Buyer's Guides

Thinking about your first scope or looking to upgrade your camera? Our buyer's guides will help you get to grips with what's available.

What you need to know when buying a secondhand telescope or other astronomy equipment. Credit: BongkarnThanyakij / iStock / Getty Images, Steve Marsh

Buying a secondhand telescope: what you need to know

Have you come to astronomy new during lockdown? You'll need help choosing your first telescope. Credit: Mark Garlick / Science Photo Library

Astronomy in a pandemic: choosing your first telescope

Best portable telescopes for astronomy travel. Credit: Anton Petrus / Getty Images

Top travel telescopes

The best telescopes for kids and young astronomers. Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Best telescopes for kids

Meade ETX 90 Observer telescope

Astronomy FAQs I’m getting either a Meade NG 90 or ETX 90. Are these suitable for beginners?

Installing the right lighting around your home and garden can make all the difference to your stargazing sessions. Credit: Source/Alamy Stock Photo

The best outdoor lighting that will minimise light pollution

Celestron Omni XLT AZ 102 Refractor/basic mount

Astronomy FAQs I'm buying my first telescope. Should I get a reflector or a refractor?

Stellina Observation Station

Stellina smart telescope: a good option for beginners?

A beginner's guide to telescope mounts. Credit: WellfordT / Getty Images

Telescope Mounts: a beginner’s guide

International Astronomy Show. Credit: IAS

International Astronomy Show 2019: a round-up

A portable setup that's easy to transport makes observing at dark-sky sites much easier. Credit: Lucentius / iStock / Getty Images Plus

The pros of a portable astronomy setup

Automated-observatory-dome

A garden observatory or not? That is the question…

The Small Magellanic Cloud is one of the Milky Way's closest neighbours. While its visible to the naked eye, Hubble is able to show its beauty fully. Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC and the University of Potsdam, JPL-Caltech, and STScI

Astronomy field of view calculator

Revelation Visual Colour Filter Set. Credit: Kerin Smith, Telescope House

Accessorise that telescope!

A set of LRGB filters allows the capture of full colour images of celestial objects using a sensitive mono camera. Read our review of the Astronomik L-RGB Type 2c Colour Filter Set here. Credit: First Light Optics

An astronomer’s guide to filters