A telescope is the key piece of equipment you need to pursue the hobby of astronomy. Avoid any telescopes that you see in department/hardware/ toy stores or being sold on TV. They are most likely junk. Instead of wasting money on them, you can easily find a better telescope within your budget. There are three types of optical telescopes available to the amateur astronomer.
Popular Refractor telescopes
Refractor telescopes are what most people envision when they think of telescopes. They were the earliest type of optical telescopes and are good starter telescopes with the best images.
- Orion 9024 AstroView 90mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope
- Celestron 21061 AstroMaster 70AZ Refractor Telescope
- Orion 10013 GoScope 80mm TableTop Refractor Telescope
- Meade 20218 NG-70SM 70mm Altazimuth Refractor Telescope
- Celestron SkyProdigy 102
Popular Reflector telescopes
Reflector (or reflecting) telescopes are optical telescopes that use curved mirrors to reflect light and form an image. This type of telescope was invented by Sir Isaac Newton and tends to be smaller/more portable than the refractor telescopes.
- Celestron 127EQ PowerSeeker Telescope
- Orion 09007 SpaceProbe 130ST Equatorial Reflector Telescope
- Orion 10014 SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian Telescope
- Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope
- Celestron 31045 AstroMaster 130 EQ Reflector Telescope
Popular Catadioptric telescopes
Catadioptric telescopes combine the principles of refraction and reflection using both lenses and curved mirrors. They are also popularly known as Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes or SCTs.