Best Equatorial Refractor Telescopes of 2026
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Equatorial Refractor Telescopes are a popular choice among amateur astronomers and professionals alike. These telescopes use lenses to gather and focus light, providing clear and detailed views of celestial objects. Equatorial mounts allow for easy tracking of objects as they move across the sky, while the refractor design reduces chromatic aberration and provides sharp images. These telescopes are perfect for observing planets, stars, galaxies, and other deep-sky objects. Equatorial Refractor Telescopes come in a range of sizes and prices, making them accessible to anyone with an interest in astronomy.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Equatorial Refractor Telescopes
Gskyer Telescope 70mm Aperture 400mm AZ Mount
The Gskyer Telescope 70mm Aperture 400mm AZ Mount is a great entry-level telescope for beginners and kids. It comes with two replaceable eyepieces, a 3x Barlow lens, a 5x24 finder scope, a wireless remote, and an adjustable aluminum alloy tripod. It has a 70mm aperture and 400mm focal length, which is enough to explore stars and moon. Customers have praised its solid mount and easy setup, but have noted that it can be difficult to use and that the position locking is not ideal.
Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ Telescope
The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ Telescope is a smartphone app-enabled telescope that comes with a 114mm Newtonian reflector optical tube, 25mm, and 10mm Kellner eyepieces, a 2x Barlow lens, and a red dot finderscope. It features a manual altazimuth mount with slow motion control rod, full height tripod, and an accessory tray. The patent-pending StarSense sky recognition technology uses your smartphone to analyze star patterns overhead and calculate its position in real-time. The manual altazimuth mount with smooth dual-axis slow-motion controls makes it easy to follow on-screen arrows to your desired target, and when the bullseye turns green, it's ready to view in the telescope's eyepiece.
Celestron 70mm Travel Scope
The Celestron 70mm Travel Scope is an ideal telescope for beginners, offering fully-coated glass optics, a large 70mm aperture objective lens, and two high-quality eyepieces for low- and high-power views. The telescope comes with a full-height tripod, a custom backpack for easy portability, and a bonus software package for astronomy enthusiasts. The Travel Scope's superior optics and unbeatable warranty make it a top choice for amateur stargazers.
HEXEUM Telescope 70500
The HEXEUM Telescope 70500 is a great choice for amateur astronomers and kids alike. It features a 70mm aperture and 500mm focal length, providing stunning views and protecting your eyes. It comes with two excellent-quality eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) and a 3x Barlow lens, trebling the magnifying power of each eyepiece. It also includes a phone adapter and an adjustable aluminum tripod, as well as a wireless remote control and carrying bag for easy portability. With its lifetime maintenance and great customer reviews, this telescope is a great gift for beginner astronomers.
Celticbird 80mm 600mm AZ Refractor Telescope
The Celticbird 80mm Telescope offers bright and clear views thanks to its large 80mm aperture and high-quality coated lenses that let in more light and reduce glare. It comes with a sturdy, adjustable aluminum tripod that can be set between 17.7" and 52", making it comfortable for both kids and adults. You’ll find it easy to carry and store since all parts fit neatly into the included backpack. Plus, the upgraded phone adapter lets you capture amazing photos of your celestial discoveries. With two eyepieces for different magnifications and a moon filter to enhance contrast, this telescope is perfect for exploring the moon and planets like Saturn and Jupiter.
EACONN 80mm Refractor Telescope
EACONN 80mm Refractor Telescope is a perfect choice for astronomy beginners and kids. With its true 80mm aperture and fully coated green optics glass lens, this telescope captures more light and delivers bright and clear images. The rough adjustment and positioning gimbal with scale make it easy to adjust the altitude and azimuth, allowing you to point the telescope wherever you want. It comes with all the necessary accessories, including two eyepieces with different magnifications, a finder scope with a crosshair, and a customized mobile phone adapter. The telescope is easy to assemble and carry, with a bag and an adjustable tripod included. Whether you want to observe the moon, view planets, or indulge in bird watching and landscape viewing, this telescope is a great gift that will bring you and your family endless fun times.
EACONN 80mm Aperture 600mm Refractor Telescope
The EACONN 80mm Refractor offers an 80mm aperture with fully coated optics that let you see brighter and clearer images by capturing more light and reducing glare. It features an easy-to-use rough adjustment and a positioning gimbal with a scale, allowing you to smoothly move and aim the telescope exactly where you want. This model comes with two eyepieces providing 30x to 66x magnification and a 5x24 finder scope to help you quickly locate objects in the sky. Plus, a mobile phone adapter lets you attach your phone for easy photo capture. It’s simple to assemble and portable, making it great for beginners and travel.
Koolpte 70mm Refracting Telescope
Koolpte Refracting Telescope is a superior quality telescope that offers bright, clear, and high-contrast images. With its 70mm large aperture and 400mm focal length, it provides excellent light collecting ability and is perfect for exploring the night sky. The telescope comes with 3 eyepieces and a 3X Barlow lens, offering magnification options from 20X to 200X, making it suitable for both kids and adults interested in astronomy. Its portable design, including a phone adapter and adjustable aluminum tripod, allows you to easily capture photos and videos of celestial objects. The wireless remote and 5x24 finder scope make it convenient to locate and explore objects in the sky.
Gskyer Telescope, 600x90mm AZ Astronomical Refractor Telescope
The Gskyer Telescope is an entry-level refractor telescope with a 600mm(f/6.7) focal length and 90mm aperture. It comes with three replaceable eyepieces(24X, 60X,120X) and one 3x Barlow lens, and an adjustable aluminum tripod. It is easy to operate and no tools are required for focusing. Customers have praised the telescope for its good value and quality optics, but noted that the aperture size is small and it is difficult to use for novice users.
ToyerBee 70mm Aperture Refractor Telescope
The ToyerBee 70mm Aperture Refractor Telescope is a great choice for astronomy beginners, with a 70mm aperture and 300mm focal length for more light and clearer images. It comes with 3X Barlow len and two eyepieces, H20mm and H6mm, for a magnification of 15X to 150X. It also includes a smartphone adapter and wireless camera remote, making it easy to explore the world through the screen. It's a great telescope for 8-12 kids and a great astronomy gift.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are 3 disadvantages of refractor telescopes?
Disadvantages:. Very high initial cost relative to reflector.A certain amount of secondary spectrum (chromatic aberration) unavoidable (reflector completely free of this) The colours cannot focus at one point.Long focal ratios can mean that the instrument is cumbersome.
2. Is a refractor telescope better?
If you are interested in astrophotography, purchasing a refractor is a better option because of it's specialized optic design that captures deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae. If you are interested in brighter celestial objects like the Moon or planets or a beginner, a reflector telescope is ideal.
3. What are the 4 main types of telescopes?
Types of TelescopesOrion Observer 90mm Equatorial Refractor TelescopeOrion Observer 90mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope KitAmScope TLS-MEQ Refractor EQ TelescopeVisionking 900/ 60mm Refractor Equatorial Mount Space Astronomical Telescope Color WhiteVixen Optics AX103S Apo Goto Refractor Telescope with SXD2-PFL Mount 4.0" / 100 103mm, Computerized Go To, 1.25", Equatorial, Color White, 10 lbVixen Optics AX103S-P 103mm f/8 Apo Goto Refractor Telescope with Pillar 4.0" 100 103mm, Computerized Go To, 1.25", Equatorial, Color White, 10 lbVixen SX2-SD103SOrion EON ED Triplet Apochromatic Refractor TelescopeVixen AP 81/625 AP-SD81S IISky-Watcher Newton Telescope, 70/900 EQ1 Telescope Equatorial Mount, BlackCelestron AstroMaster 70AZOrion ED80T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor TelescopeSky Watcher Esprit ED Triplet APO RefractorBarska 231 Power 70060 Starwatcher Refractor Telescope AE11124Celestron Advanced VX 22020iOptron 6002 900X70 Refractor TelescopeMeade - Polaris 60mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope Model 60eq-dSkywatcher Evostar 90Bresser Classic 60/900. Refractor Telescopes.Reflector Telescopes.Dobsonian Telescopes.Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescopes.
During our equatorial refractor telescope research, we found 16 equatorial refractor telescope products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 298,152 customer reviews through our big data system to write the equatorial refractor telescopes list. We found that most customers choose equatorial refractor telescopes with an average price of $72.95.
The equatorial refractor telescopes are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of equatorial refractor telescopes, including Gskyer, Celestron, HEXEUM, CELTICBIRD, EACONN. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 384 consumers with an average rating of 4.7.
Alan Eaton is a seasoned writer whose expertise is in anything related to electronics, such as headphones, monitoring equipment, computer, and so on, built over a 15-year career in the technology industry. Working in the trade during his youth, he accumulated a great deal of knowledge about machinery.