The button in this case is your smartphone: skywatchers just need to download the Celestron SkyPortal app (downloadable from Apple's App Store and Google Play), which in our experience is quite intuitive and pick three bright stars to assist with the alignment procedure. Aligning your instrument is essential before you begin your observations as it reveals your orientation relative to the night sky and, with this information, the Astro Fi 102 is able to slew to your desired target at the touch of a button. The attractive aspect about the Astro Fi 102 is the SkyAlign technology for simple alignment. The Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) is also a pleasant sight, with its disk coming into view when playing with the magnification. Beginners - and even the whole family - will be delighted with what the Astro Fi 102 is able to reveal. In our experience, pleasing views of Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are achieved through the four-inch aperture as well as breathtaking sights of the rugged, chalky terrain of our moon. The Astro Fi 102’s optics provide good views of the moon and is able to pick out the planets with ease. What’s more, the overall build is of a good quality, especially given the sturdy aluminum tripod. Supplied with everything beginners need for great tours of the night sky, including 10 mm and 25 mm eyepieces (for magnifications of 132x and 53x), a smartphone adapter to dabble in basic astrophotography and a red dot finder, the Astro Fi is an excellent piece of kit for the price. But you need to be comfortable with digital devices: meet the Astro Fi, an instrument that boasts cutting-edge technology and a very good amount of support for those just starting out in skywatching.
If you're not quite ready for a telescope, here's our choice of the best binoculars.We've also rounded up the top rated telescopes under $500 along with the very best deals and discounts, whether you're looking for a refractor, reflector or computerized model for your skywatching needs. Check out today's offers from top manufacturers Celestron, Meade Instruments, Orion and Sky-Watcher telescopes. There's also the option to save a little bit of money on your beginners telescope, so if you're considering your options then we have a selection of articles on the best deals you can snap up right now. Generally speaking, refractors are great for views of the solar system and bright deep-sky objects, while reflectors are light guzzlers, so are better placed for capturing faint galaxies and faint nebulas. Refractors are generally the cheaper option, allowing you to pick up an instrument that's affordable and with a decent-sized aperture. Some instruments make the most of mirrors and lenses, they're known as Maksutov-Cassegrains, Schmidt-Cassegrains or catadioptric telescopes. In other words, reflectors reflect light, while refractors tend to bend - or refract - it. Meanwhile, refractors, or refracting telescopes, make use of lenses to focus the light into the eyepiece. Reflectors, or reflecting telescopes, use an internal primary and smaller, secondary mirror to focus the light into the eyepiece in order to create an image. is here to make the search simpler for you, making your choice from a whole array of Celestron, Meade, Orion and Sky-Watcher telescopes the right one.īefore you choose the best beginners telescope that's right for you, here's a little primer: simply put, these instruments are categorized into two major optical kinds: reflectors and refractors. Magnification: Relationship between the telescope's optical system and the eyepiece.įor the uninitiated, choosing the best telescope for a beginner can be a confusing affair - especially when you're bombarded with jargon. Small focal ratios provide lower magnifications, wide field of view and a brighter image. Short focal lengths offer a wide field of view and a small image.įocal ratio: Also known as the telescope's speed. Aperture: Diameter of the primary mirror or lens, which allows a telescope to collect light.įield of view: Area of sky visible through the eyepiece.įocal length: A telescope's tube length.