dob question, delivering deep-sky views that smaller scopes simply cannot reach.”
“Sky-Watcher's 10-inch Dobsonian: 254 mm of aperture on a smooth, no-nonsense rocker base. The current-brand answer to the classic big-Dob question, delivering deep-sky views that smaller scopes simply cannot reach.”
“Flat-field 51mm Petzval astrograph, pin-point stars for widefield deep-sky imaging.”
“A 10-inch Dobsonian light bucket: 254 mm of aperture that turns faint smudges into structured galaxies and resolves globular clusters into stars. Maximum photons per dollar for the visual deep-sky observer.”
“An 8-inch Dobsonian that uses your phone to find things. StarSense turns the intimidating part of a manual scope, knowing where to point, into a guided arrow on your screen, while 203 mm of aperture does the heavy lifting on deep sky.”
“Celestron's flagship 8-inch imaging SCT, with aplanatic optics that hold stars pinpoint to the corners of a large sensor in a portable 2032mm tube. Buy it for one instrument that does high-res planets and serious deep-sky imaging, on a real mount.”
“Takahashi's 6-inch flagship refractor, a double-ED ortho-apochromat triplet that sits at the very top of what a refractor can do for both demanding visual and imaging work.”
“A three-element ED apo built for the camera: flat, color-free, pinpoint stars across a full frame, a serious astrophotography refractor, not a grab-and-go.”
“Takahashi's flagship 130mm triplet, an ortho-apochromat with double-ED glass that represents about the finest refractor optics money can buy, for the observer or imager who wants no compromise.”
“Flat-field 51mm Petzval astrograph, pin-point stars for widefield deep-sky imaging.”
“Premium 8-inch Dobsonian with upgraded accessories, the best out-of-the-box deep-sky experience.”
“An 8-inch Dobsonian that uses your phone to find things. StarSense turns the intimidating part of a manual scope, knowing where to point, into a guided arrow on your screen, while 203 mm of aperture does the heavy lifting on deep sky.”
“Huge 8-inch aperture at the lowest price per inch, the most-recommended beginner Dob.”
No eyepiece. A camera and software do the looking — faint galaxies build up on your phone in seconds, with no alignment and nothing to focus.
The Seestar that fixed the original's real limitation: a 1/1.2 inch 8.3 MP sensor and a 2.8 degree field replace the S50's cramped 1.46 degrees, so large targets finally fit in one frame.
The smart telescope that went mainstream. The Seestar S50 automates deep-sky and solar imaging into a one-tap phone experience at a breakthrough price, which is exactly why it is on so many beginners' shelves.
The most capable smart telescope you can buy: a 6-inch f/2.2 astrograph that pulls detailed deep-sky images from your phone in minutes, but at $4,299 and 42 pounds it is a stay-at-home observatory, not a grab-and-go.
Drop in any telescope and eyepiece and see the true field of view — Saturn's rings, the Moon, Orion, Andromeda — before you buy.
The Polaris Score is Skynocular's independent rating — built from real nights at the eyepiece, not from manufacturer spec sheets or whoever paid the most. It's one honest number from 0–100, and it's the first thing you should look at.
Behind the number we score four things that actually decide whether you'll be happy: how good the views are, how easy it is to live with, how portable it is, and how much room you have to grow before you outgrow it.