Best Travel and Portable Telescopes in 2026 (Backpack, Carry-On and Smart)

The best travel telescope for most people is the Celestron Travel Scope 80. It is an 80mm refractor that ships as a complete kit in its own backpack, weighs about 2 kg and costs under $150. If you fly and want sharper planets, choose the Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi with Skymax 102, a GoTo scope that fits cabin luggage. If you want deep-sky images on your phone, choose the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro or the Dwarf 3. Ten picks follow, sorted by how you travel.

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What is a travel telescope?

A travel telescope (also called a portable telescope) is a scope you can carry in a backpack, a cabin bag or a car trunk and set up in a few minutes. There is no fixed size. A useful working definition: the complete kit weighs under about 6.5 kg and the longest piece is short enough for the way you travel. Every pick in this guide meets that, and the heaviest tops out at 6.3 kg.

Weight is only half of it. The mount and tripod can account for a large share of a scope’s total, which is why the lightest options are either a compact tube on a small tripod or a smart telescope with the mount built in. A handheld telescope skips the mount entirely, but at any real magnification your hands shake too much to hold a planet in view.

Portable now means two different things. One group of buyers wants an eyepiece scope: a refractor or Maksutov that shows Saturn’s rings and the Moon’s craters directly. The other wants a smart telescope that points itself, tracks the sky and builds an image on a phone. Both are covered below, and the picks list says which is which.

How portable is portable? Weight and size of each pick

Packed weight decides which of three travel jobs a scope can do. These weights come from the manufacturers’ specifications and retailer listings.

• Backpack, under about 2.5 kg: Dwarf 3 (1.3 kg), Travel Scope 70 DX (1.5 kg), Seestar S30 Pro (1.65 kg), Travel Scope 80 (2 kg) and C90 Mak (2.04 kg for the tube, plus 0.5 to 1 kg for a tabletop tripod). The two smart telescopes need a tripod you buy separately.
• Carry-on, short tube up to about 6.3 kg: SVBONY SV503 80ED (3.5 kg, tube only), Skymax 102 AZ-GTi (3.9 kg complete) and Heritage 130P (6.3 kg, tube collapses to about 46 cm).
• Car, long tube or heavy mount: StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ (4.2 kg, with a tube about 90 cm long) and NexStar 90SLT (5.4 kg with tripod).

Ten picks spread from 1.3 kg to 6.3 kg. Choose the weight you will carry on the longest walk or flight of the trip, then buy the largest aperture under it.

How to choose a portable telescope

Aperture decides what you see. Everything else decides whether the scope leaves the house. Work through these in order.

Aperture: 70mm to 130mm

Aperture is the diameter of the lens or mirror. A wider one collects more light and shows finer detail, and the gain follows the square of the width. For travel the useful range is 70mm to 102mm for refractors and Maksutovs, with 130mm as the ceiling for a Newtonian that collapses. For hiking, 50mm to 90mm keeps the load honest. Smart telescopes have far smaller apertures (30mm and 35mm) because the camera sensor gathers light over minutes of exposure instead of your eye. Our aperture comparison with photos shows the same objects at each size, and the pages on 70mm, 100mm and 130mm telescopes cover individual sizes.

Optical design: refractor, Maksutov or Newtonian

Refractors are the simplest: a lens at the front, no mirrors to line up, and a tube about as long as the focal length. Maksutov-Cassegrain scopes fold a long focal length into a short sealed tube, which is why a 90mm Mak is about 25 cm long. Newtonians give the most aperture per dollar and need collimation, the occasional realignment of the two mirrors. Bumps in transit shift them, and nobody wants to spend the first half hour of a camping trip adjusting thumb screws. Refractors and Maksutovs do not need collimation. The Heritage 130P is the one Newtonian in this guide, and it earns its place on aperture. For the trade-offs see Maksutov-Cassegrain vs Newtonian.

Mount and tripod

The mount is the part of a travel kit that most often fails. A light tripod wobbles when you touch the focuser, and at 60x or more the image shakes for several seconds after every adjustment. Three options solve it.

• Alt-azimuth tripod (up and down, left and right): simple, light and fine for visual use. The StarSense LT 80AZ and both Travel Scopes use one. See alt-azimuth vs equatorial mounts.
• Tabletop tripod or a table: the lightest option for a compact tube. The C90 Mak has a standard camera-tripod thread, so a 20 inch tabletop tripod adds under a kilogram. A rock wall or picnic table works as well as a tripod.
• Motorised alt-az head: the AZ-GTi and NexStar 90SLT track objects automatically, and the smart telescopes have the motor built in. Tracking matters at high power, where a planet leaves the field in a minute or two. The cost is power: eight AA batteries or a 12V pack.

Our guide to types of telescope mounts compares them in more depth. For long camera exposures a plain tripod is not enough: the sky rotates, and only a tracking mount keeps stars sharp.

Manual, app-guided, GoTo or smart

Finding objects is where first-time users quit. A manual scope has you aim with a finder and a star chart. The StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ reads the star field through your phone camera and shows arrows to the target. GoTo scopes (AZ-GTi, NexStar 90SLT) slew to a target after an alignment. Smart telescopes level themselves, find the target, track it and show you the stacked image in an app. App guidance is the best compromise for a first scope. GoTo pays off if you share the scope or want to show many objects in one night.

Weather and maintenance

A scope is useless under cloud, rain or snow, and cloud is the real limit: a cover keeps rain off but cannot clear the sky. If the forecast is poor, leave electronics at home or pack them in a sealed bag. Let any scope sit outside for 20 to 30 minutes to match the air temperature before you look.

Flying with a telescope: carry-on rules

Take it in the cabin. A telescope in checked luggage gets thrown around, and the tube, mirror or lens is the part you cannot replace at the destination. In the US, TSA screening allows telescopes in carry-on and checked bags. What decides whether it boards is the airline’s size and weight limit for cabin bags, not the telescope itself.

• Size: many airlines cap a carry-on near 22 x 14 x 9 inches (56 x 36 x 23 cm), and budget carriers are often stricter. Measure your packed bag against your airline’s current limits before you book.
• Weight: some carriers cap cabin bags near 7 kg. At 6.3 kg the Heritage 130P uses nearly all of that on its own. The AZ-GTi kit at 3.9 kg and the SV503 tube at 3.5 kg leave room for clothes.
• Batteries: airlines require spare lithium batteries and power banks in the cabin, not in checked luggage, and batteries above 100 Wh need airline approval. This applies to a 12V pack for the AZ-GTi and to the smart telescopes.
• Tripod legs: a short tabletop tripod usually packs inside the bag. A full-size tripod is a separate item and may not fit your cabin allowance.

The Skymax 102 AZ-GTi, the SV503 and the Heritage 130P are the picks built around a carry-on. The two smart telescopes and the Travel Scopes are small enough to pack inside a daypack.

Smart telescopes vs a regular travel telescope

The Seestar S30 Pro and the Dwarf 3 are what portable means to many buyers now. Each is a small camera telescope on a motorised mount: 1.65 kg for the Seestar (30mm aperture, 160mm focal length) and 1.3 kg for the Dwarf 3 (35mm aperture, 150mm focal length). You level it, tap a target in the app and it slews, tracks and stacks exposures into an image on your phone. You do not look through an eyepiece.

That changes what the telescope is for. A smart telescope is the better choice if you want nebulae, galaxies and the Milky Way as photos without learning to find them. An eyepiece scope is the better choice if you want to look at Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon with your own eye, if you want daytime use for birds and landscapes, or if you want one that needs no battery. Planets stay small on a smart telescope because the aperture and focal length are short.

Both need a tripod you buy separately (about $89 for the Dwarf 3). Both run on a built-in battery, which makes them the picks to check against the airline battery rules. Neither is a daytime scope, though the Dwarf 3 can image the Sun with the right filter.

The best travel telescopes in 2026

These ten scopes are the travel and portable models sold on Amazon US in October 2026. We chose them from what astronomy retailers, magazines and owner reviews recommend. We have not tested them hands-on, and the notes below draw on published specifications and independent reviews. Orion has closed, so the StarBlast 102 that earlier versions of this guide recommended is gone, along with the Sky-Watcher EvoStar 72 and StarTravel 120, which no longer have US listings.

Best budget: Celestron Travel Scope 80

Best budget

Best for: The cheapest complete scope that packs into its own backpack

Aperture

80 mm (Refractor)

Focal length

400 mm (f/5)

Finding

Manual

Packed weight

2 kg

Carry

In a backpack

Mount included

Yes

Astrophoto

Basic

Needs power

No

Price tier

Under $150

Pros

• Complete kit in its own backpack
• Wide f/5 field suits the Moon and bright clusters
• Lowest price of any 80mm scope in this guide

Cons

• Achromatic lens shows color fringes on bright objects
• Light tripod wobbles at high power
• Basic eyepieces

Ships with 20mm and 10mm eyepieces, a 3x Barlow, a phone adapter and a backpack. Kit weight about 4.2 lb (tube 2.4 lb). This is the 80mm model; the 70mm is the Travel Scope 70 DX.

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The Travel Scope 80 is the 80mm model, not the 70. The two share a name and a backpack, and earlier versions of this guide mixed them up. At f/5 and 400mm focal length the 80 gives wide, bright fields. The Moon is full of craters, Jupiter’s four moons line up beside the planet and Saturn shows as a small oval with its rings. Bright clusters such as the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula fit the field comfortably.

It is the cheapest complete way to bring a real telescope on a trip. The kit includes 20mm and 10mm eyepieces (20x and 40x), a 3x Barlow, a phone adapter, a folding tripod and the backpack, at about 4.2 lb in total. Use the 3x Barlow with the 20mm for 60x. With the 10mm it reaches 120x, which is more than 80mm of aperture supports on most nights.

The compromises are the achromatic lens, which fringes bright objects with color, and a light tripod that wobbles at high power. Our Celestron Travel Scope 80 review covers the kit in detail.

Best for kids: Celestron Travel Scope 70 DX

Best for kids

Best for: A first scope a child can carry and set up

Aperture

70 mm (Refractor)

Focal length

400 mm (f/5.7)

Finding

Manual

Packed weight

1.5 kg

Carry

In a backpack

Mount included

Yes

Astrophoto

None

Needs power

No

Price tier

Under $150

Pros

• Light enough for a child to carry
• Backpack included
• Low price makes it a low-risk first telescope

Cons

• Small aperture keeps planets small
• Light tripod shakes at high power
• Plastic fittings

Ships with two eyepieces, a folding tripod and a backpack. About 3.3 lb. Check the Amazon listing for the current accessory list.

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The 70 DX is the lighter sibling at about 3.3 lb with tripod and backpack. A child can carry it, point it and focus it. At 70mm it shows the Moon in detail, Jupiter’s moons and Saturn’s rings as a tiny oval, and it works on trees and birds in daylight.

Planets stay small, and the tripod and plastic fittings are lighter than the 80’s. It is cheap enough to be a low-risk first telescope. If the child sticks with it, the 80 is the upgrade. Our guide to telescopes for kids covers older children, and what a 70mm telescope can show sets expectations.

Best for hiking: Celestron C90 Mak

Best for hiking

Best for: Hikers who want a telescope that doubles as a spotting scope

Aperture

90 mm (Maksutov-Cassegrain)

Focal length

1,250 mm (f/13.9)

Finding

Manual

Packed weight

3 kg

Carry

In a backpack

Mount included

No (tube only)

Astrophoto

Basic

Needs power

No

Price tier

$150 to $349

Pros

• Compact sealed tube, no collimation
• Camera-tripod thread pairs with a tabletop tripod
• Works for birding and for the Moon and planets

Cons

• Narrow field makes finding objects hard
• One 32mm eyepiece in the box
• Slow f/14 is poor for faint nebulae

Ships with a 32mm Plossl (39x) and a finderscope. About 2 kg with finder and eyepiece; add 0.5 to 1 kg for a tabletop tripod. Never use it on the Sun without a proper solar filter.

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The C90 Mak is a 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain that folds 1250mm of focal length into a sealed tube about 25 cm long. It weighs about 4.5 lb, needs no collimation and has a standard camera-tripod thread, so a tabletop camera tripod is all the mount you need. That adds about 0.5 to 1 kg.

It is also a spotting scope, so it earns its weight in daylight on birds and terrain as well as on the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn at night. The 32mm Plossl in the box gives 39x. Add a 15mm eyepiece for about 83x, which is near the practical limit for 90mm. Check what the listing includes before you rely on it for daytime viewing. Never point it at the Sun without a proper solar filter.

The narrow field makes finding objects harder than in the refractors, and f/14 is slow for faint nebulae. It is the pick for people who will walk with it. Compare it with a Newtonian in Maksutov-Cassegrain vs Newtonian.

Best app-guided: Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ

Best app-guided beginner scope

Best for: Beginners who want the phone to find the targets

Aperture

80 mm (Refractor)

Focal length

900 mm (f/11.3)

Finding

App-guided

Packed weight

4.2 kg

Carry

In the car

Mount included

Yes

Astrophoto

Basic

Needs power

No

Price tier

$150 to $349

Pros

• App finds targets without alignment
• Long focal ratio gives sharp, color-free Moon and planet views
• Light tripod, no collimation

Cons

• Tube is too long for most carry-on bags
• Needs a charged phone and a clear sky view
• Kellner eyepieces are basic

Ships with 25mm (36x) and 10mm (90x) eyepieces, a phone dock and a 90-degree diagonal. Kit weight about 9.2 lb (tube 5.4 lb, tripod 3.8 lb).

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The StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ is for people who find the sky confusing. A phone sits in a dock on the tube. Pick a target in the app, follow the arrows and it tells you when the object is centered. There is no alignment routine, no motor and no power cable. The 80mm f/11 refractor gives sharp, nearly color-free Moon and planet views and needs no collimation.

It travels by car, not by plane or on foot. The tube is about 90 cm long and the whole kit weighs about 9.2 lb. The app needs a charged phone and a clear view of the sky. The included 25mm and 10mm Kellner eyepieces (36x and 90x) are basic. See our StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ review for the full look. For a StarSense scope that sits on a table, the tabletop telescope guide covers the 114, 130 and 150 models.

Best for flying: Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi with Skymax 102

Best for flying

Best for: GoTo and tracking in a kit that fits a carry-on

Aperture

102 mm (Maksutov-Cassegrain)

Focal length

1,300 mm (f/12.7)

Finding

GoTo motor

Packed weight

3.9 kg

Carry

Airline carry-on

Mount included

Yes

Astrophoto

Basic

Needs power

Yes

Price tier

$700 and up

Pros

• Phone-controlled GoTo and tracking in about 8.6 lb
• Sharp, high-contrast planetary views
• Short sealed tube, no collimation

Cons

• Most expensive scope in this guide
• Needs batteries or a 12V pack
• Alignment takes a few minutes each night

Ships with the AZ-GTi head, a 25mm eyepiece, a finder and a 90-degree diagonal. Runs on 8 AA batteries or 12V. About 4.6 lb for the tube kit and 8.6 lb fully assembled. A photo tripod can replace the tabletop legs.

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The AZ-GTi with Skymax 102 is the scope to buy if you fly with a telescope and want power. A 102mm Maksutov (1300mm focal length) sits on the AZ-GTi Wi-Fi GoTo mount, with a tabletop tripod and pier extension in the kit. The SynScan app aligns the scope, slews to objects and tracks them. Fully assembled it weighs about 8.6 lb (3.9 kg), and the tube is short and sealed.

Planets are the strength: Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s belts and the Moon at high power, held in the eyepiece by the tracking. The tube kit alone is about 4.6 lb. The head runs on eight AA batteries or a 12V pack, and a 25mm eyepiece, finder and 90-degree diagonal come in the box.

It costs the most of the ten, needs an alignment each night and does nothing for faint galaxies. A photo tripod can replace the supplied legs for more height.

Best tabletop for a carry-on: Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P

Best tabletop for carry-on

Best for: The most aperture that still collapses into a carry-on

Aperture

130 mm (Newtonian reflector)

Focal length

650 mm (f/5)

Finding

Manual

Packed weight

6.3 kg

Carry

Airline carry-on

Mount included

Yes

Astrophoto

None

Needs power

No

Price tier

$150 to $349

Pros

• 130mm mirror gathers the most light here
• Tube collapses to about 46 cm
• Manual, no batteries

Cons

• Needs a table, wall or crate
• About 14 lb, heavy for hiking and near some cabin weight limits
• Needs occasional collimation

Ships with 25mm and 10mm eyepieces and a red-dot finder. About 14 lb (6.3 kg). The tabletop alternatives are in the tabletop telescope guide.

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The Heritage 130P gives you the most aperture that still collapses small. It is a 5-inch f/5 Newtonian on a tabletop base, and the tube slides down to about 46 cm. The 130mm parabolic mirror shows Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s cloud belts and bright nebulae and clusters, with more light than any other scope here. It needs no batteries.

At 6.3 kg (about 14 lb) it is heavy for a hike and close to the cabin weight limit of some airlines. It needs a table, a wall or a crate to sit on, and the open tube needs an occasional collimation check. The Heritage 130P is also our top pick in the best tabletop telescopes guide, which compares it with the 150P, the GoTo versions and the app-guided StarSense tabletops.

Best ED refractor for travel photography: SVBONY SV503 80ED

Best ED refractor for travel photography

Best for: A short ED refractor for photography and wide-field views, bought without a mount

Aperture

80 mm (Refractor)

Focal length

560 mm (f/7)

Finding

Manual

Packed weight

3.5 kg

Carry

Airline carry-on

Mount included

No (tube only)

Astrophoto

Good

Needs power

No

Price tier

$350 to $699

Pros

• ED glass keeps color fringes down
• Short 560mm focal length suits a carry-on
• Costs less than the Sky-Watcher EvoStar 80EDX

Cons

• Tube only; needs a mount or tracker, a diagonal and eyepieces
• About 3.5 kg, heavy for a hike
• Not a grab-and-go scope for beginners

Optical tube only; add a diagonal, eyepieces and a mount or camera tracker. 80mm aperture, 560mm focal length. Weight 3.49 kg from the listing.

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The SV503 80ED is an 80mm f/7 ED doublet with a 2-inch dual-speed focuser and a field flattener. At 560mm focal length it is short enough for a carry-on and suits wide-field imaging on a small tracker. The extra-low dispersion glass keeps color fringes down compared with the achromatic Travel Scopes. It replaces the unavailable EvoStar 72 as the compact ED pick.

It is an optical tube only, at 3.49 kg. You add a mount or camera tracker, a diagonal and eyepieces. That makes it a pick for people who already have a mount or a tracker, not a first scope. Read the achromatic vs apochromatic comparison to see what ED glass buys.

Best smart telescope: ZWO Seestar S30 Pro

Best smart telescope

Best for: Images of nebulae and galaxies from a phone, in a backpack

Aperture

30 mm (Refractor)

Focal length

160 mm (f/5.3)

Finding

GoTo motor

Packed weight

1.7 kg

Carry

In a backpack

Mount included

Yes

Astrophoto

Built for it

Needs power

Yes

Price tier

$350 to $699

Pros

• Finds, tracks and stacks images on its own
• Battery built in, 1.65 kg
• Wide field suits large nebulae and the Milky Way

Cons

• Screen image, not an eyepiece view
• No daytime or terrestrial use
• Tripod is extra, and planets stay small

Sony IMX585 sensor, a built-in wide-angle camera and 128GB storage. 160mm focal length. Sold under two Amazon listings; this is the one with a buy box in the checks. The tripod and EQ head (TH10) are separate.

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The Seestar S30 Pro is a 30mm f/5.3 apochromatic smart telescope with a camera, motorised alt-az mount and battery in a 1.65 kg body. Level it, choose a target in the app and it slews, tracks and stacks the exposure. You watch nebulae and galaxies build up on your phone. The wide field suits large nebulae and the Milky Way.

There is no eyepiece view and no daytime use. Planets stay small, and the tripod and EQ head (TH10) are extra. The listing carries a Sony IMX585 sensor and 128GB of storage. It costs about $200 more than the Dwarf 3, the other smart telescope in this guide.

Best smart telescope for a backpack: DWARFLAB Dwarf 3

Best smart telescope for a backpack

Best for: A smart telescope that doubles as a wide-field night-sky camera

Aperture

35 mm (Refractor)

Focal length

150 mm (f/4.3)

Finding

GoTo motor

Packed weight

1.3 kg

Carry

In a backpack

Mount included

Yes

Astrophoto

Built for it

Needs power

Yes

Price tier

$350 to $699

Pros

• 1.3 kg, the lightest scope in this guide
• Tele and wide-angle cameras
• Auto GoTo, tracking and stacking from the app

Cons

• Screen image, not an eyepiece view
• Tripod not included (about $89 extra)
• Small aperture limits faint targets

Sony IMX678 sensor, 8.3 MP, 35mm aperture, 150mm focal length. About $499 without a tripod.

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The Dwarf 3 weighs 1.3 kg, the lightest scope in this guide. It has a 35mm f/4.3 tele lens (150mm focal length) and a wide-angle lens, and it tracks and stacks images from your phone. It also records timelapse and, with the right filter, solar images. It costs about $499 without a tripod.

Like the Seestar, it shows a screen image instead of an eyepiece view, and its small aperture limits faint targets. The tripod is extra (about $89), so budget about $590 to start. It is the right pick if the camera is half the point, or if every gram counts.

Best GoTo for car camping: Celestron NexStar 90SLT

Best GoTo for car camping

Best for: A GoTo Maksutov for car camping and campsite stargazing

Aperture

90 mm (Maksutov-Cassegrain)

Focal length

1,250 mm (f/13.9)

Finding

GoTo motor

Packed weight

5.4 kg

Carry

In the car

Mount included

Yes

Astrophoto

Basic

Needs power

Yes

Price tier

$350 to $699

Pros

• Hand controller finds objects
• Sharp planetary views from a sealed tube
• Tube, mount and tripod in one box

Cons

• About 12 lb with tripod
• Needs 8 AA batteries or an external pack
• Narrow field and slow f/14

Ships with a 25mm eyepiece, a star pointer finder and a tripod. 12 lb according to retailers.

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The NexStar 90SLT is a 90mm Maksutov on a computerised alt-az fork mount. A hand controller aligns on bright objects and finds targets from a database of thousands. It weighs about 12 lb with the tripod, so it fits a car trunk but not a hike. The sealed tube gives sharp planetary views with no collimation.

It needs eight AA batteries or an external pack. The field is narrow and f/14 is slow, which suits the Moon and planets best. At the campsite, set it down, align on bright objects and let the controller do the finding. Prices swing between about $450 and $600, depending on the retailer.

Handheld and pocket telescopes

A handheld telescope is a small monocular or spotting scope you hold without a mount. It works for birds, landscapes and a first look at the Moon at low magnification. It does not work for planets. At 20x or more, hand shake moves the image far more than a planet’s disc, and nothing stays in view long enough to see a belt or a ring. If you want a pocket-size telescope for stargazing, rest it on a tabletop tripod or a wall. The Travel Scope 70 DX and the C90 Mak are the smallest scopes in this guide that do this properly. For wide sweeps of the Milky Way and star clusters, binoculars are lighter than any telescope.

Best telescope for backpacking and camping

For backpacking every kilogram counts, and the pick is a Maksutov or a smart telescope. The C90 Mak (about 2 kg, plus a tabletop tripod) is the eyepiece option, and the Dwarf 3 (1.3 kg) or Seestar S30 Pro (1.65 kg) is the camera option. The Travel Scope 80 and 70 DX come with their own backpack. For car camping, weight no longer limits you, and the StarSense LT 80AZ, the NexStar 90SLT and the AZ-GTi all fit. Pack a red light for setup so your eyes stay dark-adapted, and pick a site away from town. See our list of best dark sky locations for places to go.

What you can see with a portable telescope

The answer depends on the target and the aperture. Apertures from 70mm to 102mm show:

• The Moon: craters, mountains and the dark maria in every scope. The best views come along the terminator, the line between lunar day and night.
• Jupiter: all four Galilean moons in every scope, and two main cloud belts from about 80mm.
• Saturn: the rings, as a small tilted oval at 70mm and more clearly open at 80mm to 102mm. The Cassini Division in the rings needs about 100mm and a steady night.
• Mars and Venus: Mars is a small orange disc with a polar cap near its closest approach. Venus is a bright, featureless crescent or disc.
• The Orion Nebula and the Pleiades: bright in every scope, and a wide-field refractor frames the Pleiades best.
• Galaxies and fainter nebulae: faint smudges in eyepiece scopes of this size. A smart telescope does better, because its camera collects light for minutes at a time.

Light pollution hides galaxies but barely affects the Moon, planets or bright clusters. To preview a view, open the Telescope View Simulator to see what Saturn looks like through a 130mm. For more targets, see the best telescopes for viewing planets.

Travel telescope comparison

This table lists all ten scopes side by side. On a phone, scroll sideways.

Useful accessories for a travel telescope

These four cost little and fix the usual travel problems: a shaky mount, a bag that does not fit and a light that ruins your night vision.

A Barlow lens multiplies the magnification of any eyepiece, which helps on Jupiter and Saturn if your scope has the focus travel to use it. Our best Barlow lenses guide covers the options. Most eyepiece scopes use a 90-degree diagonal, and star diagonals explains what an upgrade buys. For daytime use, look for an erect-image diagonal and confirm the listing includes one. Measure your tube before buying a case. A short tabletop tripod with a camera thread suits the C90 Mak.

Which travel telescope should you buy?

• Most people: Travel Scope 80.
• A child or a trial run: Travel Scope 70 DX.
• Hiking and birding as well as stars: C90 Mak on a tabletop tripod.
• A phone app to find things, travelling by car: StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ.
• Flying with a telescope and wanting power: AZ-GTi with Skymax 102, or the Heritage 130P if you do not need GoTo.
• Photos of nebulae and galaxies from a backpack: Seestar S30 Pro or Dwarf 3.
• Wide-field imaging with an ED lens and your own mount: SV503 80ED.
• GoTo at a campsite: NexStar 90SLT.

Still deciding? Take the full Telescope Finder and answer a few questions about who it is for, what you want to see and your budget. For a cheaper start, see the best telescopes under $200.

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