Best Telescopes Under $500 – Buying Guide And Reviews

Telescopes have been around for as long as the human fascination with the stars and space. Today, there is a wide array of telescopes for kids, amateurs, and pro astronomers, and come in different shapes, sizes, and prices.  While there are telescopes as cheap as $100 to as high as thousands of dollars, $500 is a sweet spot for most users.

Whether you are acquiring your first telescope or upgrading, there are several common features to look out for in this budget range. These features not only narrow your options but also ensure you get the right model to serve your intended purpose. 

Before you go out shopping for a telescope, key factors to consider include your level of experience with telescopes, what you intend to look at, capabilities, storage requirements, and the weight of the model, among other factors. 

Below is a detailed review of the Best Telescopes Under $500 from some of the leading telescope’s brands like Celestron and Orion.

Best Telescopes Under $500

1. Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ

The Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ is a refractor telescope designed for beginners thanks to its ease of use, versatility, high performance, and affordability.  The scope has a focal length of 660mm, 102mm aperture, and an Altazimuth mount, allowing movement across two axes. It is, therefore, able to turn left and right, up and down. It comes with 10mm (66x) and 20mm (33x) eyepieces, which are common in many beginner telescopes. While the eyepiece works perfectly well for beginners, you can upgrade to better eyepieces to improve image quality. 

In addition to the eyepiece, the Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ also comes with a red dot finder for locating subjects more accurately. The long optical tube has refractors, which reduces the diffraction of incoming light to create a sharp image with accurate colors.  By minimizing the chromatic aberrations, the refractors help to deliver precise and color-accurate images. 

This telescope is mounted on a full-height steel tripod, tightened by two screws to prevent any movements.  However, besides improving the telescope’s stability, it is much heavier than other lightweight options like carbon fiber or aluminum tripods. The focus mechanized is usually greased, making it uncomfortable to touch while the screws on mounts, tripod, and eyepieces can loosen easily.

2. Orion Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope

The Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope is primarily a spotting telescope mounted on the EQ-3 mount. It is finished on the outside using an aesthetically pleasing powder coat with appealing ruby-red coloration.

This telescope comes with 120mm (4.72”) across primary mirror and a Sirius Plossl 25.0mm (1.25″) eyepiece.  It is a versatile spotting scope with big 127 mm (5″)-diameter optics, which offer high magnification for both day and night. 

The Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope is much shorter (14.5″ long) and lighter (8.6 lbs.), making the machine very portable. The multi-coated, 5″ meniscus lens takes in 55% more light into the telescope, which makes it ideal for advanced nature study and astronomical observation.

However, for some reason, it is sold primarily as a spotting scope and less of an astronomical telescope. The 45-degree mounting angle plus the cheap erecting design that leads to scattering and light loss both make this telescope uncomfortable for astronomical use. For astronomical use, you need to fit on the dielectric mirror star diagonal or a 90-degree prism.

Like many Maksutovs, the Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope is ideal for planetary, lunar, and double star viewing.

3. Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ

The Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ has everything that a beginner or experienced astronomers require in a telescope.  This model is the biggest and most powerful model in the Astronomers line of telescopes from this brand, delivering up to 307x magnification.

The Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ features felt-lined metal tube rings that are used to fix the tube to its mount, while a short Vixen-style dovetail helps balance the telescope.

The 130EQ comes with 10mm with 65x magnification and a 20mm eyepiece with 33x magnification. Being the most powerful reflector in the Astromaster line, the 130EQ has the best light-gathering features boosted by a 130mm primary aperture and f/5 focal ratio.

With its size and design, the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ offers 345x more light-gathering ability compared to the naked human eye. 

However, the low focal ratio of f/5 makes this telescope ideal for general sky viewing and not targeting specific objects.  The focal ratio produces a wider field of view that perfect for looking at a large patch of sky.

4. Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ 

If you are looking for the most user-friendly telescope under $500, the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ is our recommendation.

The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ seamlessly connects to your smartphone and does all viewing work for you. It utilizes the StarSense technology to scan the atmosphere and lists every visible object and how far it is.

The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ uses Newtonian reflector optics comprising of a parabolic mirror inside the tube. This setup helps when focusing images in a single spot, creating sharper and clearer images.

The 130AZ’s focal length of 650mm and aperture of 130mm produce a focal ratio of f/5 and a max magnification of 260x. The scope also comes with two 1.25″ Kellner eyepieces at 25mm and 10mm and a 90-degree erect image star pointer.

The 650 mm and F/5 focal ratio makes this telescope ideal for low-power viewing. It is made from high-quality lightweight materials that make the scope easy to carry around.  The telescope itself is fixed an alt-azimuth mount using dual-axis slow-motion controls that prevent any form of movement. 

5. Orion StarBlast 4.5″ Reflector Telescope

The Orion StarBlast is a great compact grab-and-go telescope suitable for entry-level and intermediate astronomy enthusiasts. The telescope offers a wide field of view and comes with 6mm and 17mm Kellner telescope eyepieces and delivers up to 228x magnification.

The Orion StarBlast II 4.5 is the most affordable in the StarBlast line of telescopes. It is made with high-quality components, and it is effortless to set up to locate celestial bodies.   The 4.5” aperture is reasonably large enough to allow enough light for better illumination of objects in the sky. 

The short focal length and the large aperture work together to make this telescope very fast, which lowers the level of magnification and produces a large field of view for larger and bright images. These features make spotting nebulae and galaxies much easier, even for new users. 

The Orion StarBlast II 4.5 is made with a Newtonian reflector to concentrate light to a single spot to produce a clearer image.  In addition, the reflectors minimize chromatic aberration to produce clearer and sharper colors. This scope also works well at lower magnification and can simultaneously view many objects thanks to its wide field of view.   

6. Orion AstroView 90mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope

The Orion AstroView 90mm Equatorial is a refractor telescope designed for terrestrial viewing and celestial viewing. You can use it for a range of uses including wildlife observation, and lunar and planetary observation. For around $300 the telescope comes with  25mm Sirius Plossl and 10mm Sirius Plossl eyes pieces.

The Orion AstroView 90mm has a glass lens in the refractors to produce sharp and contrast images.  Compared to many beginner refractor telescopes that have a single lens, the AstroView is fitted with two lenses that form the achromat doublet. The powerful refraction capabilities help minimize aberrations to produce images with the best colors. 

The scope further has a closed tube that protects other components and makes the machine more convenient, compact, and lightweight.

The Orion AstroView 90mm is mounted on an equatorial mount that comes in handy when tracking objects manually as well as slowing moving objects using the slow-motion controls. A big downside with the AstroView 90mm is its low payload capacity. It also produces some vibration and movement at high magnification.

7. Celestron Travel Scope 70 Portable Telescope

The Celestron Travel Scope 70 Portable Telescope is a portable scope designed for observers who travel a lot.  It can be traveling the country, around the world, or camping.  In addition to being portable, this telescope is good for daytime viewing, as astronomical scope, spotting scope, and wildlife scope.

It is especially good for terrestrial activities like archery groupings, spotting rifles, and bird watching. You can also use it to observe lunar, planetary, and open star clusters.

However, the Travel Scope 70 Portable Telescope has some optical limitations that make it unsuitable for intermediate and experienced users. It is therefore not ideal for professional observers or for deep space observations.

Several components are made of plastic which is very light and less expensive. Furthermore, the telescope has a compact design that makes it lightweight and portable.  The telescope itself measures 17”x 3.87” with a modest weight of 1.5 lbs. In addition to the full-size tripod, which weighs 1.8 lbs, the total package weighs around 3.3 lbs. The lightness makes it the most travel-friendly model on this list.

The Travel Scope 70 Portable Telescope comes packed with a 20 mm 20x eyepiece and 10 mm 40x eyepiece.

In Conclusion

And there we have it, the best telescopes under $500. Whether you are looking for the most travel-friendly or most user-friendly, we have something for you. For instance, the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ connects to your smartphone and scans the space for you. The  Celestron Travel Scope 70 Portable Telescope is the cheapest model on our list, however, it’s only ideal for beginners. For the best telescope, you can get under $500, go with the Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ.