The Best Telescopes For Viewing Planets

Celestron NexStar 8SE -

Checking all of these boxes is none other than the widely popular Celestron NexStar 8SE! Featuring a large 8” of aperture, this premium telescope delivers highly detailed views on our solar system neighbors. When peering through the eyepiece, be amazed by the level of detail presented, from the Great Red Spot on Jupiter to the Cassini Division within Saturn’s rings. Maximizing this large aperture, this powerful Schmidt-Cassegrain is equipped with the patented Starbright XLT coatings from Celestron, reducing stray light and providing sharp, high contrast views.

The long 2032 mm focal length is perfect for viewing the planets, providing detailed and up close views. As opposed to Newtonian telescopes that feature a large secondary mirror, the NexStar 8SE includes a smaller secondary obstruction to optimize the 8” aperture. This results in the highest detail possible for an 8” system! In addition to its premier performance, the optics hold collimation quite well, requiring less frequent adjustments than a Newtonian may need. With the intuitive and powerful computerized NexStar fork-arm mount, slewing to the planets is proven effortless. No matter if you’re an advanced visual observer or a beginner looking to be fascinated by our solar system wonders, the impressive optics and ease of use provided by the Celestron NexStar 8SE has you set up for success!

Be sure to explore our collection of videos featuring the Celestron NexStar 8SE, including an in depth setup tutorial, a guide on how to image the planets, as well as a planetary processing walkthrough!

Apertura 6" Classical Cassegrain Telescope -

Apertura 8" Classical Cassegrain Telescope -

Our next picks for the best telescopes for planetary viewing are the Apertura Classical Cassegrains—a modern approach to a timeless design. These telescopes blend the already excellent Classical Cassegrain optical structure with cutting-edge enhancements to deliver a viewing experience unlike any other.

With the goal of maximizing the full potential of these telescopes’ light gathering power, these Apertura Classical Cassegrains house numerous advancements. For one, the parabolic primary mirror and hyperbolic secondary mirror fully correct for spherical aberration, provide a well illuminated field, and present no chromatic aberration. Also, these telescopes offer substantial coma correction for astrophotography applications, with most setups not requiring a coma corrector at all! In addition to this outstanding optical design, the Apertura Classical Cassegrains feature knife-edge baffles along the length of the interior, reducing stay light and maximizing contrast. Unlike the subpar baffle sizes used within other telescopes, resulting in a decrease in light gathering power, the baffles featured within these Classical Cassegrains are optimized for their aperture sizes. This results in enhanced brightness and clarity within your eyepiece.

Unlike the Celestron NexStar 8SE, these Apertura Classical Cassegrains are offered as an OTA only, and do not come included with a mount. We recommend pairing these exceptional telescopes with the Celestron AVX Equatorial Mount. This highly capable mount is easy to use, is wonderful for visual observing, and unlocks exciting possibilities for astrophotography!