Section7 guides
Telescopes
First telescopes by budget and sky, Dobsonians, optical designs, GoTo mounts, kids’ telescopes and buying used, with specs from maker pages.
Telescopes
Start here
Stargazing Gear for Beginners: What to Buy First, and in What Order
A beginner's path through stargazing gear: eyes and a chart, binoculars, a first telescope, then upgrades and smart telescopes, with sourced specs.
Roundup
Telescopes for Beginners: What to Buy First, by Budget and Sky
How to choose a first telescope by budget band and by sky: aperture explained, what each size shows according to NASA, and maker weights to check.
Buying guide
Buying a Used Telescope: What to Check, Fair Makers and Red Flags
A checklist for buying a used telescope: optics, mirror coatings, mount, missing parts, shipping damage, eBay condition terms and the status of Meade and Orion.
Comparison
Celestron NexStar 4SE, 6SE and 8SE vs StarSense Explorer Compared
NexStar 4SE, 6SE and 8SE against the StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ: aperture, focal length, mount, alignment, power and weight from Celestron's own pages.
Buying guide
Dobsonian Telescopes: 6-Inch vs 8-Inch and What You Will See
How a Dobsonian works, 6-inch vs 8-inch by maker specs for size and weight, tabletop models, collimation basics and what each aperture shows.
Comparison
Refractor vs Reflector vs Schmidt-Cassegrain: Telescope Types
Refractor, Newtonian reflector, Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov compared in one table: focal ratio, upkeep, dew, portability and best targets, with sources.
Roundup
Telescopes for Kids: What Works for Ages 6 to 12, and What to Skip
Choosing a child's first telescope: weights a kid can carry, why aperture beats magnification, the age label to read, and CPSC small parts and battery rules.
Photo: Ante Perkovic / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Other sections: Smart telescopes and imaging, Binoculars and accessories, Gifts