Travel telescopes? Portable telescopes? They sound exactly the same, right? Not so! A telescope that can easily be carried to your backyard might be a great portable telescope, but that same telescope might not necessarily fit into your briefcase on a plane. This article will be breaking down some of the different telescopes that might fall into these two similar, yet distinct, categories.
Travel vs Portable: Making the Distinction
There’s no clear-cut definition for a travel telescope vs a portable telescope. As mentioned, we think a good definition for a “portable” telescope is a telescope that you can easily take out to your backyard and set up within a few minutes. A “travel” telescope would be a telescope that you can easily pack up in your car, briefcase, or backpack. A larger dobsonian or SCT might make a great portable telescope, as you can set it up within a few minutes; however, it would make for a poor travel telescope due to its bulky nature.
A travel telescope, on the other hand, needs to be a portable telescope and convenient enough where you need not worry about messing it up if you were to drive it across the country or bring it with you on a plane. Bringing a big Dobsonian on a plane is obviously impractical, but bringing your 60mm refractor with you to the airport is a much easier deal.
Examples of Portable Telescopes
The best example of a portable telescope is a solid-tube Dobsonian. A 6” Dobsonian (such as the Apertura DT6) can be set up within a few minutes and will yield stunningly clear views of the night sky all while weighing a fairly portable 38 lbs. The larger brother of the DT6, the AD8 8” Dobsonian will show even better views of the night sky, however, it is a little heavier at 52 lbs. These telescopes come with hand grips on the side, ensuring that they can be easily carried to any location. However, not all Dobsonians are very portable: larger telescopes 12” and above are much heavier and more difficult to move around. The much larger AD12, when fully assembled, weighs 86 lb.
Another example is the compact, highly portable Celestron NexStar SE series of telescopes. These telescopes are Cassegrain telescopes, which are significantly more compact than a Dobsonian with an even longer focal length. Furthermore, they also come with a computerized mount that can be aligned and set up within a few minutes. For example, the entire Celestron 6SE package weighs roughly 38 lbs. With a quick one or two-star alignment, the 6SE can be ready to go in under 10 minutes (not including cool-down time for the mirror).
The Celestron NexStar SLT series of telescopes features similar benefits to the NexStar SE series of telescopes. The NexStar 130 SLT is also a very portable telescope with the mount included.
Examples of Travel Telescopes
When it comes to travel telescopes, we again think that the best example is a telescope that can reasonably fit in your car along with the rest of your camping gear. You might be able to fit a Dobsonian or a NexStar SE into your car, especially if you have an SUV or larger, however, this can be quite cumbersome. You also risk the possibility of the mirrors becoming misaligned in the process, which will extend your setup time. For visual astronomy, the Sky-Watcher StarTravel 80 AZ-GTe is a fantastic mount/telescope option. This compact telescope setup can be quickly set up, features a brilliant portable AZ-GTe mount that can be aligned within minutes, and its 80mm of aperture will enable you to see many brighter Messier objects, especially at a dark sky site.
The Celestron NexStar SLT series of telescopes features similar benefits to the NexStar SE series of telescopes. The NexStar 130 SLT is also a very portable telescope with the mount included.For those looking to do astrophotography, we recommend a portable equatorial mount like the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer. This little mount weighs 3.63 lbs and can support an 11 lb payload. We recommend avoiding maxing out the payload capacity on this mount for astrophotography. As such, a smaller refractor, such as the William Optics RedCat 51 and the Apertura 60mm f/6 doublet refractor, would both be ideal telescopes for this mount.
Can you bring your telescope on a plane?
Yes, you can. However, unless you want to put your telescope at unnecessary risk, we’d strongly recommend bringing your telescope as your carry-on. You’ll be unable to bring a large telescope on the plane, however, you should be able to carry a smaller refractor and star tracker with you. Call your airline ahead of time to make sure that you actually can bring your telescope (specifically the mount, as some airlines have rules against certain types of batteries). We recommend packing the telescope in a hard carrying case with foam packing to ensure your telescope will be as safe as possible during the trip. Should you be nervous about this, another option is to ship your telescope to your destination beforehand and have the shipping company hold your telescope until you arrive. If you choose to do this, it would be best to ship the telescope in the original package.
Questions? Contact Us!
Still struggling to decide whether a travel or portable telescope is right for you? Send a message to our non-commissioned product advisors! Our team of telescope experts are happy to point you in the right direction.
This Article was Last Updated on 08/17/2023
