With the range of telescopes for sale, you'll want to make an informed choice
Here, I'll cut through that jargon, describe the types of telescopes for sale, and give you the lowdown on which ones would be best for you.
Image courtesy of Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The worst possible telescope you can buy is one that is kept at the back of the garden shed and never used because it's either unsuitable or too complicated. Whether you're buying a telescope for the first time, or have owned several, the first thing you need to consider is, "What am I going to use the telescope for?"
There are many great deals to be had on quality telescopes and telescope accessories online. Further down this page you'll find my best picks for this month. Some high street stores will sell similar looking models, but in my experience these tend to be of slightly poorer quality. I would recommend the following as the best manufacturers of telescopes to look out for: Meade, Celestron, Orion, Sky-Watcher, Bushnell, Konus and Bresser.
Refracting Telescopes and How They Work
Refracting telescopes are great for looking at the planets
A refracting telescope, or refractor, consists of glass lenses mounted in a ‘closed tube’. Light enters through the objective lens (which may be made up of two or more lens elements to produce clearer images and reduce color distortion) and is then directed toward the eyepiece where it forms an image. The eyepiece is then used as a kind of microscope to magnify and view this image.
Refracting Telescopes for Sale
My monthly pick of the best refractors
Things to look out for on a good refractor:
An aperture of at least 70 mm (3 inches) diameter.
A focal length of around 1000 mm (40 inches).
This is useful because:
Although the long focal length gives a narrow field of view, it provides enough light grasp and high magnification.
A refracting telescope is suitable for:
Seeing details on the brighter planets and the moon.
Take note:
Large aperture quality refractors can be quite expensive.
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Celestron SkyScout 90mm Telescope.
90mm aperture refractor with 660mm focal length. Lightweight and easy to set up. Adjustable mounting bracket and adjustable stainless steel tripod with accessory tray. |
Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ Telescope.
80mm aperture with 900mm focal length. German equatorial mount. This great telescope for beginners comes with an aluminium tripod. |  
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Orion AstroView 90mm Equatorial Refractor.
90mm aperture and 910mm focal length. Comes with a whole range of accessories. A powerful and good quality refracting telescope. |
Meade NG-70SM 70mm Alt-azimuth Refractor Telescope.
Slow motion controls on both axes of the alt-azimuth mount make this scope ideal for lots of applications. Includes eyepieces and stainless steel tripod. |  
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Reflecting Telescopes and How They Work
Reflecting telescopes are great for looking at stars and galaxies
A reflecting telescope, or reflector, consists of a combination of mirrors and glass lenses in an ‘open tube’. Light enters through the open end and is reflected at the back by a curved (parabolic) mirror. A second small flat mirror is mounted at the top of the tube to direct this reflected light towards the eyepiece where it forms an image. The eyepiece is again used to magnify and view this image.
Reflecting Telescopes for Sale
A selection of some of the best reflectors
Things to look out for on a good reflector:
An aperture of at least 110 mm (4.5 inches) diameter.
A focal length of at least 1000 mm (40 inches).
This is useful because:
The larger aperture lets in much more light, allowing fainter objects to be seen.
A reflector is suitable for:
Looking at star fields, nebulae and galaxies.
Take note:
There are many variations on the basic reflector design.
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Celestron FirstScope Reflecting Telescope.
76mm aperture optical tube. Very lightweight and portable. An excellent starter scope for kids, or for those wishing to get into astronomy without diving in at the deep end. |
Celestron NexStar 6SE Telescope. 6" Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector with computerized alignment and tracking. Nearly 40,000 object database for you to quickly access the best of the heavens. A telescope for the serious amateur. |  
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Meade 114EQ-AR Equatorial Reflector.
4.5" aperture with 910mm focal length. Simple manual controls and included instructional guide. This is a nice relector, and for a nice price too. |
Orion SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian.
This large 10" aperture reflector is perfect for observing deep sky objects. Well balanced with nice movement. Simple point and view alignment aided by finder-sight. |  
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A quick note on eyepieces for telescopes:
With both refracting and reflecting telescopes, interchangeable eyepieces allow for the overall magnification to be changed to suit the types of objects you’re looking at. Most of the telescopes shown above come with one or two additional eyepieces, with others available to purchase separately. Check with the manufacturer directly for details.
Telescope Mounts Explained
Alt-Azimuth and Equatorial Mounts
Having decided on which type of telescope you want, you should now consider what sort of telescope mount you need. There are basically two types of telescope mount.
Alt-Azimuth Mount
An alt-azimuth mount, seen in the picture to the right, has one axis that allows rotation around the horizon (azimuth) and one axis that allows rotation from the horizon to the vertical (altitude). In other words, turning the telescope around and up-and-down.
This is useful because: Easy to set up and simple to use. An alt-azimuth mount is suitable for: Beginners and amateurs who simply want to look through the telescope at objects in the night sky. Take note: Because of the rotation of the Earth objects appear to move in an arc across the sky, so the telescope will need to be moved by hand to keep up if you are looking at an object for a long time. |  
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Equatorial Mount
An equatorial mount changes the vertical (azimuth) axis of the alt-azimuth mount by introducing a tilt, as can be seen in the bottom of the two pictures. This tilt can be made such that is equal to the tilt of the Earth, which means that when the telescope is turned around it follows the arc that the objects in the sky appear to move in. For an equatorial mount, turning of the telescope around is called right ascension and movement of the telescope up-and-down is called declination.
This is useful because: The mount can be fitted with a motor to turn the telescope at just the right speed to keep an object in view automatically. An equatorial mount is suitable for: Amateurs and professionals taking photographs or digital images of objects in the night sky. Take note: Setting up an equatorial mount is slightly more complicated than an alt-azimuth mount, and their extra cost should be weighed up against the quality of the telescope. |  
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Picture of telescope on alt-azimuth mount courtesy of Kosebamse (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License and adapted under the terms of the license).
Picture of telescope on equatorial mount © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons.
Telescope Accessories for Sale
Stargazer's add-ons to get the best out of your telescope
Having set up your telescope and enjoyed using it, you'll probably find that one or two accessories may be useful to enhance the viewing experience or to upgrade your existing equipment. The following accessories are some of the more common items of stargazer's add-ons.
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Celestron PowerSeeker Accessory Kit.
Two quality eyepieces and three filters enhance the details on the Moon and planets. Compatible with Celestron PowerSeeker telescopes and other brands that accept 1.25" eyepieces/filters. |
Orion Scope Cloak.
Protects your telescope when not in use. Heavy-duty reflective, tear-resistant fabric with a waterproof lining. Fits mounted reflector telescopes up to 6" aperture, and short refractors up to 120mm (4.7"). |  
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Celestron Vibration Suppression Pads.
Place these pads on the ground or decking and position the feet of your tripod on top. A simple and effective solution to reduce vibration time and decrease vibration amplitude. |
Maxxima Ultra Bright Red Flashlight.
The red LEDs will help you see clearly enough to operate your scope and equipment in the dark. Don't ruin your night vision with a regular flashlight. |  
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Orion Padded Telescope Case.
Rugged and padded case makes it easy for you to carry or store both your telescope and accessories safely. Measures 49.75" L x 9.5" W x 12.25" H. |
CG-4 Equatorial Mount and Tripod.
Includes Right Ascension and Declination slow-motion controls. Compatible with any of the popular dovetail mounting bars from Celestron, Vixen, Meade, and Orion. |  
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Telescope Jargon Buster
To help you cut through the techie talk!
Alt-Azimuth
A type of telescope mount that has a vertical axis (azimuth) and a horizontal axis (altitude). Both axes need to be moved to follow an object through its apparent arc across the sky.
Aperture
The diameter of the main objective lens/mirror of a telescope. This is normally used to describe the size of the telescope.
Declination
The up-and-down movement on an equatorial mount.
Equatorial
A type of telescope mount that has one axis tilted to point at the celestial pole. By using this design of mount an object being observed can be followed by moving just one axis. A must for astro-photography.
Eyepiece
A small microscope fitted to a telescope to magnify the image formed by the main optics.
Field of View
The amount of area of the night sky that can be seen through the telescope.
Finder
A small telescope fitted to a main telescope to help find the object to be observed. A finder has a wide field of view and low magnification and is often fitted with cross hairs.
Focal Length
The distance from the objective lens/mirror to the point where the image is formed.
Light Grasp
The amount of light that a telescope can direct into the observer’s eye (generally, the more the better).
Magnification
The ability to increase the apparent size of an object using different eyepieces. A short focus eyepiece produces a higher magnification.
Objective
The main light gathering optical unit of a telescope. The large lens or mirror.
Reflector
The type of telescope that uses a mirror as its main optic. Also known as a Reflecting Telescope.
Refractor
The type of telescope that uses a lens as its main optic. Also known as a Refracting Telescope.
Right Ascension
The rotational movement on an equatorial mount. The axis that is tilted to align with the Earth’s pole.