IN THE SHOPS: DEEP-SKY TELESCOPES

“It’s a superb-value proposition for those on a budget”

Celestron NexStar 8SE

Cost: £1,499 (approx. $1,799.90)

From: Celestron

1 One of the most striking things about the Celestron NexStar 8SE is its compact and practical size, despite offering a long focal length. The body is clutter-free, so you can easily pick it up and transport it to where it’s needed without worrying about breaking anything or accidentally snapping things off. It’s fairly heavy, but that gives it a robust and sturdy feel – much appreciated when you’re spending this sort of money. The telescope is controlled using an in-built hand controller. We also liked the feeling of using the hands-on controller with tactile, easy-to-use buttons rather than having to rely on a smartphone app. Astrophotographers taking long exposures will love the smooth and accurate tracking thanks to the mount’s high-quality motorised functionality.

Sky-Watcher Heritage 114P Virtuoso

Cost: £239 (approx. $286.95)

From: Sky-Watcher

2 Despite its diminutive size and light weight, the Heritage 114P isn’t lacking in features. It offers the whole Newtonian reflector experience, with the added benefit of being able to automatically counteract the rotation of Earth and track the sky. With the mount’s AA battery or DC-powered motors switched on, you can smoothly slew across the sky using the built-in controls and then steadily keep your object of interest in the field of view. The tabletop Dobsonian mount can be upgraded at any time with Sky-Watcher’s SynScan GoTo handset. This can find more than 40,000 objects in the sky for you – useful for tracking down those very faint sights that don’t readily jump out.