Best Telescope Under $100

There is no question that stargazing is one of the best hobbies that exist, it can be a fun pass time and an enjoyable experience.

There is something that is incredibly fascinating about the universe outside of the World that we live in, and stargazing is one of the few ways that we can actually access it.

While you can simply walk outside during the night time to stargaze, the experience is made one hundred times better when you use a telescope. Suddenly you get a clearer view of the world outside of our own, and can see individual stars up close or whole constellations from afar. 

You may have considered taking up stargazing before but been put off by the price of a telescope. We totally understand that the prices of some telescopes are excessive, which is why we’re here to help.

While they are more difficult to find, there are a huge amount of telescopes on the market for people with a limited budget. With that in mind, we’ve put together this handy guide to the best telescopes under $100.

We’ve also included a buyer’s guide to help alleviate some of the concerns you may have about purchasing a budget telescope.

So with no further ado, let’s take a look at the different options that are on offer. 

In a hurry?

If you need a telescope that costs under $100 in a hurry, we would recommend the ECOOPRO Telescope for Beginners.

We’ve ranked this telescope the best on the market because it is excellent value for money, and comes with lots of great features, including:

• The best focal length we could find on a budget telescope with 360mm focal length and 70mm aperture. 
• It's incredibly versatile design allows you to use this device for wildlife watching as well as stargazing. 
• No tool quick setup with an easy to use adjustable tripod for a stress-free stargazing experience.

Best Telescope Under 100 Buying Guide

Finding the right telescope for you can be difficult, even more so when you find yourself on a budget. The best telescopes, as you will expect, will be a lot more pricey, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t get a great telescope for less than $100.

The key to finding the best telescope for your limited budget lies in research, which is why it is so important that you know exactly what to look for in a telescope.

The options that we have already looked at in this guide are some of the best budget telescopes available, but we’ve also put together this buyer’s guide to help you in your search. So if you want to find out more about what you should look for in a telescope, keep reading. 

Optics of the Telescope

A key part of any telescope is its optics. This is a key part of enabling you to see through the telescope and plays an essential role in being able to see long distances. For a lot of people, their concerns with buying a cheaper telescope surround the optics of the device.

So this is definitely an area where you should pay particular attention when looking for a telescope under $100. 

Low-quality optics will significantly limit the ability of the telescope as they compromise the ability of the telescope’s scope. As its part in the device’s name suggests, the scope is essential to being able to see things through your telescope and low-quality optics limit its ability.

That being said, high-quality optics are usually incredibly expensive as these are one of the features which drive the price point of telescopes up. This makes it incredibly difficult to balance.

The main issue with low-quality optics is that they produce poor quality images due to lack of clarity, which is annoying as clarity is a key part of astrology. That being said, not all budget telescopes will come with poor optics.

The products that we looked at above all include excellent quality optics for the price of the telescope. But it is worth noting that optics is one of the problem areas of many budget telescopes. 

The aperture of the Telescope

Another area you should consider when looking at budget telescopes is the aperture of the device. Cheaper telescopes tend to come with larger apertures which are more likely to let more light into the telescope.

This is actually a good thing, as most distant objects are difficult to see because of limited light. With a larger aperture, you are more likely to see these objects in the night sky in much greater detail. 

The aperture of your telescope is also important as it relates directly to the F ratio of the device. The F ratio is the length of the tube of the telescope compared to its aperture.

The F ratio is a key measurement when looking at the ability of your telescope to focus, something which is very important when you are trying to capture images of distant stars and planets.

When it comes to the F ratio, generally the answer is the bigger the better, If your ratio is small, the images that the telescope captures will not be that great. They will likely be of poor quality and blurry, which is exactly what you don’t want when you are buying a telescope.

Once again, the key to buying a budget telescope that does not have a poor F ratio lies in researching the product before you make a purchase.

Mount and Accessories

Finally, if you are looking to buy a telescope for under $100 you should consider the attachments that will come with your telescope.

In general, most telescopes will come with a mount and a couple of other accessories, however, the quality of these attachments is debatable when you buy a telescope that costs less than $100. 

Pretty much every telescope that you purchase will come with a mount. This is the device that allows you to use the telescope without having to hold it in your hands, and for many people, it is an essential part of the purchase.

Unfortunately, if you manage to find an excellent telescope for less than $100, it will likely come with a poor quality mount. However, while the mount is an essential part of the telescope, you do not need a fancy mount to be able to use it successfully.

All you need is a stable mount that can hold the telescope steady and produce no vibration when you capture images with the telescope. You also will not need a massive mount, in fact, some of the best telescope mounts are much smaller, so you should bear this in mind when making a purchase. 

Let’s also talk about the accessories quickly. While it might be tempting to choose a telescope that comes with lots of different accessories, you should not choose accessories over the optical ability of the device.

If a budget telescope comes with a huge amount of accessories, the chances are that the telescope does not have great optics which is why they are compensating with lots of accessories. So when you are buying a telescope, you should not let yourself be swayed by the accessories.

While it might seem better value for money if the telescope comes with lots of extra attachments. The chances are that the quality of the telescope itself is poor which is why the company can afford to give you all these accessories at such a low price.

Of all the accessories available, you should prioritize a telescope that comes with a mount as this is a key part of astrology. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good focal length for a telescope?

If you are not limited by a budget, the best focal length for a telescope is anything between 1000 and 1200mm. If you are new to astrology and don’t know what the focal length is, this is essentially the length of the telescope.

The focal length of the telescope is measured from the main optic to the part of the telescope where the image is formed and plays an essential part in image size. Generally, you should look for a longer focal length if you want to get a better image.

A shorter focal length will provide a wider field of view, but the objects with the image will appear a lot smaller than if you used a longer focal length. 

Are there different types of telescopes?

Yes, there are different types of telescopes which you probably have noticed when you have looked to buy one. Although there are lots of different telescopes available, they all belong to two main groups: refractor and reflector telescopes.

The group to which the telescope belongs to is determined by the part of the telescope which captures the light. A refractor telescope uses the glass lens as its objective, whereas a reflector telescope uses the mirror as its objective, and this is the main difference between the two types. 

Can you see the flag on the moon through a telescope?

Yes, the flag that was planted on the moon during the first space expedition can still be found on the moon. But you will not be able to see it through a telescope.

Due to the minute size of the flag, you would need to have a massive telescope to be able to see it on the moon, and a telescope of this size simply does not exist. So while the flag is still there you won’t be able to see it yourself unless you look at photographs of it on the internet.