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# Telescopes

There are several types of telescope design; refractor telescopes, reflector telescopes, dobsonian telescopes and cassegrain telescopes.

The type of telescope you choose depends on the observing priorities you have and your budget. Some are better suited to astronomy, others to viewing land/sea objects, there are also options for telescopes that can do both.

Below you will see the broad categories of applications and telescope types we offer.  Additionally we have kids telescopes and beginner telescopes.

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saxon 607-AZ2 Beginners Telescope

An excellent beginner telescope. The saxon 60/700 AZ2 Refractor Telescope makes the perfect starter telescope to fuel your interest...

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$249.00

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$249.00
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saxon 70mm Hikers Telescope

A very lightweight telescope, perfect for taking hiking. Compact and portable for land and moon viewing....

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$299.00

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$299.00
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Sky-Watcher 607 AZ2 Refractor Beginner Telescope

The Sky-Watcher 60 AZ2 Refractor Telescope is s a highly affordable telescope which allows beginners to take...

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$299.00

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$299.00
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Saxon 767 Reflector - Beginner Astronomy Telescope

This is a simple, small but highly effective budget telescope. Comes with three eye pieces and...

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$379.00

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$379.00
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saxon 707-AZ2 Refractor Telescope

If you're after a telescope for daytime and occasional night-time use, you'll appreciate the dual capabilities...

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$449.00

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$449.00
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Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 70AZ - Smartphone app-enabled refractor telescope

Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night...

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$469.00

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$469.00
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Celestron Astromaster LT 70AZ Telescope

Looking for a portable and easy to assemble telescope for celestial viewing? Then the AstroMaster LT...

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$469.00

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saxon 1149-EQ Astronomy Reflector Telescope

very popular astronomy telescope for amateur astronomers, fully set up with tripod, eyepieces and equatorial mount!...

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$569.00

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$569.00
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Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ - Smartphone app-enabled refractor telescope

Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night...

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$599.00

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saxon 804-AZ3 Pioneer Refractor Telescope

If space is the question, then your answer is none other than the saxon 80/400 AZ3 Pioneer...

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$599.00

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Nova 1309 EQ2 Reflector Telescope

A great astronomy telescope with a large aperture allowing you to view nebulae, star clusters and...

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$649.00

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saxon 909-AZ3 Refractor Telescope

Take in amazing views of land and sky with the saxon 90/900 AZ3 Refractor Telescope. This telescope...

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$649.00

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$649.00
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Sky-Watcher 6" Dobsonian Telescope

A very easy to use 6" (152mm) telescope - perfect for amateur astronomers Description Sky-Watcher Dobsonian...

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$649.00

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Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ - Smartphone app-enabled newtonian reflector telescope

Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night...

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$659.00

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$659.00
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saxon 1309-EQ2 Velocity Reflector Telescope

deal for those starting in astronomy to intermediate level users . Collecting 30% more light than...

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$699.00

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$699.00
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Saxon 6" Dobsonian Telescope

Powerful beginner astronomy telescope. Easy set-up, large aperture, great price. Description The Saxon 6" DeepSky Dobsonian Telescope is...

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$699.00

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$699.00
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Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 127AZ - Smartphone app-enabled newtonian reflector telescope

Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night...

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$749.00

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$749.00
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saxon 1309-EQ2 Velocity Reflector Telescope with Motor Drive

Keep objects firmly in your sights with the saxon 130/900 EQ2 Velocity Reflector Telescope with Motor Drive...

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$799.00

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$799.00
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Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ - Smart phone app-enabled refractor telescope

Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night...

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$1,099.00

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$1,099.00
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Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ - Smartphone app-enabled newtonian reflector telescope

Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night sky—no...

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$1,099.00

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Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 5" - Smartphone app-enabled Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope

Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night...

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$1,699.00

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$1,699.00
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Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 6" - Smartphone app-enabled Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope

Unleash the power of your smartphone to take you on a guided tour of the night...

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$1,999.00

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## Not Sure what to buy?

Do you want your telescope for day and night time viewing, astronomy, astrophotography - but not sure what type you should be considering?

Check out out guide for helpful information to assist with your selection.

Telescope Types

1.  Refractor Telescopes



Refracting telescopes use lenses to gather light.  The primary advantages of a refractor are that it is easy to maintain, easy to use, and is capable of land based observing as well as stargazing and the image is the correct way up!

In general:

For someone who wants to look at wildlife or a view from your deck as well as stars, a refractor is a good choice. For the advanced observers who want the best possible image quality for both visual observing and photography, a high-quality refractor cannot be beaten.

2.  Reflector Telescopes



Reflecting telescopes use mirrors instead of lenses and tend to be less expensive than refractors or the Cassegrains. If on a dobsonian mount they tend to be call Dobsonians otherwise they are known as reflectors and tend to be on an equatorial mount.

The main drawback of the reflector versus a refractor is that the image is usually inverted, making it poorly suited to land based observing but for strictly stargazing, a Newtonian is tough to beat.

In general:

A Reflector (or Newtonian) is hard to beat for astronamy veiwing and is perfect if you don't need to view  land based subjects, if you don't require much portability and do not plan on doing much photography.

3.  Dobsonian Telescopes



The Dobsonian or Dob telescopes are optically similar to reflector telescopes and offer the most cost effective way to start and develop your astronomy hobby.

Where the Dobsonian is different is in the mounting system that allows you to find and track objects.

A Dobsonian base is elegantly simple, there are no knobs, levers, switches, gears, handles, dials, or anything complicated required to operate the telescope. Everything is moved by hand and in an altitude-azimuth (up-down/left-right) configuration making it simple and intuitive to use.

In general:

Due to the mount, pointing a Dob to any celestial object is easy and this makes Dobs ideal for beginners and there is also the opportunity to move to larger models that  have the capacity to provide viewing for intermediate and expert astronomers.

4.  Cassegrain Telescopes



Cassegrains are a catadiotric telescope which incorporates both lenses and mirrors.  Light is 'folded' to provide a long focal length in a very compact tube, making them very versatile and portable. Unlike most other telescope designs, these scopes can easily be converted to a variety of focal ratios for different photographic applications for both narrow- and wide-field imaging.

The most popular telescopes in this category are the Schmidt-Cassegrains  and Maksutov-Cassegrains.

The versatility and portability of these telescopes make them among the most popular for astronomers of all levels.

In general:

For the observer who wants a little of everything, from deep-sky to planetary viewing and imaging / photography, plus portability, a Cassegrain is an excellent choice.  It is the one telescope that can be used for almost any application and as such is one  one of the most popular telescopes on the market today.

5.  Brass Telescopes



Designed for their elegance of appearance and style, the classic look of a brass telescope makes it a centre piece of any room.

In general:

For a functional interior design piece the Brass telescope is a fabulous addition to your home or office.

Telescope Usage

1.  General Purpose Telescopes - for both Landbased & Astronomy viewing



General purpose telescopes - For both Landbased & Astronomy viewing.

The image they present is correctly orientated - i.e. it will be the right way up and correct left to right.

2.  Astronomy Telescopes



All telescopes can be used for astronomy.

It helps to have the right aperture - ( as much as possible) and  mount.

The best manual mounts for an astronomy telescope are Equatorial (EQ) these are tilted and move in an arc (so are far easier to track stars and planets) or Dobsonian which have the telescope sitting on a base that swivels left and right. Computerised / WiFi Mounts and GoTo Systems are also available, these automatically move your telescope to any astronomical objects you select.

3.  Astrophotography



The choice of equipment for astrophotography can be quite complex and depends on what you want to photograph.  A computerised / wifi enabled mount is very useful for longer exposures.

4.  Kid's & Beginers Telescopes



Cost effective, very easy to use  first telescopes.

Telescopes

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10 Wilson Rd, Warkworth 0981

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Telescopes NZ – Tagged "user-level:beginner"– Telescopesnz