Best Mid-Market Telescopes 2021

Telescopes are a great way to learn about space and can inspire a lifelong passion for space and science. When first starting out in astronomy, it’s common to get a budget telescope as prices can be quite high. As you gain experience and confidence in the hobby, however, your interest may outgrow the abilities of the budget telescopes. With a bit more investment it is possible to get a larger telescope that can collect more light and make use of higher magnification levels. This allows you to see more detail in objects like planets, nebulae, and galaxies. While still capable of getting great views of the moon, larger telescopes are better for views and photography of more distant objects.

To help you get a reasonably priced high-quality telescope we’ve drawn up a list of the best mid-market telescopes in 2021.

The Sky-Watcher EvoStar 120 APO Doublet Refractor is a high-end refractor telescope. It has a large primary lens for excellent light capture and has a focal length of 900mm allowing for high levels of zoom. The two included lenses offer a magnification level of 36x and 180x. For greater flexibility, you may wish to purchase more eyepieces.

The tube of the telescope has interior baffles that block ambient light from the view, reducing its effect on the image clarity. The focuser has two different knobs for larger and smaller movements.  The lack of included tripod may be annoying, especially at this price point, but it means you can reuse tripods you already have or can buy one that fits your needs. While a travel case is included, the exterior of it isn’t particularly robust.

The Celestron NexStar 6SE Telescope is a reflector telescope. The Schmidt-Cassegrain design keeps the telescope short but gives it a long focal range for high magnifications. It only comes with a single lens of relatively low magnification. You will want to get more lenses to make the most of this telescope.

The computer system has a database of 40000 night sky objects, and with a short alignment process can be programmed to point at them for you. While it has a battery, the battery life isn’t long, however, it can be plugged into the mains if you’re near enough to a power supply. The telescope is heavy and awkward to move, it’s also not easy to aim without the computer system. There are a range of compatible accessories available from Celestron to add further functionality.

The Sky-Watcher Classic 250 Dobsonian 10-inch Aperture Telescope is a large and heavy telescope with a huge 257mm main mirror. This means it collects a lot of light, making it great for viewing dim and distant objects. The focal distance is large allowing for high magnifications. It comes with two lenses allowing for 48x and 120x magnification levels.

To get more out of the telescope you may wish to purchase additional lenses. The telescope comes with a tripod but under the weight of it, the tripod will often sink slowly. Once held vertically in place, the Teflon bearings and mount system are solid allowing for smooth easy movement, without being too sensitive to slight touches.

The Orion 9005 AstroView 11220T Equatorial Refractor Telescope is a relatively large refractor telescope. The two lenses that it comes with are great for lunar views but aren’t really strong enough to make the most of the telescope for planetary viewing. To get the best views, you will want to purchase other lenses.

The telescope uses an equatorial mount, which when aligned properly makes it easy to track objects counter to the Earth’s rotation. To help in the alignment process, a polar alignment scope is included, though it is intended for northern hemisphere alignments. The equatorial mount system requires counterweights which means that the telescope is bulky and heavy.

That was our roundup of the best mid-market telescopes in 2021. Have you recently bought a telescope, let us know the coolest thing you’ve seen with it down below.