Looking for the best telescope in India? In this buyer’s guide, I am going to show you 7 of the top picks from less than 5000 to up to 20k. So hold tight…
But let’s just head start with basics first. There are three types including refractors, reflectors, and more to name. Each with their unique features. It gives you variety but unfortunately, also makes things complicated for beginners in choosing the right telescope.
But not a problem anymore. It’s all done for you. Here, you will find only the most trusted models categorized in 4 different budgets. So just scroll down and pick your telescope TODAY and without a headache!
[Quick Suggestion – Start with stargazing binoculars if you’re purely new to skywatching.]
COMPARISON: 7 best telescopes in India
Model | Design | Aperture (mm) | Max Mag. | Best for | Quality | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7. Land & Sky Telescope   | Refractor | 50 | 90x | Terrestrial The Moon | 3.5/5 | |
6. Powerseeker Telescope   | Refractor | 40 | 63x | Terrestrial The Moon | 4/5 | |
5. Celestron Telescope   | Refractor | 50 | 118x | Terrestrial The Moon Mars | 4.5/5 | |
4. Speciality Firstscope   | REFLECTOR | 76 | 180x | Terrestrial The Moon Planets | 4.7/5 | |
3. Powerseeker EQ Telescope   | Refractor | 70 | 165x | Terrestrial The Moon Planets | 4.6/5 | |
2. Specialty Travelscope   | Refractor | 70 | 165x | Terrestrial The Moon Planets | 3.9/5 | |
1. Astromaster 130EQ   | REFLECTOR | 130 | 307x | Terrestrial The Moon Planets Stars Nearby Galaxies | 4.6/5 |
So I have for you below top telescopes under 5K, 10K, 15K and also 20K rs.
REVIEWS: 7 best telescopes in India to buy in 2020
[Under 5000 Rs]
[Desclaimer: Just want to tell you upfront. If you make a purchase using one of the links below, AlienPanda will earn a small fee with no extra cost to you!]
7. L&S 90x Zoom telescope
L&S is the most economical telescope on this list. In fact, you can buy it for less than 2,000 bucks. It’s the best choice for moody astronomers who occasionally lookup.
Some of the most talked-about features of the Land & Sky model include the 50mm amateur refractive lens. Also, it has 360mm of focal length boasting about 90x of magnification power. It comes with erect eyepieces to help stabilize land-viewing.
Specifications:
Type: Refractor
Aperture: 50 mm (1.97 in)
Mount Type: Altazimuth
Max Magnification: 90x
Focal Length: 360 mm (24 in)
Tripod: Aluminium
Value for Money: 95%
- Cheap Price
- Durable metal body
- Suitable for beginners & kids
- Lightweight makes carrying it easy
- Useful for both sky & land
- Refractor type - not for deep sky
- Standard quality mount
- Not best for intermediates or experienced observers
Final verdict
L&S is an Amazon choice telescope, which pretty much tells how value for money this product is. On the user side, its best suited for those just starting out, want to learn about near local celestial bodies and have a small budget. It also makes an amazing gift for your science-loving people. It's not so useful for deep-sky objects.
6. Celestron 40mm refractor telescope
Let's start with this starts telescopes first. Celestron 40mm refractor is one of the most economical telescopes that you can find in India. This model features a 40mm introductory lens aperture with up to 64x of useful magnification.
You get two eyepieces each of 20mm (with 25x Mag.) and 8mm (with 64x Mag.) for that. This gives you enough room for proper viewing of distant as well as nearby objects.
Specifications:
Type: Refractor
Aperture: 40 mm (1.75 in)
Mount Type: Altazimuth
Max Magnification: 64x
Focal Length:500 mm (24 in)
Tripod: Aluminium
Value for Money: 95%
Here’s what a verified user said, “It’s good for land and moon. Very clear image. Also, see bright stars. Nice but not see planets clearly. But good”
- Suitable for beginners, kids, teens
- Useful for both; Sky & land
- Easy to use - no tool setup
- Very low price
- Not for deep sky
- Tripod is not very strong
- Small aperture
- Not good for an intermediate observer
Final verdicts
There’s no such thing like perfect on the face of the earth. This 40mm model by Celestron is meant for new guys, for kids & teens to have some fun time. It's not for those experienced people.
5. PowerSeeker 50AZ telescope - *Best Seller*
So my first telescope was a local 60mm one. And recently I was lucky enough to take it 1-on-1 with my friend’s power seeker 50az. To my surprise, he's 50mm little did beat mine. As I could see the craters of the moon better through his scope.
Specifications:
Type: Refractor
Aperture: 50 mm (1.97 in)
Mount Type: Altazimuth
Max Magnification: 118x
Focal Length: 600 mm
Tripod: Aluminium
Value for Money: 93%
- High-quality telescope
- Suitable for beginners
- Reasonable price
- Easy, no tool-setup required
- Can see craters of the moon, some planets & nature
- Altazimuth mount shakes thus not so good
- Observing is hard when you see the distant objects
- Not for deep sky
- Not for intermediates
Final verdict
Powerseeker 50az is a legitimate deal. Buy it if you are a beginner and want a dual-purpose scope to see the moon’s craters, some blur planets, nebulas and nature/bird watching, etc. But if you are interested in galaxies and nebulas then you need a budget of more than 15000. It’s near to impossible to find a deep space telescope under 5000.
Love Books? Find out these 9 popular astronomy books for beginners.
[Under 10000 Rs]
4. Celestron firstscope 76mm telescope
Please do stop me if I am being biased but Celestron’s Firstscope is one of my favorite telescopes in this list. The simple basic reason for that is because it has the highest value for money ratio. So, technically speaking, it’s a reflector type telescope with 76mm of aperture (which is amazing at this price point). And it has a smooth tabletop Dobsonian mount which is usually found in premium ones.
Specifications:
Type: Reflector
Aperture: 76 mm (3 inches)
Mount Type: Dobsonian
Max Magnification: 180x
Focal Length: 300 mm (24 in)
Value for Money: 99%
- Large reflector aperture
- Portable and no tool setup required version
- Highly reasonable price
- Suitable for beginners and kids
- Dobsonian mount
- Minor (fixable) issue with the mount
- Barlow lens needed for deep space observation
Final verdict
Firstscope is undoubtedly one of my favorite telescope as it offers a great return on investment. I will say one next sentence to help you decide. The telescope is for beginners/intermediates with interest in the solar system, nebulas and with a budget of less than ten thousand.
[Under 15000 Rs]
3. Astromaster 70mm EQ refractor telescope
Here’s another beloved model from Celestron for beginners. The 70EQ is one of the best all-rounders out there. The model has a 70mm refractive aperture fixed on a 700mm of focal length. This gives the device a magnification boost of up to 165x. You are also provided with a 3x Barlow lens for free.
Specifications:
Type: Refractor
Aperture: 70mm (Approx. 2.75 inches)
Mount Type: Equatorial
Max Magnification: 165x
Finderscope: Yes, 5x24
Focal Length: 700 mm (28 in)
Tripod: Aluminium
Value for Money: 80%
It has received over 21+ reviews on Amazon with average ratings of 3.8/5. Read more review here.
- High-quality lens
- Suitable for beginner stargazers
- Can be used for land viewing as well
- Lightweight, easy to carry
- Equatorial mount
- Expensive & overpriced
- EQ is tricky for beginners
- The solar system is not so great
Final verdict
Except for the price, this telescope is pretty good. It’s useful for a beginner looking for some planets like Jupiter, Mars. Can be also used for the land purpose. It is lightweight & easy to carry. German equatorial mount has an awesome slow-motion tracking. It's reasonable at this price. Or you should just invest a few thousand more and get a better, reflector one, with 2x larger aperture than this.
2. Series travel scope 70 telescope
Made from high-quality material, the Celestron’s traveler telescope is one of the most travel-friendly instruments right now. Here's the reason why...
It has a very compact, lightweight and durable body. So you can easily and safely carry it in your (provided) backpack.
Specifications:
Type: Refractor
Aperture: 70 mm (2.76 inches)
Mount Type: Altazimuth
Max Magnification: 165x
Finderscope: 5x24
Focal Length: 400 mm (16 inches)
Tripod: Aluminium
Value for Money: 89%
- Portable and easy to use
- Ideal for travelers
- Suitable for land and sky
- Useful for beginners
- Little overpriced
- Mount needs improvement
- Barlow lens needed for larger, useful magnification
Final verdict
Celestron’s Travelscope is a starter, versatile model. There's no better telescope in India at this price. Planets are not so impressive without a Barlow.
So buy it if you’re looking for a scope for casual observation. The moon, birds, and land viewing on a limited budget. But do NOT buy it, if you are passionate about deep space with little more money to spare - because there's a better one then! More on that below…
[Under 20000 Rs]
1. Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ
[Deep sky, highly recommended]
I'm having a crush on it, yup, you heard me right! For stargazers, there’s simply nothing better than being able to open up to the wonders of the universe. And with the Astromaster 130mm telescope, that thing is quite feasible.
The all-new high-performance telescope series from Celestron is designed to give first-time telescope users an amazing combination of quality, features, price value and unmatching performance.
Specifications:
Type: Newtonian Reflector
Mount Type: Equatorial
Aperture: 130 mm (Approx 5.11'')
Max Magnification: 307x
Finderscope: Built-on StarPointer
Tripod: 1.25-inch steel tube legs
Optical Tube Length: 610 mm
Value for Money: 100%
Go deeper: Astromaster 130 EQ V/s 130 AZ, find which is better here?
- The most affordable mid-end model
- 130mm of large reflector aperture
- Best for deep sky observers
- Smooth Equatorial mount
- Easy to use, no tool-setup needed
- You need Barlow lens for more useful magnification
Final verdict
Go bring it up! If space is your obsession and everything you want to do is to go deep sky. It is the right thing & time for you. This 130mm telescope is all you need to spot the moon, planets, star systems and more. Get yourself a Barlow lens to enjoy your scope’s ability to it's fullest.
What to look for in a beginner telescope?
Don't get trapped by those sayings like "150x Magnification" or something! A telescope is not just about that. The more important is "aperture" or "objective lens". The larger it is, the larger the amount of light it captures.
RELATED: Best telescopes to see planets clearly
That means a clearer & brighter view for you. The scope's mount is also essential. The one like equatorial (expensive) gives you (the required) best slow-motion tracking of moving objects. Altazimuth affordable mount for beginners.
Remember- practice is the key! The magnification of scope is done via eyepiece which is universal. You can always buy those with higher power later.
Essential specifications:
Priority 1. Aperture- Larger, better. More than 3'' is best for deeper space.
Priority 2. Mount- Equatorial & Altazimuth are both good. Dobsonian is macho
Priority 3. Magnification- Not very important. It's done via eyepiece which is universal. Larger aperture, larger supported magnification.
Why buy telescopes online in India?
You see, a local store in your city can trap you easily with their words if you're a nerd. They also charge a high fee for it. They may not even accept returns if you're unsatisfied. Online shopping is revolutionary! You get high discounts when shopping online due to competition among sellers. So a telescope can be cheaper online! Most importantly, they may also accept the return (T&C may apply. check with the product page!).
What's the telescope price in India?
So the telescope market is not as huge as of the US. But, it's still a big one. There a lot of top manufacturers including Celestron, Meade, and Orion that offer their top pieces. So, on the rough scale; the telescope price range in India starts from as little as Rs 2,000 for L&S 50mm telescope to 25,000 for 150mm and beyond. That means there's plenty of variety of telescopes available in India.
The top 3 telescopes in India within each price segment
Telescope | Aperture | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
PowerSeeker 50Az | 50mm | Terrestrial Birdwatching Mars | |
Speciality Firstscope | 76mm | All above+ Moon Jupiter Mars | |
Astromaster 130EQ | 130mm | All above+ Solar System Nebulas |
Over to you!
So that's a wrap here. You just saw 7 possibly the best telescopes in India. This is perfect for beginners and amateurs alike. If you want the pro experience and can spend a little extra money then Celestron 130AZ will definitely be the best investment.
And keep in mind, finding planets and nebulas takes more effort than you might be thinking. The practice is the key!
And last but not least, comment below if you have any queries!
Hello Mr. Ingle,
I am interested in buying anyone of the above mentioned telescopes. But this being my first, I had few questions to be answered, and yes, I expect you to answer them. Please…
My daughter, 12 yrs, and me, both are interested in watching the skies. So what I am looking for is :
1. Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn
2. Some other stars…
Some part of my questions would remind you that I am a novice 😉
Waiting for your reply..
Regards
Anand
I would love to help you Anand. It’s awesome to buy a telescope.
But if you’ve never used scopes before, then I would recommend you to grab an nice pair of astronomy binocular instead.
It will help you avoid any hazel!
This is powerful & easy to use. It can show you planets (including your mentions) & Galaxies etc.
[You are welcome to checkout list of binoculars which includes my personal favorites.]
Once you gain experience in skywatching, grab a telescope!
Finally, if you want the best one for the beginner, go for 130EQ as it won’t disappoint you. I promise! If you’re on budget 70Az 21036 Telescope is also nice!
Please dont hesitate to ask further! 😉
Hi,
Hope you are doing well.
I am in urge of purchasing a telescope. I have upcoming trip to himachal. I have no bit idea of telescope would you please suggest a good budget telescope for seeing milky-way n planets.
Thanks in advance
VJ
Hey Vj, would love to help you man.
From what you saying, it seems like u never used any telescope before. Then I would suggest you to try a binoculars instead.
Yeah, there are some good binocular for space. And you’ll surely enjoy great space time in Himalaya with those.
The reason i am suggesting u binos is because they are much easier and convenient than telescope. And its best for every space enthusiasts to start with bino.
Checkout this Nikon binoculars to get a headstart!
If you still want to stick with telescope option, then go for 70mm or higher telescope from above.
Hope I could be of help!
hi
i want to buy a telescope for my kid of 10 years. he never used telescope early. let me know best one for affordable price.
Try Celestron 50mm or tabletop scope. both should be affordable and are good for kids. Let him play with it for a few years and as he gain interest and experience in observation-upgrade. Just make sure he doesn’t look at sun through it.
Hey Nice review here….but wondering which one would be better for me with 9k?
For your information, Im all nerd!
Try 60mm one by celestron!
Thanks bro for more informations provided. But now I want astromaster 130AZ. Is this a good telescope. Can I see stars nebulae and naked planets well. Because I also have 50AZ and 70EQ Telescopes, but I want more big. Tell me more about Celestron 130AZ Sir.
Tell me more about Celestron 130AZ Sir. I am going to buy this telescope. I already have celestron 50AZ and 70eq. So tell me more information of 130AZ thanks
Celestron 130 is quite good. Its mid-end scope as you know.
Its twise as powerful as you already own.
Since you are more interest in deep sky, I think it would be best buy for you.
There are two variety az and eq. Az is much cheaper than eq.
I would recommend az cause its best for your money.
Hope it helped!
Ask if you are still confused
Thanks bro. But is this better for star watching and clusters
I am pretty darn sure its good for stars and cluster! But at the end…no matter how expensive telescope you buy, you will always need to practice to see those distant things…
Astromaster 130AZ and 130EQ both are same. Without Mounts?
Yupp, except mount… Everything is exactly same like aperture, magnification etc
Hey bro, i can’t see well with astromaster 130az. I have 20mm and 10mm eyepiece. I think they need lens kit for perfect views.
You can use a barlow lens to double the magnification of your current eyepiece if you are not satisfied with current power.
Or consider acelestrons accessories kit. It has two 1.25 inch eyepieces and pair of barlows as well. You could go for single eyepiece but kit goes cheaper. And its just everything you should need for your 130az.
And you know size of the sky. So give it some time before you start to see result. Go to darker locations if possible. Also use sky charts for ease.
Hope it helped!
It’s okay bro thanks.i used only refractor before this. Now i first time used newtonian reflector. Today i saw everything with smooth focusing. I saw jupiter and moons, saturn rings, star clusters and bright stars, so today i feel this is very good telescope. But after lenses kit & barlow, i see more useful magnification. Everything is good. Thanks alot bro.
Now i note that the problem is in AZ tripod. It’s too difficult, not a smooth tracking. But fine with lots of practice. Otherwise EQ is best. Very Smoothly rotating in every angle. So finally Thanks bro.
Yes Vikas, eq is better but as you know, its overly priced.
Do check the div improvements and see if it can be of your help.
And if possible, do share your findings on our FB page so others enthusiasts can enjoy it.
And glad to help you!
Thanks for the explanation, I just wanted to tell you that this is going to be the first time that I am using an telescope but you already have mentioned that for the beginners it is better to watch the sky from the binoculars. So I just wanted to know that which binocular will be best suited for watching moon as well as other planets from my home. My next question is that why I can’t see the stars and planets from the telescope instead of binoculars.
Hi Ashutosh and thanks for your comment!
The best binocular for your need will be celestron 20×70 and find more like it here.
And yes you can see planets and stars with telescope. For beginners, its only little hard to find those objects due to narrow field of view. So it only take little practice!
Nice review. I just wanted to understand that which telescope is better to watch the moon and other planets from my home as I have heard people saying that you can not watch other planets from city because of “light pollution”, you have to go to a remote place which is away from the city where light is not present, so that’s what I am asking that whether I can watch the sky from my home when the sky is clear and if so which telescope will be best suited for the beginners.
Is it heavily pollution at your place? Do you see only those 10-20 brightest stars? Are there street lights? If so then it won’t give you best view.
The best scope for planets include: astromaster 130. Choose max aperture telescope at your budget.
Here are 4 planet exclusive telescopes.
Hey Bro @INgle i want to sale my New Astromaster 130AZ Telescope Its 2 Months Old Newly Condition without scratches and full packing please contact me on +918196849610 or Vikassnsr@gmail.com thanks Any Friend who Want This @t 13000
Why are you selling it?
Thanks for a very useful article.
Regarding difficulty of finding particular stars for a first-time telescope user, is there a particular trick to it? So far I have been using (field) binoculars, now I want to buy a telescope which is user-friendly, so am considering the Celestron 130. Will the EQ assist me better than the AZ in this issue?
Also, after cataract surgery, I need glasses for near vision (reading books, my cellphone, computer) but I have excellent distance vision. Would I need to wear my glasses to look into the eyepiece? Are these adjustable for focusing better, like in binoculars and cameras?
Hi Indrani!
I feel your concern regarding finding objects in the sky – that’s normal with beginners!
The best option to find things easily is by using a computerised telescope . You only have to input the object of your choice and it will locate it for you automatically. Only thing. It can be little expensive.
And here’s my personal trick to help you find objects easily. Install a StarTracker app on your phone so you get a rough idea of the location of your desired object and then point your telescope in that direction. BAAM, You found it!
Now heres the big one. You asked for which is better 130 EQ or AZ? I would say 130 EQ is definitely better than 130 AZ as the former is smoother to navigate. There’s also an M.D. version to consider. The only cause I didn’t mention it in this list is coz it’s a little overpriced. But you can buy it if money is not a problem for you. Its premium experience.
Coming to the last question you asked. As you mentioned – you seem to have near vision problem. So although the objects you see through the telescope are far away but the image is created in the eyepiece which is much closer to your eye. Conclusion: You will need eyeglasses.
Hope I could be of help!
Thanks Ingle, yes, you answered all my questions.
Now a few more if you dont mind:
– what is the approx. cost of the Barlow lens?
– What does the accessory kit contain, do I need those accessories in the beginning, and how much does that cost?
– I do have an app installed on my phone called StarWalk 2 which I find very useful and interesting. Do you know it? Is Star Tracker better?
The price for a Barlow lens will depend on the power you choose and also the maker. For eg., the one by Celestron is very expensive as its brand thing. But you can save money by going for other good makers.
A good 5x barlow lense will 5x the magnifing power of your eyepiece which is suggest for 130mm reflector and will cost around 2.5k.
Coming to your second query, accessory kit by Celestron includes two 1.25 inch Plossl eyepieces, a 2x Barlow lens and three filters for better view.
The kit is not required as you just starting out. You can spend some time with your new telescope & get better at it first – you will always have room for upgrade. BTW, an accessory kit will be required when you are ready to take on deep space bodies like planets. The Best kit for astromaster is the one we talked about earlier.
And as you may have checked up with Amazon it costs around 6k.
I haven’t used StarWalk2 so can’t tell you about that but what I can tell you about is the one I have personally used, Startracker – a good app.
Choose the one you are comfortable with! 🙂
Hope I helped and yes I don’t mind to be useful to you! :p
Note – I will earn a small fee if you make a purchase using one of the links here at no extra cost for you! 🙂
Hey!
Are there better options if I choose to buy from the US?
Are you buying from usa in India? If thats so, then you better not. The cost will be more than double for the same product you buy here.
But its upto you what you prefer. BTW can you be specific about product? What are u looking for
Hi Ingle,
I want to know which Celestron scope you will recommend–AstroMaster 130 EQ Motor Drive Telescope; OR
Celestron AstroMaster 130 EQ Telescope..
Looking for your valuable suggestion.
hey. both are exactly identical except for the motor feature. That one is thus more advanced but also will have higher maintenance. I will personally prefer non-motor one.
Thanks bro