If you’re looking for a fun, interactive, and hassle-free astrophotography experience, smart telescopes are the way to go. These all-in-one systems take the complicated nature out of astrophotography by condensing a camera, mount, and telescope into a singular unit. With just your smartphone or tablet, you’re well equipped to discover the cosmos night after night. Smart telescopes deliver engaging fun for the whole family, and help instill a passion for astronomy for those of all ages. These innovative devices are also highly portable, making them perfect for engaging astronomy sessions on the go! With smart telescopes increasing in popularity as of late, choosing the right one may seem a bit daunting at first. Here at High Point, we have done the homework for you. Our team of gear experts took to the field and tested the most popular smart telescopes on the market today, and curated this list of the best smart telescopes for 2024. Using our ample astrophotography experience, we have organized this list to showcase what each smart telescope has to offer, and what it could help you achieve. Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Best Overall
If price point isn’t a concern for you, and you’re looking for the finest optics, the highest image quality, and the overall best user experience, the esteemed Celestron Origin is the telescope for you. This innovation pairs innovative technology with trusted Celestron products that leave other smart telescopes in the dust. With 50 years of experience at their side, and the industry leader in astronomical equipment development, Celestron knows what it takes to produce high-quality astroimages, and delivers the pinnacle of smart telescope technology!
Celestron Origin —
So, what exactly makes the Celestron Origin the best? For one, the optical assembly is a 6” Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph, renowned for being one of the fastest and highest quality systems available on the market today. With a whopping 6” of light gathering power, a fast f/2 focal ratio, and pristine light correcting capabilities, images come out sharp, clear, and brimming with vibrancy. Supporting this impressive optical tube assembly is the tried-and-true Celestron NexStar Evolution single fork arm mount, capable of slewing and tracking with exceptional accuracy. This mount easily breaks down for effortless portability and is fitted with carrying handles for heightened convenience. Registering your images is the Sony IMX178MC 6.3MP back-illuminated sensor. This sensor offers exceptional sensitivity and has a small pixel size of 2.4um that pairs perfectly with the custom-designed 6” RASA for the best resolution of detail. Making this Celestron Origin truly unique, the camera itself is accessible, meaning the Origin is ready to harness any future sensor advancements that may arise. To control this Smart Telescope, Celestron offers the Celestron Origin App—the most user-friendly telescope control platform across all smart telescope brands. This app was developed in collaboration with Simulation Curriculum, creators of the world-renowned SkySafari app, and offers an intuitive interface that’s easy to navigate for beginners while still being powerful enough to fulfill the needs of advanced astrophotographers. As you’re capturing stunning images of your targets, Celestron makes it easy to expand your knowledge of the night sky by providing facts and detailed descriptions of the objects you’re observing. With features like these, it’s easy to see why the Celestron Origin stands out as the best choice for both performance and user experience!
Advantages:
✓ Outstanding RASA optics
✓ Top notch reliability and user experience
To Consider:
✗ Steep price point
Best Bang for Your Buck
Looking for a smart telescope that delivers exceptional value without breaking the bank? The ZWO Seestar is the one for you. This high-performance telescope is a culmination of the exceptional expertise from ZWO in the field of astroimaging technology, and is a widely popular choice amongst those interested in smart telescopes. Its roaring success can be credited to the high performance, ease of use, and incredible price point!
ZWO Seestar S50 —
Powered by the Sony IMX462 STARVIS sensor and fitted with triplet apochromatic optics, the Seestar provides stunning, color-accurate images of the night sky at a fraction of the price of other smart telescope models. Also, the integrated live stacking feature brings your images to life in real time right before your eyes. Weighing just 6.6 lbs. (3 kg), the Seestar is perfect for any outing to dark skies and offers uninterrupted imaging for 6 hours thanks to its long battery life. It comes furnished with everything you need for use right out of the box and even includes a solar filter for safe imaging of our nearest star. With your smartphone or tablet, you can effortlessly slew from object to object with the expansive on-board database and gain in-depth knowledge on each celestial wonder you encounter. While this Seestar delivers strong overall performance, it’s important to keep in mind that the sensor only includes 2 megapixels of resolution, which can be limiting for certain astroimaging applications.
Advantages:
✓ Created by ZWO, an industry leader in manufacturing of astrophotography gear
✓ Low price point
To Consider:
✗ Sensor features only 2 megapixels
Best for High-Resolution Images
If you’re in the market for a smart telescope that delivers pristine, detail-rich images, Vaonis has you covered. As pioneers in smart astronomy with the development of the first ever smart telescope, Stellina, they’ve continued to fine-tune their approach; delivering their latest advancements, the Vespera Pro. Through the feature-rich app interface and impressive telescope design, the Vespera Pro is perfect for those looking to capture outstanding images of the night sky.
Vespera Pro —
This exceptional smart telescope houses a whopping 12-megapixel sensor, the highest resolution offered by any smart telescope on this list! When used with the included CovalENS technology, you can capture panoramas of the night sky that feature up to 50 megapixels in resolution, an outstanding achievement among smart telescopes. Combining this high megapixel yield, the excellent low light sensitivity provided by the Sony IMX676 STARVIS 2 sensor, and the apochromatic quadruplet optical design, expect detail-rich images delivered straight to your smartphone or tablet. Not only is the telescope design superb, the app is too! The Singularity app includes features like PreserverENS: the ability to capture images over multiple nights without interruption, the CovalENS Live Mosaic Mode 2, which handles field rotation automatically and gives users the opportunity to capture high-resolution wide-field images, and Plan My Night 2, allowing you to pre-schedule your imaging sessions for heightened automation. While perfect for beginners just getting started in astroimaging, the Vespera Pro is also ideal for those who have more experience in the field wanting more control over their image acquisition. Simply enable the Expert Mode within the Singularity app and adjust your imaging settings, capture calibration frames, and gain access to the 16-bit RAW files for more precise image manipulation within PC-based software. This Vespera Pro comes equipped with a tripod, a built-in bubble level, and a hygrometer, though does not include a USB-C cable for charging. If you’re wanting an alternative to the Vespera Pro, Vaonis also offers another Vespera model, their Vespera II! This version includes an 8-megapixel sensor, and is fully backed by the powerful Singularity app, making it a wonderful choice for those seeking high resolution images at a lower price point.
Advantages:
✓ 12-megapixel sensor, the highest megapixel count of any smart telescope on this list
✓ CovalENS technology automates mosaic creation for panoramas of the night sky
To Consider:
✗ Does not come with a USB-C charging cable
Best for Ultra-Portability / Best for Daytime Use
Searching for a small, compact grab-and-go observatory that’s excellent for not only astrophotography but for landscape imaging as well? With its size and weight comparable to that of a dictionary, and impressive technology for terrestrial or wildlife photography, the DWARF III is our top recommendation!
DWARF III —
The DWARF III reigns as the most portable smart telescope on the market today, with a weight of a mere 2.9 lbs. (1.3 kg). This tiny observatory easily tucks away in a backpack, making it the perfect companion for any astro adventure! As an upgrade to the DWARF II, the DWARF III brings you brighter, deeper views, larger pixels, enhanced battery and storage, and even the ability to capture longer exposures. Another improvement to its predecessor, the DWARF III offers the ability to create astro mosaics, allowing you to capture large targets that otherwise wouldn’t fit within a single frame. With the DWARF III, not one, but three filters come built into this smart telescope, giving you more creative freedom in your imaging projects. Also, this internal filter design means you’ll never have to worry about accidentally leaving them at home while traveling. Just like the DWARF II, the DWARF III is wonderful for landscape photography and reintroduces its AI object tracking for incredible wildlife images. You also have the option to create stunning, giga-pixel panoramas with its image stitching technology. With its compact frame and one of the most affordable on the market today, this DWARF III makes astrophotography and engaging landscape photography accessible to just about anyone!
Advantages:
✓ AI object tracking for impressive wildlife images
✓ The smallest and most portable telescope available
To Consider:
✗ Has the smallest aperture out of every telescope on this list
✗ Interface isn’t as intuitive as we’d like to see
These top picks for the best smart telescopes of 2024 combine powerful optics, cutting-edge technology, and ease of use in a singular unit. Not only do they make stargazing more convenient and more accessible than ever before, but they also provide rich educational opportunities for the entire family. By choosing any of the telescopes on this list, you’re well equipped in exploring the cosmos with ease, excitement, and a sense of wonder, from just about anywhere!
Learn More
Interested in learning more about telescopes and and choosing the right gear for you? Not sure where to begin? Check out our Astronomy Hub!
