Best Telescopes For Urban Stargazing

Which telescope is best for urban astronomy?

One of the most subjective questions we get asked is “what is the best telescope for stargazing in light polluted skies?” There are many factors that come into play here, but there is no one scope that is best at everything. The best telescope is going to be the one that you use the most and find the most enjoyable. Below is our list of sky-gazing scopes that we think you will enjoy pulling out from your garage and viewing on your driveway or in your backyard.

These recommendations are made to consider the following:

  • Great for use during parties/sharing the night sky with friends and family
  • Ideal for your driveway, patio, back yard or front yard
  • Semi-portable, but portability is not our top priority
  • Great for use with light pollution / UHC filters or other visual filters
  • The telescope can be used for some basic imaging with the appropriate accessories
  • The observer has easy access to level ground, like a driveway, patio or backyard
  • The observer has access to power

Our Recommendations for Urban Telescopes

Apertura AD8 Dobsonian

Ranked number one, the AD8 is arguably the best price-per-inch of aperture telescope on this list, and is capable of showing you a plethora of deep-sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters as well as planets, comets, the Moon and more!! The AD8 is considered somewhat portable (as portable as a Dobsonian can be…) and can be used with any eyepiece on the market to improve your visual experience as you see fit.

  • Can’t beat a classic Dobsonian! This manual telescope combines ease of use with light gathering power for the ultimate highly-detailed viewing experience
  • The large aperture opens your views up to a variety of deep sky objects
  • Portable enough to take to local parks and recreational areas if your location at home is a bit too shrouded in city lights
  • Base stays assembled for easy transportation
  • Plenty of upgrades and accessories available to enhance your experience
  • These are considered “deep sky telescopes” -- any amatuer astronomer will tell you that an 8” Dobsonian is one they will always have in their arsenal of scopes
  • Takes approximately 3-5 minutes to set up after initial assembly

Recommended accessories


Celestron NexStar 8SE

Our second pick, the Celestron NexStar 8SE, is by far the most versatile of the telescopes on this list. With 8 inches of aperture, locating night sky objects is a cinch, and a fully Go-To computerized system reduces the need to "find" the objects you're interested in viewing. It's portable, it's reliable and it has the pedigree -- it’s been around in the astronomy community for years! Tack on a smartphone adapter or a DSLR and you'll open up yet another door to many more sleepless nights under the stars!

  • An extremely versatile scope allowing one to do the following:
    • Visual astronomy
    • Smartphone adaptation
    • Planetary imaging with a DSLR/planetary camera
    • Short exposures of deep sky objects using a DSLR
  • Large 8” mirror for a rich lunar and planetary observation experience, with excellent views of deep-space objects through the eyepiece
  • Portable, and consistently reliable Go-To system ensures a great time in the backyard with your friends and family

Recommended accessories


Celestron NexStar 6SE

Our final pick for top urban skygazing telescopes, the NexStar 6SE, offers everything the 8SE does but in a more portable and price-sensitive package. What the Celestron NexStar 6SE lacks in aperture it makes up in portability, weighing in at only 20 pounds! But not to worry, 6” of aperture is plenty when you consider nearly all 110 objects in the Messier catalog can be seen with a 4" aperture telescope!

  • This is a great alternative to the NexStar 8SE if you are looking for a fully automated scope but are on a more conservative budget - both mounts are identical
  • The 6SE will provide some fantastic details of the moon and planets
  • 6” mirror will allow you access to many deep sky objects
  • At only 20 lbs., transporting your scope to your backyard or a dark sky site cannot be easier
  • The NexStar 6SE is capable of:
    • Visual astronomy
    • Smartphone adaptation
    • Planetary imaging with DSLR/planetary camera

Recommended accessories


Honorable Mention
Sky-Watcher 127mm SkyMax with AZ-GTi Mount

This 5" Maksutov-Cassegrain offers incredibly rich, high contrast colors on stars and planets in a no-maintenance optical design. The AZGTI mount is fully computerized and has a somewhat unique advantage in that it has dual encoders. Meaning that after alignment, you can move the scope and it holds/remembers it's original alignment position. For the stability, a set of vibration suppression pads would be ideal.

  • This scope/mount combination didn't make the list over the NexStar 6SE due to the comparable stability of the mount and tripod
  • Optically this is a fantastic scope known for rich colors on planets and stars, while having enough aperture to see deep sky objects with some ease
  • Weighs in at only 8.5 lbs. and can support 11 lbs. of equipment
  • Great to bring out for a quick view of the moon and planets
  • Can be taken anywhere when powered via 8x AA batteries

Recommended accessories


For Darker Urban & Suburban Skies
Apertura AD12 12” Dobsonian

This is the recommended scope for folks located under darker skies than those traditionally found in urban/suburban areas. This is where you will reap the benefits of the extra couple inches of aperture. While this scope is rather large and is not the most portable of the scopes mentioned above, it can be transported to darker areas. However, if you are traveling to darker skies more frequently than not, the AD8 or AD10 are our recommended scopes. With a UHC filter, this scope will reveal some mighty fine detail in emission and planetary nebulae. This is the ultimate urban setting telescope that will seriously impress anyone that views through its eyepiece.

Recommended accessories


Capture Images Of The Night Sky With Your Cell Phone!

Lastly, if you’re looking to take pictures of the moon or planets with any of these scopes, we recommend the Celestron NexYZ adapter. The adapter clamps to any eyepiece and allows you to attach your smartphone for snapping great pictures with ease! If you are looking to attach a DSLR to any of the above, please reach out to our non-commissioned product advisors and we’ll provide you the correct adapters for your camera.


This Article was Last Updated on 05/04/2023