top rated spotting scopes

Celestron has reinvented the manual telescope with StarSense Explorer—the first telescope that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real time. StarSense Explorer is ideal for beginners thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. It’s like having your own personal tour guide of the night sky. Dock, Launch, Explore Leave complicated star charts, imprecise planetarium apps, and computerized mounts behind. With StarSense Explorer, locating objects has never been easier, faster, or more accurate. Within minutes of setting up the telescope, you’ll be navigating the sky with confidence. Simply place your phone in the unique StarSense dock and launch the StarSense Explorer app. After aligning your phone to the telescope’s optics (a quick, 2-minute procedure), StarSense Explorer generates a list of celestial objects currently visible. Make your selection and arrows appear onscreen, guiding you as you to move the telescope. When the object is ready to view, the bullseye turns green. Smartphone Compatibility. StarSense Explorer works with most modern smartphones, including iPhone 6 and up and most devices running Android 7.1.2 or later manufactured since 2016. For a complete compatibility list, click here. Patent-Pending StarSense Sky Recognition Technology. StarSense Explorer uses patent-pending technology and your smartphone to determine exactly where the telescope is pointed in the night sky. A Lost in Space Algorithm (LISA), like the ones satellites use in orbit to correctly reorient themselves, helps the app match star patterns it detects overhead to its internal database. While other astronomy apps may claim that they can help you find objects, they rely exclusively on the phone’s gyros and accelerometers, which aren’t as accurate as LISA technology. No other app can accurately tell you when your target is visible in the eyepiece. High Quality Altazimuth Mount with Slow Motion Control. An ultra-stable altazimuth mount provides a sturdy foundation for StarSense Explorer DX. Slip clutches and geared slow motion controls in both axes help you move the telescope smoothly and zero in your target. As celestial objects appear to drift across the night sky, you’ll be able to follow them with just a turn of the knobs. It’s all anchored by an adjustable, full-height tripod. Dazzling Views with High Quality Optics. With a large 130mm (5”) objective lens, this telescope has enough light gathering ability to bring out impressive detail in celestial objects. You can expect sharp, bright views of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, its cloud bands and Great Red Spot, the rings of Saturn, the trapezium in the Orion Nebula, and beautiful Pleaides Open Star Cluster. Highly reflective coatings on both the primary and secondary mirror enhance the views even more. Perfect for the City or Dark Sky Sites. Even if you live in a light polluted city location, StarSense Explorer is advanced enough to be able to pick out Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, the Orion Nebula, double stars, and a few more of the most famous celestial objects. But if you can take the telescope to an even slightly darker location, more objects will become visible. With this 5” Newtonian and relatively dark skies, the Andromeda Galaxy, Hercules Open Star Cluster, and so many more are easily within your reach. The entire telescope kit weighs just 18 pounds, so it’s perfectly portable and easy to bring on your next camping trip or to a remote observing site. Everything You Need to Observe Immediately. When you unbox your new StarSense Explorer DX, you’ll find:130mm Newtonian reflector optical tube StarSense dock for your smartphone. Low powered (25mm) and high powered (10mm) eyepiece. StarPointer red dot finderscope, perfect for using the telescope during the day or without the StarSense Explorer app. Altazimuth mount with slow motion controls. Full-height tripod with an accessory tray to keep you organized

Enjoy nature from afar with these Nikon ACULON A211 binoculars, which provide 8x magnification and aspherical Eco-Glass multicoated lenses with BaK4 Porro prisms for bright, clear images in most lighting conditions.

Observe objects from afar with the Rexing night vision binoculars. The f/1.2 aperture offers a balance between focal clarity and light sensitivity with seven unique modes for fine-tuning visibility, while the 10x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom magnification let you spot targets from extreme distances. The Rexing night vision binoculars feature a 2.31-inch LCD screen for viewing captured shots and IP56 water resistance for use in wet conditions.

Celestron has reinvented the manual telescope with StarSense Explorer—the first telescope that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real time. StarSense Explorer is ideal for beginners thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. It’s like having your own personal tour guide of the night sky. Dock, Launch, Explore Leave complicated star charts, imprecise planetarium apps, and computerized mounts behind. With StarSense Explorer, locating objects has never been easier, faster, or more accurate. Within minutes of setting up the telescope, you’ll be navigating the sky with confidence. Simply place your phone in the unique StarSense dock and launch the StarSense Explorer app. After aligning your phone to the telescope’s optics (a quick, 2-minute procedure), StarSense Explorer generates a list of celestial objects currently visible. Make your selection and arrows appear onscreen, guiding you as you to move the telescope. When the object is ready to view, the bullseye turns green. Smartphone Compatibility StarSense Explorer works with most modern smartphones, including iPhone 6 and up and most devices running Android 7.1.2 or later manufactured since 2016. For a complete compatibility list, click here. Patent-Pending StarSense Sky Recognition Technology StarSense Explorer uses patent-pending technology and your smartphone to determine exactly where the telescope is pointed in the night sky. A Lost in Space Algorithm (LISA), like the ones satellites use in orbit to correctly reorient themselves, helps the app match star patterns it detects overhead to its internal database. While other astronomy apps may claim that they can help you find objects, they rely exclusively on the phone’s gyros and accelerometers, which aren’t as accurate as LISA technology. No other app can accurately tell you when your target is visible in the eyepiece. Sturdy Altazimuth Mount StarSense Explorer LT’s simple altazimuth mount makes it easy to move the telescope to find your target. An altitude slow motion adjustment with a sliding rod helps you fine tune the telescope’s pointing position and follow targets as they appear to drift across the night sky. It’s all anchored by an adjustable, full-height tripod. Dazzling Views with High Quality Optics With a large 114mm (4.5”) objective lens, this telescope has enough light gathering ability to bring out detail in celestial objects. You can expect sharp, bright views of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, its cloud bands and Great Red Spot, the rings of Saturn, the trapezium in the Orion Nebula, and beautiful Pleaides Open Star Cluster. Perfect for the City or Dark Sky Sites Even if you live in a light polluted city location, StarSense Explorer is advanced enough to be able to pick out Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, the Orion Nebula, double stars, and a few more of the most famous celestial objects. But if you can take the telescope to an even slightly darker location, more objects will become visible. With this 4.5” Newtonian and relatively dark skies, the Andromeda Galaxy, Hercules Open Star Cluster, and so many more are easily within your reach. The entire telescope kit weighs just 10.4 pounds, so it’s perfectly portable and easy to bring on your next camping trip or to a remote observing site. Everything You Need to Observe Immediately When you unbox your new StarSense Explorer LT, you’ll find: 114mm Newtonian reflector optical tube StarSense dock for your smartphone Low powered (25mm) and high powered (10mm) eyepiece 2x Barlow lens to double the power of each eyepiece StarPointer red dot finderscope, perfect for using the telescope during the day or without the StarSense Explorer app Altazimuth mount with slow motion control rod Full-height tripod with an accessory tray to keep you organized

Observe objects from afar with the Rexing B1 Basic night vision monoculars. The f/1.2 aperture offers a balance between focal clarity and light sensitivity with seven unique modes for fine-tuning visibility, while the 10x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom magnification let you spot targets from extreme distances. The Rexing night vision binoculars feature a 1.5 inch LCD screen for viewing captured shots and IP56 water resistance for use in wet conditions.

View objects from far away with these Celestron Nature DX 71333 binoculars, which feature phase-coated BaK-4 prisms and fully multicoated optics for clear, crisp, detailed images. The waterproof design allows use in wet environments.

Experience the outdoors with these Barska binoculars. A variety of magnifications paired with a strong zoom let you use them for many outdoor activities, while the ruby lens and fully coated optics minimize glare and capture clear images. Shock-absorbing rubber armor protects these Barska binoculars against damage from bumps and drops.

These binoculars feature a large aperture that is ideal for astronomical viewing or for terrestrial use, especially over long distances. High-quality BAK-4 prisms and multicoated optics provide enhanced contrast, and the large center knob allows easy focusing.

Locate and observe objects in the night sky with this telescope that features StarBright XLT coatings for optimal light transmission and a StarPointer finderscope that helps you find and align objects easily.