There are many different types of telescopes available for those interested in exploring the night sky. The three main types of telescopes are refracting telescopes, reflecting telescopes, and catadioptric telescopes, with many variations and hybrid designs for each type.
A Dobsonian telescope with a healthy aperture is great for enjoying real-time views of the brighter objects in the sky, while a refractor telescope is best used with a camera attached, to photograph faint deep-sky objects.
The main goal of any astronomical telescope is to gather light. Therefore, the two most important factors when choosing a telescope will be your desired focal length (magnification) and aperture (how bright the object will appear).
These two factors will create a unique viewing experience based on the type of experience you are looking for (i.e. visual vs astrophotography).
Last updated: August 8, 2026. If you find this helpful and buy through my links, I may receive a small commission. If you’re looking to buy your first telescope (or your first good telescope), this guide is for you. I’ll cover the most important aspects of a telescope, how much you should expect to spend,…
Last updated: May 11, 2026. If you find this helpful and buy through my links, I may receive a small commission. Since I originally published this review, the ZWO Seestar S50 has continued to improve through software updates, making it a more capable smart telescope than it was at launch. It includes newer features such…
Remote observatories are facilities that house astrophotography equipment in dark-sky locations. Users can control the telescope remotely via the Internet. This means users can capture images without needing to be on-site. Remote observatories generally work in one of two ways: you can operate your own gear that’s been shipped to and hosted at the…
Last updated: July 20, 2026. If you find this helpful and buy through my links, I may receive a small commission. The Celestron NexStar 8SE computerized telescope is one of the best-selling telescope packages of all time. It features a large aperture optical telescope and a computerized GoTo mount. The NexStar series of SCTs has…
Last updated: October 24, 2025. If you find this helpful and buy through my links, I may receive a small commission. Key Takeaways The Askar SQA55 uses high-quality optics to produce astrophotography images that are sharp, flat, and well-corrected. It features an innovative design with a variable aperture, similar to a camera lens with a…
I recently took an incredible picture of a distant galaxy using my backyard telescope. While many of you have seen me do this often on YouTube, this time, the experience was a little different. The rules of this galaxy photography challenge were simple. I could prepare my camera and telescope equipment beforehand, but I only…
Have you ever wondered what the same deep-space object would look like using two very different telescopes? I thought this was a great concept for a video (see below) and a real eye-opener for those looking into upgrading their telescope for astrophotography. For this experiment, we used two high-quality refractor telescopes that were very different…
William Optics has introduced their third variation of the original RedCat Petzval Astrograph, the William Optics RedCat 61. It’s small, it’s mighty, and it’s REDDER than ever. There’s also a huge change to this version of the RedCat when compared to the RedCat 51 and RedCat 71. Like most reviews/first lights, I do my best…
The Celestron StarSense Explorer Dob is a clever upgrade to a traditional 8″ Dobsonian telescope, thanks to its integrated smartphone app that helps you find objects in the night sky. It’s a visual telescope (not designed for astrophotography), but photos of bright objects like the Moon and planets are possible through the eyepiece. With 8…
I’ve taken some amazing astrophotos this year, and I want to share the exact equipment I used in my approach and even some processing tips. After all – I know you’re super pumped about the images I take – right? But in reality, if I can’t provide useful information about how you can do it…
Astrophotography is about more than just the pictures you take, it’s about an overall positive experience along the way. I don’t like seeing people quit because they’re frustrated and confused. It doesn’t have to be that way. When starting out, I think it’s important to choose a setup that is easy to use, and not…
Late last month, William sent me a William Optics RedCat 71 for review purposes. The Cat 71 was designed to be an ultra-flat, well-corrected imaging APO for modern DSLR/mirrorless and dedicated astronomy cameras. In this post, I’ll provide you with an overview of the telescope’s specs and a few sample images taken with it. Since testing…