10 Best Beginners Telescopes 2025 in the UK

The EACONN 80mm refractor telescope is a solid choice for beginners interested in astronomy. Its 80mm aperture is quite good for an entry-level model, allowing you to see brighter and clearer images of the moon, planets, and some star clusters. The 600mm focal length combined with Kellner eyepieces provides decent magnification (30x to 66x), which is suitable for getting started without being overwhelming. The tripod mount with rough adjustment and positioning gimbal makes it fairly easy to aim and track objects in the sky, which is important for beginners learning to navigate.

Portability is a strong point here—the telescope is lightweight, comes with a backpack, and is designed for travel, so you can take it outside city lights to improve viewing conditions. The fixed and center focus system may not offer as much fine-tuning flexibility as more advanced models, but it simplifies use for novices. The refractor design means low maintenance and good durability. Included accessories like two eyepieces, a finder scope, and a smartphone adapter add value and help beginners explore different viewing options and even capture images.

This telescope might not satisfy those looking for deep-sky observation or advanced features, and the relatively narrow field of view limits wide-area sky scanning. It is a friendly, portable, and thoughtfully equipped telescope perfect for beginners and casual stargazing.

The Celestron 22403 Inspire 100AZ Refractor Telescope is a solid choice for beginners looking to dive into stargazing. With a 100mm aperture, it allows for clear and bright views of celestial objects, making it easier for novices to spot and enjoy various wonders in the night sky. The focal length of 660mm provides a good balance between wide-field viewing and higher magnifications, which is ideal for a beginner to explore a variety of astronomical targets.

The telescope's altazimuth mount, which is simple to use, offers smooth manual control for easy and accurate pointing, a significant advantage for those new to telescopes. Additionally, it comes with two eyepieces (20mm and 10mm), allowing for different magnifications to suit various observations. The built-in smartphone adapter is a thoughtful inclusion, making it easy for users to capture images of their observations and share them with friends or on social media. The lightweight frame and adjustable height tripod enhance its portability, allowing users to take it to different locations easily.

The manual focus might be a bit challenging for some beginners initially, though it provides a valuable learning experience. The included red LED flashlight, star diagonal, and StarPointer Pro red dot finderscope are useful accessories that further enhance its usability. While the product is a great starter package, some users might find the setup instructions a bit sparse, so a bit of patience may be required during the first assembly. The Celestron 22403 Inspire 100AZ offers great value for beginners with its quality optics, useful accessories, and ease of use features.

The Celestron Astromaster LT70 is a beginner-friendly refractor telescope designed to make stargazing accessible and enjoyable. With a 70mm aperture and a 700mm focal length (f/10), it offers decent light-gathering ability and a sharp, clear view of the moon, planets, and some brighter deep sky objects. The fully coated glass optics help enhance image brightness, making it easier to see details even from city locations. Its altazimuth mount is manual but includes a slow-motion control to smoothly track celestial objects, which is typically simpler for newcomers compared to more complex mounts.

Weighing just over 3 kg with a compact optical tube about 81 cm long, the telescope is moderately portable and easy to set up, though not as pocket-sized as some smaller models. One of the standout features is the integration with Celestron’s StarSense technology, which pairs with your smartphone to recognize star patterns and guide you to objects in the night sky via an app. This guided experience is a great help for beginners who might feel overwhelmed finding targets on their own. The package includes useful accessories like two eyepieces for varied magnification, a 2x Barlow lens to double magnification options, a red dot finderscope, and an erect image diagonal for comfortable viewing.

The manual mount means you’ll need to adjust the telescope yourself, which can be a bit tricky when tracking fast-moving objects. Also, the 70mm aperture limits how much faint detail you can see compared to larger telescopes, so deep sky viewing is best in dark skies rather than light-polluted areas. The Astromaster LT70 provides a solid entry point for beginners, combining quality optics with helpful digital guidance, making it a practical choice for those just starting their astronomy journey.