Ranking 102 Computerized Telescopes (GoTos and PushTos)
Computerized telescopes have numerous benefits and drawbacks. They are offered in both GoTo and PushTo configurations. GoTo telescopes have motors that automatically track the sky, while PushTo telescopes use encoders or your smartphone to compute where they are aimed and then offer directions on where to point to locate your target. GoTo telescopes normally come with the caveat of being unable to be aimed manually – either at all or without disrupting their tracking and pointing accuracy – but this is finally changing with the advent of new dual-encoder systems which allow seamless manual or computerized pointing abilities.
The biggest drawback of computerized telescopes is that they add weight and cost which could otherwise go into the service of simply purchasing a larger and more powerful telescope – or saving the money for accessories; this is particularly true with GoTo telescopes but can apply to PushTo systems as well. However, very large telescopes can outright require tracking (and by extension, GoTo) to be used comfortably, and you might particularly benefit from GoTo if you do not have a lot of time to learn your way around the sky or do a lot of your viewing with other people such as friends or family.
Our rankings here sort more than 102 telescopes by value and performance in different price categories. For a wider selection that compares smaller price increments and manual telescopes, check out our main telescope rankings page.
~$300-550 range
Being the starting point for computerized scopes, almost all of the telescopes in this price category have such small apertures that they tend to be severely limited in target options, to the point that the computerized mounting is of questionable usefulness to begin with. The views you get with most of these telescopes would be similar to those offered by manual scopes in the $150–300 price range and would be constrained to the Moon, planets, and the brightest deep-sky targets—all of which are relatively easy to locate manually.
Best Value
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P Tabletop Dobsonian GoTo
Rank 1
4.8/5
The Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P is a fully GoTo 6” telescope in a compact, lightweight package that can be used manually. With quality optics, well-made included eyepieces, and the ability to be used manually even while the mount’s electronics are powered on and aligned with the sky, it’s hard to argue against this fabulous instrument-especially at a price on par with most manual telescopes of its aperture.
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 130P Tabletop Dobsonian GoTo
Rank 2
4.4/5
The Virtuoso GTi 130P adds GoTo functionality to the beloved Heritage 130P without hindering the ability to move the telescope manually—even when powered on and aligned—with a minimal increase in weight. However, the usefulness of this feature with a wide-field and relatively small instrument is questionable, especially when a larger scope could be purchased for the same price. The 150mm model is only a bit more expensive.
Rank 4
4/5
The StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ uses the same optical tube as the Celestron Astro-Fi 130, but is mounted atop Celestron’s StarSense Explorer mount, which assists in locating targets with your smartphone. However, the Astro-Fi 130 is only a little more pricier and offers full tracking and GoTo, which is vastly preferable to the simple Push-To system of the DX 130AZ.
Rank 5
3.9/5
Sharing the virtuoso 90’s auto-tracking mount but without the conveniences of a solar filter or ultra-compact Maksutov-Cassegrain design, the StarBlast 114mm AutoTracker is not a particularly useful instrument for the price and for only a little more you could get a larger GoTo scope like the Sky-Watcher Virtuoso or Celestron Astro-Fi telescopes of 130mm and larger aperture.
List Price: $349.99
Rank 6
3.8/5
Like the StarSense Explorer DX130AZ, the StarSense Explorer DX102AZ has a smartphone-aided PushTo system that allows you to easily locate almost any object in the sky. However, with a relatively small aperture and a price tag big enough to obtain a larger and/or fully computerized instrument, it is not the most economically justifiable scope. The Popular Science version of the same scope, named Popular Science Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 100AZ is available at a cheaper price, and is a far better choice.
Rank 7
3.7/5
The Astro-Fi 102’s Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design makes for a compact package, but the scope’s long focal length and rather small aperture prevent the GoTo technology from being of much use, as the 102 is limited to only the Moon, planets, and the brightest deep-sky targets, which are relatively easy to locate manually.
Sky-Watcher StarTravel 80 AZ-GTe Refractor GoTo
Rank 9
3.4/5
The lightweight and portable design of the AZ-GTe mount makes for a great pairing with this wide-field, short-tubed 80mm f/5 refractor. The included accessories are great, too. However, considering the high price tag and the huge amount of chromatic aberration inherent in a cheap fast refractor, we’re not sure who this telescope is intended to appeal to.
Celestron Nexstar 90SLT Mak GoTo
Rank 10
3.2/5
Rank 12
1.9/5
Not Recommended
~$550-$750 range
Computerized telescopes in this price range are mostly tripod-mounted 4-6” telescopes, many of which are pretty good optically but don’t benefit much from GoTo, instead mostly gaining performance from the motorized tracking of GoTo systems.
Best GoTo
Rank 1
4.1/5
The Astro-Fi’s fully computerized GoTo mount is controlled by your phone or tablet, and will automatically slew to and track almost any object you choose. However, the scope is a bit of a battery guzzler and the free SkyPortal app is lacking – for optimal use, you’ll need a rechargeable power supply and a copy of SkySafari Pro, both of which increase the price of this gizmo by quite a bit.
Rank 2
3.9/5
The StarSeeker IV mount offers excellent features and is steady enough with the 150mm f/5 optical tube supplied atop it. However, the cheap plastic aspheric eyepieces supplied with the telescope offer poor views, and the lack of collimation adjustments doesn’t help either. The ability to aim the scope manually is nice, but the Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P offers identical optical performance and mount features but with collimation adjustments, better eyepieces, a collapsible tube, and a lower price.
Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 5” SCT GoTo
Rank 3
3.9/5
Using Celestron’s C5 SCT optical tube atop the StarSense Explorer mount, the StarSense Explorer DX 5” doesn’t have views any better than the 130mm Newtonian model – in fact, it’s quite a bit inferior in performance – but it is slightly steadier and more compact thanks to the C5 optical tube’s Schmidt-Cassegrain design, and the mount is of course easy to use thanks to the StarSense Explorer technology. However, it lacks motorized tracking like most similarly-sized scopes in this price range.
Orion StarSeeker IV 114mm GoTo Reflector without Controller
Rank 4
3.9/5
The StarSeeker IV 114mm GoTo uses a nice, wide-field 114mm f/4.4 optical tube that’s rock-solid on the StarSeeker IV mount and provides sharp views. However, the included accessories are quite poor, the price is fairly high, and for around the same price, there are better deals.
Orion StarSeeker IV 130mm GoTo Reflector without Controller
Rank 5
3.8/5
In addition to being needlessly priced at the same amount as the 150mm model, the Orion StarSeer IV 130mm GoTo Reflector shares its larger counterpart’s low-quality eyepieces, though you can at least adjust the collimation of the primary mirror. As with the 150mm StarSeeker IV, the Virtuoso GTI 130P from Sky-Watcher duplicates the StarSeeker IV 130mm’s features and performance at a much lower price and with better eyepieces included, or you could just get the superior 150mm anyway.
Orion StarSeeker IV 80mm GoTo Refractor without Controller
Rank 6
3.8/5
The StarSeeker IV GoTo mount is complete overkill for the tiny ShortTube 80 refractor supplied with it, and the price is hardly justified either. The included eyepieces are also mostly plastic and provide poor performance, especially at the scope’s fast f/5 focal ratio, and an 80mm f/5 refractor is essentially a glorified finder scope compared to the 6-8” telescopes available at this price, which blow it away in performance at the eyepiece.
Rank 7
3.5/5
Sky-Watcher 102 mm Skymax AZ-GTi Mak GoTo
Rank 8
3.5/5
While expensive, the 102mm Skymax Maksutov makes for a wonderful pairing with the AZ-GTi. Moving the mount manually won’t disrupt tracking or slewing accuracy, thanks to the GTi’s Freedom Find encoders. The optics are fabulous, the cooldown time is negligible, and the included accessory set is plenty good to start with. However, the Celestron Astro-Fi 102 is essentially identical, apart from the lack of manual adjustments, at a much lower price.
Best Refractor GoTo
Sky-Watcher StarTravel 102 AZ-GTe Refractor GoTo
Rank 9
3.3/5
Rank 10
3.3/5
The NexStar 4SE is sturdy, well-mounted and features great optics. While the higher-quality gearing in the SE mount is nice, the main advertised features of the 4SE, such as the flip mirror and built-in wedge, are basically useless gimmicks, and you’d be better off with a larger computerized scope or with the Astro-Fi 102.
Rank 11
3.3/5
Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor Telescope with iEXOS-100 PMC-Eight Equatorial Tracker System
Rank 12
3.2/5
Explore Scientific FirstLight 80 mm Refractor with iEXOS Equatorial GoTo
Rank 13
3.2/5
This package is advertised for astrophotography use, but with the lightweight nature of the iExos mount, the achromatic optics of the telescope itself, and the plastic focuser, it’s not going to be good for anything but smartphone astrophotography (which Explore Scientific has thankfully provided a low-quality adapter for). This package is actually less than the sum of its parts.
~$750-$1400 range
Computerized telescopes above $750 offer large enough apertures that they can actually show you stuff that’s difficult to find, and motorized options begin to offer some form of imaging capability, albeit not particularly good quality and often lacking the ability to autoguide the mount.
Celestron StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian PushTo
Rank 1
4.7/5
If your budget is big but you don’t want a 12”, the StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian is easily one of the best 10” scopes you could buy thanks to its lightweight base and the usefulness of the StarSense Explorer technology in finding deep-sky objects. However, be prepared to spend quite a few extra bucks on some accessories for your new scope.
List Price: $1099
Rank 2
4.7/5
While not as well-accessorized as the AD8 or the Z8, the StarSense Explorer 8″ is lightweight, provides great views, and the StarSense Explorer technology makes the scope extremely easy to use, even for newcomers. The only downsides are its price and lack of accessories.
List Price: $799
Rank 3
4.6/5
The XT8i offers almost identical features, form factor, and performance to the Celestron StarSense Explorer 8” Dobsonian at essentially the same price. Aside from an extra 10mm Plossl eyepiece and 9×50 finder, the only real difference is that you use a hand controller keypad with physical position encoders instead of the StarSense Explorer’s smartphone-aided design, which can be a little more prone to issues and may confuse beginners. However, it’s still a great choice.
Rank 4
4/5
Sky-Watcher 8″ Flextube SynScan Collapsible Dobsonian GoTo
Rank 5
4/5
The Skywatcher 8″ Collapsible GoTo features full GoTo but can be pushed around manually with or without aligning the GoTo system – and without disrupting the alignment of said GoTo system. It can even be controlled via your phone or tablet with the SynScan Pro app or SkySafari. The GoTo 8” Collapsible is more or less a regular 8” Collapsible with the SynScan system.
Celestron Advanced VX Series 6″ Newtonian GoTo
Rank 6
3.7/5
Explore Scientific FirstLight 152mm Mak-Cassegrain with EXOS2GT GoTo Mount
Rank 7
3.7/5
The FirstLight 152mm Mak’s EXOS-2GT mount is a little hard to navigate, but the optics of this telescope are excellent, and the built-in 2” Crayford focuser eliminates image shift or the hassle of figuring out how to securely attach a star diagonal and other accessories to the back end.
Rank 8
3.7/5
Explore FirstLight 150mm Newtonian with EXOS2GT GoTo Mount
Rank 9
3.6/5
The FirstLight 150mm Newtonian optical tube is fine, but the clunky EXOS-2GT mount is insufficient to support it for deep-sky imaging and is hard to pair with an autoguiding setup or PC.
Sky-Watcher 127 mm Skymax AZ-GTi Mak GoTo
Rank 10
3.3/5
As with the 102mm Skymax Maksutov, this mount and scope combination is a great “grab n’ go” instrument–but with a high price tag and minuscule gains over a 102mm Maksutov thanks to the Synta Maksutovs’ stopped-down 120mm of actual aperture. The only things you really gain are price and cool-down time for the optics on cold nights.
Rank 11
3/5
The SkyProdigy 130 is functionally identical to the NexStar 130SLT, but features Celestron’s StarSense auto-aligning technology built into the mount. However, not only is the StarSense wholly unnecessary and responsible for raising the price of the telescope significantly, but it is prone to malfunction and rarely operates as desired.
Not Recommended
~$1400-$2200 range
A budget of $1400 or more is enough to buy an acceptable astrophotography mount on its own or bundled with a small imaging Newtonian (though shopping a la carte for each may be a better idea) as well as numerous options for computerized Dobsonians and 6” Schmidt-Cassegrains.
Meade 6″ f/4.1 LX85 Astrograph Reflector GoTo Telescope
Rank 1
4.4/5
Rank 2
4.2/5
Sky-Watcher 10″ Collapsible Dobsonian GoTo
Rank 3
4.1/5
Featuring full GoTo and a collapsible tube, the 10” Collapsible is a great option for beginners and experienced users alike. Like most GoTo Dobsonians, the 10” Collapsible can be operated completely manually should you not want to use the GoTo system, and it can be adjusted manually without upsetting the GoTo alignment.
Orion SkyQuest XT10G GoTo Dobsonian
Rank 4
4.2/5
The Orion SkyQuest XT10G is virtually identical in features and performance to the 10” Collapsible GoTo Dobsonian offered by Sky-Watcher, but uses a solid tube and features an upgraded focuser. Upgrading the focuser on the Sky-Watcher 10” would cost only a bit more than the price difference between the two scopes, however, so the choice between one or the other is really up to personal preference.
Best Compact GoTo
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo
Rank 5
4.1/5
The Evolution 6 features substantial improvements over the NexStar 6SE—mainly a built-in lithium-ion battery and Wi-Fi control capability out of the box. It also has better gearing, a slightly simpler setup, and comes with two eyepieces out of the box, as opposed to the 6SE’s single 25mm Plossl. However, the views are identical to those through the 6SE.
Celestron Advanced VX 6″ SCT GoTo
Rank 6
4/5
The C6 optical tube is best with either a HyperStar unit or an f/6.3 reducer for deep-sky astrophotography, but is a reasonable scope to start with and works well on the Advanced VX mount. However, setting up this relatively small scope on a clunky, big, and complicated mount for visual use is simply overkill.
Rank 7
3.7/5
Explore Scientific AR102 Doublet Go-To Combo
Rank 8
3.6/5
The Explore Scientific AR102 is a well-made optical tube and ideal for wide-field viewing, while the more advanced PMC-Eight configuration of the EXOS2GT mount is easier to use for observing or imaging purposes and up to the task of supporting this scope for visual observation. The provided accessories are also decent. However, the achromatic optics of this telescope limit high-power performance due to chromatic aberration, and it is not really designed for imaging.
Celestron Advanced VX Series 8″ Newtonian GoTo
Rank 9
3.5/5
The Advanced VX 8” could be an acceptable platform for learning astrophotography, but it is quite a complicated rig to set up and assemble, and arguably overkill for visual use. The 8” optical tube is also pushing the limits of the mount’s capabilities, and thus it can be a bit frustrating to get consistently sharp results with long exposures.
Explore FirstLight 127mm Doublet Refractor with EXOS2GT GoTo Mount
Rank 10
3.3/5
The FirstLight 127mm Doublet is certainly less under-mounted on the EXOS-2GT than on the Twilight I, but the mount is still not up for the task of such a long and heavy telescope, nor is it particularly easy to use, low in price, or provided with much in the way of useful accessories.
Not Recommended
Celestron Advanced VX Series 6″ Refractor GoTo
Rank 11
3.2/5
The 6” Advanced VX Refractor suffers from some chromatic aberration and is certainly not the astrophotography-ready platform that marketing material might suggest. It’s a great choice for those who want a big refractor, though you might want to ponder what it is that’s so appealing about such a rig before purchasing.
Explore FirstLight 203mm Newtonian with EXOS2GT GoTo Mount
Rank 12
3.2/5
The EXOS-2GT mount is simply insufficient for the task of supporting an 8” reflector, let alone for long-exposure astrophotography, and as such, we’d recommend you steer clear.
Not Recommended
Explore FirstLight 152mm Doublet Refractor with EXOS2GT GoTo Mount
Rank 13
3.1/5
Undermounted compared to the Advanced VX 6” refractor, a similarly bulky setup, and with worse accessories, there’s little value in the FirstLight 152mm refractor despite its excellent optical performance.
Not Recommended
Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor with EXOS2GT GoTo Mount
Rank 14
3.1/5
The FirstLight 102mm is well supported by the EXOS-2GT mount, but this pairing comes with poor accessories, GoTo is unnecessary for a small, primarily planetary telescope, and the mount is complicated and difficult to use. The Twilight I combo with this optical tube is preferable.
Not Recommended
~$2200-$3000 range
Computerized telescopes in this price range are offered in a wide variety of optical and mount configurations, such as GoTo and PushTo Dobsonians, astrophotography-ready imaging Newtonians, and various Schmidt-Cassegrain designs.
Best Value
Orion SkyQuest XX14i Dobsonian PushTo
Rank 1
4.3/5
The Orion SkyQuest XX14i offers a huge amount of performance compared to a smaller 12” scope but is fairly lightweight and compact – much better than the GoTo 12” Dobsonians and their heavy electronics. The provided dual-speed Crayford focuser is excellent quality, too. The XX14i does need some additional accessories and may be a bit much as a beginner or only scope, but offers excellent views at the eyepiece.
Orion SkyQuest XX12G Dobsonian GoTo
Rank 2
4.3/5
The Orion SkyQuest XX12G features a collapsible base and fully motorized GoTo/tracking capabilities with dual encoders to allow manual aiming even when the GoTo system is activated and aligned. The true truss system allows the scope to collapse down to a manageable size along with the flat-pack base, and the scope features a high-quality dual-speed 2” Crayford focuser as is to be expected with any high-and Dobsonian.
Sky-Watcher 12″ Flextube Dobsonian GoTo
Rank 3
4.3/5
The 12” Flextube isn’t as compact as a true truss model, but for many people, the collapsible tube is all you need to fit it into a vehicle or storage space. Setting up the GoTo 12” Flextube is almost identical to the manual version; the scope can still be used manually, and there isn’t much of a price difference.
Best Planetary
Rank 4
4.2/5
The Advanced VX is not up to the task of supporting the C9.25 optical tube for deep-sky astrophotography, of course, but it makes for a much less intimidating option than the massive Evolution or CPC mounts offered with the C9.25, and you can swap the C9.25 out for a smaller astrograph more in line with the Advanced VX’s payload capacity if you wish.
Rank 5
4.2/5
The 8” Evolution has the same bells and whistles as the 6”, but with more aperture-and is a substantially steadier and better-made scope than its cheaper cousin, the NexStar 8SE. However, given the availability of cheaper computer-aided or GoTo Dobsonians with wider fields of view, the Evolution is quite the luxury package with few real-world advantages.
Best Astrophotography
Celestron Advanced VX 800 RASA GoTo
Rank 6
4.2/5
An imaging-only telescope, the Celestron RASA 800 offers a wide field with its mere 400mm focal length at the super fast speed of f/2. The Advanced VX mount makes for a decent pairing with this instrument and a good one-shot color CMOS or CCD camera for deep-sky astrophotography, though it’s not the most accurate or well-equipped mount for the job.
Orion SkyQuest XT12G Dobsonian GoTo
Rank 7
4.2/5
A regular solid-tubed 12” Dobsonian is a monster scope, and the weight of the Orion SkyQuest XT12G’s electronics doesn’t help much with that, bringing the assembled weight to over 100 lbs. You would probably be better served by a collapsible or truss 12” scope at this size with a more compact or collapsible base as well. However, for those who don’t mind the weight and bulk, the XT12G is an excellent scope with the same fabulous GoTo, dual encoders, and dual-speed 2” Crayford focuser bundled with a huge 12” aperture as many more expensive options.
Best Portable
Celestron NexStar Evolution 8″ EdgeHD with StarSense GoTo
Rank 8
4.1/5
The EdgeHD optics aren’t a huge upgrade for a visual telescope like the 8” NexStar Evolution, but cooldown time is slightly improved and you get some perks should you decide to dabble into imaging. The StarSense technology also speeds up setup of the already simple and portable Evolution mount.
Meade 8″ f/4 LX85 Astrograph Reflector GoTo Telescope
Rank 9
4.1/5
If you really want a scope that’s good for both visual and imaging use, there are worse options than the 8” f/4 LX85 Astrograph. It’s a great scope for wide-field views of deep-sky objects. You can do some deep-sky imaging with it, and with a strong Barlow lens, you can also image the Moon and planets pretty well.
Rank 10
4/5
The 8” Advanced VX Schmidt-Cassegrain makes for a surprisingly portable setup, and is especially good for planetary imaging. However, the Advanced VX is simply not up to the task of supporting the 8” Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube for deep-sky astrophotography – nor is a C8 an ideal first astrophotography scope.
Celestron CGEM II 800 SCT GoTo
Rank 11
4/5
The CGEM II is sufficient enough to allow for acceptable deep-sky images with the C8 XLT optical tube and an f/6.3 reducer, and rock solid for imaging with a Hyperstar f/2 conversion. It’s also only slightly bulkier than the Advanced VX, making it ideal for planetary imaging or visual observation too, though with few advantages over the Advanced VX or NexStar Evolution mounts for either purpose.
Celestron Advanced VX 700 Mak GoTo
Rank 12
4/5
7” Maksutovs are specialty products, with long cooldown times and almost exclusively useful for lunar and planetary viewing or imaging, but if you’re willing to put up with the limitations of the Advanced VX 700, it essentially provides the same capabilities and focal length as the C9.25 with slightly lower maintenance and more tolerant focusing. However, you’re losing quite a bit of aperture, and the cooldown time can be a nuisance if you don’t rig up some kind of fan system.
Celestron Advanced VX 8″ EdgeHD
Rank 13
3.9/5
The Advanced VX 8” EdgeHD provides little in the way of advantages over the regular C8 XLT for visual astronomy or planetary imaging, and the Advanced VX is insufficient to carry the C8 optical tube for long-exposure deep-sky imaging unless you use the scope at f/2 with a HyperStar conversion, which costs a lot more than just buying the 8” RASA instead.
Meade 8″ f/10 LX85 ACF Telescope with Mount and Tripod GoTo
Rank 14
3.9/5
Similarly to the 6” f/10 ACF package, the Meade 8” f/10 ACF has serious drawbacks compared to offerings from Celestron, but without nearly as much versatility or overall value. Again, it’s not a bad scope, but not a good price for what you get compared to other options.
Meade 6″ f/10 LX85 ACF Telescope with Mount and Tripod GoTo
Rank 15
3.9/5
Celestron 9.25″ NexStar Evolution Schmidt Cassegrain GoTo
Rank 16
3.9/5
The 9.25” NexStar Evolution is an extremely massive setup – as bulky as the 12” Dobsonians on our list. However, it’s got all of the same features as the Evolution 8 with just a bit more aperture – all perched atop a super-heavy-duty tripod.
Explore Scientific ED102 Triplet w/ EXOS2 PMC-Eight Equatorial GOTO Mount
Rank 17
3.9/5
The Explore Scientific ED102 Triplet is a decent scope for visual use or deep-sky astrophotography, with triplet apochromat optics minimizing chromatic aberration. The EXOS-2 PMC-Eight mount is just barely sufficient to carry it for imaging use with an autoguider, though buying a separate optical tube and mount might be a better option if you are looking for a high-quality imaging telescope.
~$3000-$4500 range
Computerized telescopes above $3000 diversify greatly into large SCTs and Dobsonians designed for visual use and planetary imaging, along with numerous (mostly catadioptric) scopes mainly meant for deep-sky astrophotography use. An astrophotography setup will usually require you to pick out an optical tube, mount, and camera piecemeal.
Orion SkyQuest XX14G Dobsonian GoTo
Rank 1
4.7/5
Offering a true truss tube which can be dismantled for storage and transport, the Orion XX14G is a fantastic instrument for visual observing and significantly more portable than the 16” models from Sky-Watcher and Orion. You can easily aim it with the hand controller, manually, or with a WiFi adapter (the scope’s dual encoders allow manual aiming even when the electronics are powered up) and views at the eyepiece are downright spectacular as with any monster Dob of this size.
Sky-Watcher 14” Flextube SynScan GoTo Dobsonian
Rank 2
4.7/5
The 14” Sky-Watcher FlexTube is solely available in a GoTo configuration, which makes it a little more bulky and expensive, though it features the ability to be aimed manually, too thanks to its FreedomFind encoders, while the GoTo system is easily operated via your smartphone/tablet. Even when collapsed, the 14” FlexTube is huge compared to a true truss tube scope of this size, but it’s easy to transport and store in most situations.
Celestron CGX 800 EdgeHD
Rank 3
4.6/5
The Celestron CGX is more than adequate for astrophotography purposes with the EdgeHD 8” optical tube, and is usable for a variety of imaging and visual tasks at f/2, f/7, native f/10 or with a Barlow lens for a longer f/raito. However, the CGX is capable of supporting the larger C9.25 EdgeHD too.
Celestron CPC 1100
Rank 4
4.4/5
The Celestron CPC 1100 is the largest of the three CPC scopes and is the only alt-azimuth mounted configuration offered for the C11 XLT optical tube. However, it is rather bulky and heavy as the C11 is permanently attached to the heavy-duty fork mount, which can make storage and transport difficult.
Celestron 8″ CGEM II RASA
Rank 5
4.3/5
The Celestron CGEM II mount isn’t much of an upgrade from the Advanced VX for imaging purposes, though it’s adequate and a little steadier with the 8” RASA. However, we would recommend springing for an EQ6Ri Pro or CGX mount instead if you can afford it.
Celestron CGX 925 SCT
Rank 6
4.2/5
The regular Celestron C9.25 is not ideal for deep-sky astrophotography compared to the EdgeHD version, and the CGX mount is overkill with this scope for visual use. As such, there’s not much of a point in purchasing though the CGX makes for a fine mount with plenty of capabilities.
Celestron CGX 800 SCT
Rank 7
4.2/5
The Celestron C8 XLT is extremely overmounted for visual use on the CGX while being sub-par for deep-sky astrophotography compared to the EdgeHD or RASA designs. As such, while there’s nothing inherently wrong with the scope, we do not recommend this combination as highly compared to those options.
Celestron CGEM II 800 EdgeHD
Rank 8
4.1/5
The Celestron CGEM II can technically carry the 8” EdgeHD optical tube for deep-sky imaging, but it’s subpar for the job compared to other mounts with stepper motors, and overkill for visual use compared to the Advanced VX (the EdgeHD optics are also unnecessary for the task).
Celestron CGEM II 925 SCT
Rank 9
4.1/5
The CGEM II is somewhat overkill for holding the C9.25 XLT for visual use while being completely insufficient for deep-sky astrophotography with such a big scope. However, it is a little steadier than the Advanced VX if you demand more rigorous requirements.
Meade 10″ LX90 ACF Computerized Telescope
Rank 10
4.1/5
The Meade 10” LX90 ACF lacks any of the astrophotography capabilities of the LX200 model, though it’s a little lighter and cheaper. However, it is still a sub-par option for the money compared to options from Celestron and isn’t exactly a top pick of ours.
- Celestron Advanced VX 11″ Schmidt-Cassegrain
- Celestron CGEM II 925 EdgeHD
- Celestron CGEM II 700 Mak
- Celestron CPC Deluxe 925 EdgeHD
- Celestron CPC Deluxe 800 EdgeHD
- Celestron Advanced VX 9.25″ EdgeHD
- Celestron CGX 700 Mak
~$4500-$6500 range
- Orion SkyQuest XX16G Dobsonian GoTo
- Sky-Watcher 14” Flextube SynScan GoTo Dobsonian
- Celestron CGX 925 EdgeHD
- Celestron CGX 1100 EdgeHD
- Celestron CGEM II 1100 SCT
- Sky-Watcher 16″ Flextube SynScan GoTo Dobsonian
- Celestron CPC 1100 EdgeHD
- Meade 10″ LX200 ACF Computerized Telescope
- Meade 12″ LX90 ACF Computerized Telescope
- Vaonis Stellina
- Celestron CGX-L 9.25 SCT
- Meade 8″ LX200 ACF
- Unistellar eVscope 2