Top 10 Telescopes for the Summer of the Planets

This powerful entry-level telescope uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real time. The StarSense Explorer is ideal for beginners thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. What’s more, our patented StarSense Explorer Technology makes this telescope ready to go right out of the box. Simply dock your phone, launch the app, and explore.

Get inspiring views of the planets with our new telescope designed specifically for beginners. The Inspire 100 refractor features our large, upgraded StarPointer Pro finderscope. Simply position your target within the ringed “bullseye” on your StarPointer Pro and it’s ready to view in the eyepiece. Best of all, you’ll be able to give friends and family #FOMO: Inspire’s lens cap doubles as a smartphone adapter. You can attach it to the eyepiece and snap an Insta-worthy planetary pic.

Tech lovers, rejoice! Celestron’s beginner-friendly Astro Fi telescope features built-in WiFi so you can control it with your smartphone and our SkyPortal mobile app. Launch the app, follow the alignment procedure, then tap your favorite planet (or thousands of deep sky objects) in the planetarium interface. Your telescope zooms over and tracks it for you as it moves across the night sky.

Celebrating the Summer of the Planets at a campground or dark sky site? The NexStar 127 SLT is a car camper’s dream. The 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain optical tube packs a lot of light gathering ability in an ultra-compact and portable design. After you’ve marveled at Mars’ polar ice caps, Jupiter’s moons, and Saturn’s rings, this telescope will dazzle you with deep sky objects like galaxies, nebulae, and more.

Wired.com hailed NexStar Evolution “the coolest app-cessory in the galaxy.” If you’re into the Astro Fi’s WiFi capabilities, but looking to step up to a larger aperture for more detailed views, this is your best bet. The Schmidt-Cassegrain optics are ideal for planetary viewing. What’s more, Evolution features a built-in battery ready to power your stargazing marathons up to 10 hours.

Ah, the classic C8—time tested, affordable, and field proven. In other words, never a wrong choice for any type of astronomical viewing. Choose the NexStar 8SE if you’re looking for stunning views of the planets but also want to invest in an instrument that will grow with you for years to come. Some of our customers are still enjoying their orange tube C8s that they bought back in the 1970s.

German equatorial mounts have earned a reputation for being intimidating and cumbersome, but our Advanced VX mount puts all those stereotypes to rest. This lightweight, compact equatorial mount sets up in minutes. A step up from our traditional Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, this setup features an EdgeHD optical tube—an aplanatic Schmidt telescope free of visual defects like field curvature, off-axis coma, and astigmatism. Pair it with a solar system camera for planetary imaging or a DSLR for long exposure astrophotography of galaxies and nebulae.

The CPC is the workhorse of the Celestron lineup. Its strong, stable, dual fork arm provides the ultimate platform for an 8” Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube. You’re likely to find CPCs at the many public star parties and events roaring back to life this summer. That’s because the telescope operator can select a target (like Mars) and trust the telescope to track it accurately while dozens of spectators catch a view or snap photos with their smartphones. You can even add our Pro HD Wedge and delve into deep sky astroimaging.

Ready to be dazzled? Step up to an 11” EdgeHD optical tube for a whole new level of clarity and resolution. Aimed at the planets, this behemoth delivers detail you probably didn’t know you could see in a consumer-grade telescope. Fun fact: Back in 2014, Celestron had the distinct pleasure of equipping the late Professor Stephen Hawking with this exact telescope, modified to work with his specialized computer system. Like its little brother, the CPC Deluxe HD can also accept a wedge for astrophotography.

It’s the summer of the planets. That calls for some celebration, right? There’s no better way to spotlight our Solar System than with Celestron’s crowned jewel: the new CGX-L equatorial mount topped with our razor-sharp EdgeHD optical tube in the largest size. The monster 14” aperture will amaze you with its high-resolution detail. It’s the choice of world-class planetary imagers like Christopher Go, who used one to discover Jupiter’s “Red Spot Junior.” Paired with a solar system camera, this system will capture planetary images to remember for decades.