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No matter your experience level, finding the right telescope for your astrophotography rig can prove to be an overwhelming task. So much rides on finding a telescope with everything you need: the ideal focal length for your favorite targets, the best aperture for the most light gathering power, and specific inclusions such as full frame compatibility, included accessories, and plenty more. Understanding this tough choice, we have done the homework for you and curated a list of the top astrophotography telescopes of 2024. Backed by years of expertise and customer support, choosing the right telescope for your astrophotography needs has never been easier!
Before we dive in, this collection of telescopes has been hand picked by our team of gear experts based on their astrophotography performance, optical specifications, the quality of the craftsmanship, and the unique features they possess. Each of these telescopes will help you achieve impressive astrophotos of your favorite celestial objects and are favored by our gear experts and customers alike. Whether you’re a beginner looking to purchase your first telescope or an avid astrophotographer ready for an upgrade, we have you covered. Now, let's jump into the recommendations!
William Optics RedCat 51 APO f/4.9 WIFD Refracting Telescope
William Optics RedCat 51 APO f/4.9 WIFD Refracting Telescope -
With its sleek red finish, internal focus design, and small, portable body, this RedCat 51 WIFD is a fan favorite amongst beginners and advanced imagers alike! I, for one, thoroughly enjoy imaging with this refractor thanks to the incredible sharpness it produces in just a single frame. As with other signature RedCat series refractors from William Optics, four lens elements work together to deliver an inherent flat field, zero chromatic aberration, and superior optical performance. Another perk of this scope is its no fuss design. There is no need to calculate backspacing—just attach your camera, and you’re ready to image! The 250 mm focal length provides a wide field of view suitable for large, sweeping nebulae, and the 45 mm image circle means this telescope is full frame compatible. As opposed to traditional focusing mechanisms which move your equipment in and out to reach focus, the patented William Optics Internal Focus Design (WIFD) moves the optics themselves to reach focus. I’m a personal fan of this design, as I immediately noticed the smooth focusing during my first night imaging with this APO refractor. Also, this internal focuser greatly reduces the possibility of draw-tube sag, especially with heavy imaging trains. Weighing in at only 3.9 lbs, and coming standard with its own soft carry case, you can take this portable RedCat 51 WIFD with you on your next astroimaging trip.
Apertura 75Q Refractor Telescope
Apertura 75Q Refractor with 0.75x Reducer -
Apertura 75Q Refractor Telescope -
With 75 mm in aperture, a whopping five optical elements, and coming in at an unbeatable price, the Apertura 75Q is the perfect imaging refractor. This high-performance quintuplet features HOYA FCD-100 glass and is designed specifically for astrophotography, delivering superb color correction and tight stars across the entire frame. The large aperture produces bright, detailed images, and the 405 mm focal length is suitable for a copious amount of celestial objects. You can add the optional 0.75x reducer to turn this quintuplet into a refractor of unrivaled quality. The focal length is brought down to 300 mm, and the focal ratio is lowered to an incredibly fast f/4. Specs like these are unheard of at this amazing price point, making for a high-quality refractor perfect for any astrophotographer. Thanks to the ingenuity of Apertura, this 75Q Quintuplet refractor has everything the William Optics RedCat series is known for, but with a larger aperture, more optical elements, and is backed by industry leading support and documentation. With these outstanding features, the Apertura 75Q is my top recommendation for those looking for powerful optics within a compact, portable body.
Apertura 60mm FPL-53 Doublet Refractor
Apertura 60mm FPL-53 Doublet Refractor and 2" Field Flattener -
Apertura 60mm FPL-53 Doublet APO Refractor
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Next up on our list is another powerful telescope from Apertura, the 60 mm Doublet Refractor. With its high-performance optics, versatile design, and low price, this refractor is the budget friendly telescope for beginners. In comparison to other doublets, the Ohara FPL-53 glass found within this Apertura refractor offers excellent contrast, superb color correction, and tight stars within the captured frames. Its 360 mm focal length and f/6 focal ratio makes it perfect for imaging a wide range of targets, from the Moon to deep space objects. Also, this kit comes complete with imaging essentials such as a full frame field flattener and matching Apertura 32 mm blue guidescope. Easily pack up this little 3.25 lbs. refractor for trips to dark skies, or utilize it at home as a highly capable backyard refractor. Backed by industry leading support and the Apertura Absolute Warranty, with this Apertura 60 mm Doublet Refractor, you’re set up for success.
Askar V 60mm and 80mm Triplet Refractor
Askar V 60mm and 80mm Triplet Refractor -
Only one word is needed to describe the Askar V: options. This unique telescope design comes with five different mix-and-match optical elements, resulting in a total of six different focal length possibilities! Interchange two different objective lenses, the V60 or V80, with the included reducer, flattener, or extender for focal lengths stretching from 270 mm to 600 mm and focal ratios ranging from f/6 to f/6.5. With these different options, you can choose the right combination of lens elements to achieve perfect framing of your favorite celestial objects. This telescope system is best suited for APS-C cameras, though it is well corrected for full frame imaging applications for even more framing options. Want to take this innovative Askar scope with you to dark skies? Not a problem! This Askar V is portable enough to ride atop the Sky-Watcher GTI Star Tracker and comes complete with a custom Oxford-cloth carry case that holds your telescope snuggly, even with an EAF attached.
Askar 103APO Triplet Air-Spaced Refractor
Askar 103APO Triplet Air-Spaced Refractor -
Looking for a premium, high focal length refractor without breaking the bank? Coming in at an incredible price point, the Askar 103APO Triplet Air-Spaced Refractor boasts a 700 mm focal length and features ED glass, delivering superb color correction and high contrast. Weighing only 12 lbs. with the included Vixen dovetail and CNC machined tube rings, this refractor is a breeze to travel with and effortlessly rides atop medium-sized mounts, such as the ZWO AM3 or Sky-Watcher 100i. To provide you with great versatility, Askar offers three optional accessories: the 1x field flattener to preserve the native focal length and two reducers (0.8x and 0.6x) for multiple different focal length options. With either of these optical accessories attached, enjoy sharp stars from corner to corner—even with demanding full frame cameras!
Celestron EdgeHD 8 OTA
Up next on our list is the highly regarded Celestron 8” EdgeHD telescope! Designed specifically with astrophotographers in mind, these aplanatic optics deliver superb color correction and high contrast within the captured frames. This high-performance telescope also features an inherent flat field for pinpoint stars from corner to corner. Its long 2032 mm focal length is ideal for imaging small celestial objects—from our solar system neighbors like Jupiter, to deep space objects such as the Pinwheel Galaxy. To provide even more versatility with a wider field of view, this EdgeHD can be paired with its dedicated 0.7x focal reducer for a faster f/7 focal ratio, or the Starizona Hyperstar for wildly fast f/1.9 imaging! This telescope weighs only 14 lbs., making it suitable to ride atop portable mounts such as the ZWO AM5, Sky-Watcher Wave 150i or the Celestron AVX. Enjoy pairing this SCT with a large selection of upgrades, such as the Apertura Ultimate SCT T-Adapter, Celestron Focus Motor, Celestron Autoguider, and plenty more. Backed by fantastic quality control from Celestron, each 8” EdgeHD is thoroughly tested prior to shipping.
Apertura CarbonStar 150 Imaging Newtonian
Apertura CarbonStar 150 with 0.95x Coma Corrector -
Apertura CarbonStar 150 Imaging Newtonian -
The team at Apertura has worked hard to build a better imaging Newtonian, resulting in the Apertura CarbonStar 150—the best imaging Newtonian on the market today! This scope is specially designed for optimization with the most popular imaging sensors. The CarbonStar 150 includes knife-edge interior baffling to effectively control stray light and is constructed with durable yet lightweight carbon fiber. The excellent craftsmanship is also apparent with the incorporation of CNC machined aluminum, including the tube rings, front bezel, primary mirror cell, and single-piece secondary mirror hub. Apertura doesn’t stop there; this telescope is housed with a linear bearing focuser which has more points of contact for smoother focusing. It’s also EAF ready right out of the box. The focal length of 600 mm is suitable for numerous celestial bodies and the fast focal ratio of f/4 allows collection of a copious amount of light in a short amount of time. Designed for astrophotographers by astrophotographers, the comprehensive manual is jam-packed with everything you need to know about this exceptional telescope. The CarbonStar 150 is my top choice when it comes to imaging Newtonians, as it is perfect for beginners or advanced astroimagers who want more light gathering power without breaking the bank!
Celestron 8" RASA
No “top astrophotography telescope” list would be complete without the Celestron RASA! Known for the unbeatable inherent focal ratio of f/2, the RASA 8 is an astrophotography powerhouse. Acting as a light bucket for photons, the fast focal ratio produces incredibly bright images in no time. To put this into perspective, an image of just 30 seconds is equivalent in brightness to a 10 minute exposure captured with a typical f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain! In addition to its outstanding speed, the high-performance optical elements fitted within this 8” telescope provide heightened clarity and resolution of detail. Aberrations such as field curvature, coma, and false color are completely eradicated and vignetting is also significantly reduced. Enjoy framing up your favorite targets with the 400 mm focal length, and effortlessly attach your camera with the included adapters.
Honorable Mention
Apertura CarbonStar 8" Ritchey-Chretien Telescope -
Apertura CarbonStar 6" Ritchey-Chretien Telescope -
With the beneficial inclusions and optical performance, the CarbonStar 6” and 8” Ritchey-Chretien telescopes make our list as honorable mentions! These large aperture RC scopes provide stunning detail free from chromatic aberration, spherical aberration, and coma right out of the box. To take this already impressive optical design to new heights, Apertura has utilized a lightweight, yet durable, carbon fiber body construction, as well as a linear bearing focuser for smoother focusing. You also have the option to add a camera rotator and a dedicated tilt adjuster to solve issues that typically arise when imaging with standard RCs. All of this is packed within the sleek, red and black CarbonStar finish and is backed by the unrivaled customer support and warranty coverage from Apertura.
Here at High Point Scientific, we understand just how much thought goes into purchasing new equipment. As users of the gear we sell, our goal is to help you make the best decision based on your specific needs. If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us; we’re here to help! For further information on all things astrophotography, be sure to check out other articles on our Astrophotography Astronomy Hub, such as our How To Connect a Camera to a Telescope guide, and our picks for the Top Cameras of 2024.
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Learn More
Interested in learning more about telescopes and astrophotography? Not sure where to begin? Check out our Astronomy Hub!
Glossary
Backfocus / Backfocal Distance / Backspacing
All optical systems have a point at which an in-focus image is formed, and for astrophotography it is at this location that the camera sensor should be placed. When the telescope is used without corrective elements, this is done easily with the focuser mechanism; and so long as an image can be brought into focus, optimal optical performance will be achieved. However with corrective elements, oftentimes there is a certain distance that the camera sensor needs to be placed away from the rear of the corrector for optimal performance. This will be listed as the backspacing or backfocal distance for the corrective element.
Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber is a material that is composed of carbon atoms within a crystalline orientation. It is known for its incredible strength comparable to steel, though weighs much less (5x less to be exact). Because of this, the use of carbon fiber is highly beneficial in the realm of astrophotography, as this material provides a strong, yet lightweight, base for telescope and tripod construction.
Camera Rotator
A camera rotator is fitted onto the back of the telescope and allows the user to rotate their imaging equipment to find the desired photographic angle. These devices can either come manually operated or electronically operated. Electronic camera rotators are extremely beneficial for creating mosaics of the night sky, as they help you achieve precise camera orientation.
Corrector Plate / Corrector Lens
A corrector plate is a lens housed within front of the optical tube assembly on Schmidt-Cassegrains, Maksutov-Cassegrains, and Celestron RASA telescopes. This lens has the important job of correcting for spherical aberration, delivering improved views and images.
Collimation
Collimation is the process in which the optical elements of a telescope are aligned to deliver the best performance possible. In refracting optical systems, lens collimation is performed by the manufacturer at the time of assembly. In contrast, reflecting telescopes contain mirrors that are often bumped out of alignment. As a result, these types of telescopes require periodic collimation from the user to ensure peak clarity and sharpness. Various tools are available for collimation, such as laser collimation, Cheshire eyepieces, and collimation caps, just to name a few.
Coma
Coma is the comet-like appearance of stars near the edges of the frame. This occurs when light entering the optics focuses at different points around the corners of the image, causing an overlap of unfocused stars that present itself in a trailing manner.
Corrective Element
This refers to an optical accessory such as a field flattener, coma corrector, or reducer. These improve some facet of a telescope’s performance, such as optical distortions that might otherwise appear on the edge of the frame; or augments it, for example by providing a wider field of view.
Chromatic Aberration
Different wavelengths of light travel at different speeds based on the medium it occupies. When white light is exposed to glass such in a telescope or lens, blue light, red light, and green light slow at varying rates. This change of speed causes each wavelength to focus at different points along the focal plane, resulting in color fringing seen within the images taken.
EdgeHD Telescope
EdgeHD is Celestron's top of the line flat field aplanatic Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope series. You can buy a variety of apertures, from 8 to 14 inches, as an OTA or as part of a telescope/mount package. EdgeHD telescopes are great for visual use but they really shine for astrophotography. With a wide field of view that is three times flatter than a standard SCT, you will see beautiful, pinpoint stars across the entire field, even if you have a full frame (35 mm) CMOS or CCD camera sensor to satisfy.
#-Element (i.e. 2-element, 3-element, etc.)
When a refractor is described as having a 2-element, 3-element, 4-element, etc. optical design, that dictates the number of lenses within the refracting telescope. The number of elements also dictates how that refractor is classified: 2-element refractors are doublets, 3-element refractors are triplets, 4-element refractors are quadruplets, and so on.
Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) Glass
ED stands for “extra-low dispersion”, and is a type of glass designed to specifically reduce the separation of wavelengths when light passes through. Coatings of magnesium fluoride, zirconium dioxide, calcium fluoride, and titanium dioxide help bridge the gap between the different wavelengths of light, providing a singular focal point for all wavelengths. This helps reduce chromatic aberration and in turn provides heightened optical performance. Also, the more coatings on the lenses, the higher the transmission rate becomes for brighter, more detailed views and images.
Field of View (FOV)
In simple terms, your field of view is the amount of sky that is witnessed by your telescope/camera combination, or telescope/eyepiece combination. This measurement is calculated in angular degrees. To calculate how much of the sky you can image with your astrophotography rig, take the width of your camera chip, multiply it by 57.3, then divide that product by the focal length of your optics. If you want to determine how much of the sky you can view through your eyepiece, take the apparent field of view of your eyepiece (provided by the manufacturer), then divide it by the quotient of your telescope’s focal length & the focal length of your eyepiece.
Focal Length
The focal length is the distance, usually measured in millimeters, between the primary mirror or lens and the point at which the image comes to focus. Generally, classic refractors have a longer focal length, Newtonian reflectors tend to have a focal length that is shorter, and Schmidt-Cassegrain fall somewhere in the middle.
Focal Ratio
The focal ratio is calculated by dividing the aperture (mm) of the primary mirror or lens into the focal length. Example: 2500 mm divided by 254 mm (10") equals an f/ratio of 9.84, which is usually rounded off, in this case to f/10. The focal ratio signifies how quickly a telescope gathers light and tells us something about the telescope's field of view, how long exposures will take during astrophotography sessions, and how much magnification the eyepiece will produce for that telescope.
Focal Reducer
A focal reducer is an optical modifier that reduces the focal length of your telescope. These accessories come in a wide variety of reducing powers, and are typically dedicated for use with one specific telescope model. They are great options for those looking to widen their field of view without having to create complicated mosaics. Also, the use of a focal reducer increases the overall speed of the telescope, allowing more light to be collected in less time.
Image Circle
This specification refers to the area where an image is formed by the optics/ corrective element. This is useful for assessing whether a certain camera sensor size will be supported by the optics, or if vignetting/ poor performance will be seen in frame.
Imaging Newtonian
An Imaging Newtonian is a Newtonian telescope that has been optimized for astrophotography equipment. Where a traditional Newtonian would have its point of focus just above the end of the draw tube (in order to best focus with eyepieces), an imaging Newtonian is designed to focus further back to provide adequate space for astrophotography cameras and accessories. A side-effect of this focal point shift is a decrease in field-illumination, which presents as vignetting in images. Accordingly, imaging Newtonians also have larger secondary mirrors than their traditionally designed counterparts, which evens out illumination. In addition to these optical changes, these scopes can (but don't always) have hardware that has been upgraded or replaced with components that make attaching supporting equipment easier. Some of these scopes can be used visually as well as for astrophotography, however the optical changes and astrophotography hardware focused design does not make them the best candidate for visual observation.
Imaging Train
Your imaging train is your telescope, camera, and any other accessories that are fixed between them, such as filters, filter wheels, off-axis guiders, focal reducers, etc.
Optical Tube Assembly (OTA)
The acronym OTA stands for Optical Tube Assembly. An OTA is simply the telescope portion of a telescope/mount/tripod package. Some telescope users prefer to buy the OTA separately so they can create a custom astrophotography set-up or use a mount they already own.
Petzval Design
The Petzval design is an orientation of lens elements within a refractor telescope. This arrangement features a doublet near the front of the optical tube, and a doublet near the back of the tube, with air-spacing in between. The second doublet corrects for aberrations that the first was unable to correct for, such as comatic aberration and field curvature. As a result, refractors of this design are well suited for astrophotography, producing exceptional clarity and contrast within the images captured.
Quadruplet Refractor
Quadruplet refractors contain a total of four internal optical elements that provide images free from chromatic, comatic, and spherical aberration. As opposed to triplet refractors, quadruplet refractors also correct for field curvature aberration, where the additional lens acts as a built-in field flattener to straighten out incoming rays of light. This flat field also means there is no need to calculate backspacing; as long as the imaging system can reach focus, stars will be sharp across the entirety of the image. The four lenses in these telescopes can be arranged in various different orientations, though most often adopts the Petzval design. This design features two lenses in the front and two in the rear, and is so often used that quadruplets are regularly referred to as Petzval refractors. Most of the quadruplets produced today are manufactured specifically for astrophotography, and do not allow visual applications.
Quintuplet Refractor
Quintuplet refractors are telescopes that include a total of five lens elements. These lenses can be combined in various different arrangements to deliver superb color correcting abilities. Common aberrations such as chromatic, comatic, spherical, and field curvature are eliminated when using telescopes of this design, making them optimal for astrophotography. The inherent flat field also eradicates the need to calculate backspacing, making them exceptionally easy to use.
Rack & Pinion Focuser
Rack & Pinion focusers utilize a gear-oriented system to bring the telescope into focus. When the focusing knob is turned, the gears of the Pinion mechanism mesh with those of the Rack mechanism to move the eyepiece or imaging equipment into the focal point of the optics. By using gears, this type of focusing design is less likely to suffer from slippage as other focusers are prone to, and are one of the most commonly used in today’s most popular telescopes.
Reflector Telescope / Reflecting Telescope
A reflector is a telescope design in which mirrors are used to gather and focus light. Reflector telescopes are commonly called Newtonian Reflectors, or simply a Newtonian in deference to their inventor, Sir Isaac Newton.
Refractor / Refracting Telescope
A refractor is a telescope design that uses lenses to gather and focus light. While there are some exceptions to the rule, achromatic refractors use two lenses in their design, and while they are economical, achromats are only capable of focusing two out of three wavelengths of light. An APO telescope, or apochromatic refractor, uses 3 lenses to bring all three wavelengths of light to a single focus to produce an image virtually free of extraneous color.
Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope (SCT)
The acronym SCT stands for Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope, one of the most popular telescope designs in amateur astronomy today. A Schmidt-Cassegrain, which belongs more broadly to the Catadioptric telescope type, uses a folded optical design incorporating both mirrors and lenses to gather and bring the light to focus. The folded light path allows for a short tube assembly even with relatively large apertures of 8" or more. A shorter tube length makes the SCT far more portable than a classic Newtonian or refractor of the same aperture.
Spacer
These are fairly simple components, designed to add spacing to an imaging system. While there are some sizes that have become common due to corrective element backspacing, dedicated astronomy camera native backfocus, and popular accessory thicknesses coalescing around certain spacing distances, there are still plenty of unique sizes and thickness available for unique builds/ equipment.
Spherical Aberration
As opposed to converging at a singular focal point, light rays entering the edges of a lens focus at differing points than that of light rays entering the center of the lens. This results in sharp stars in the center of the frame while blurry, unfocused stars are prevalent around the edges of the image.
Vignetting
Vignetting is seen as the darkening of the corners of the frame within an image. This happens when the camera sensor is not exposed to enough light, resulting in a shadow effect along the borders of the image. This issue presents itself for a number of reasons, though most commonly occurs when using incompatible sensor sizes and image circles, and using too small of filters for the imaging assembly.