Best Portable Telescope

Sky-Watcher Heritage 130p Tabletop Dobsonian | Price: $210

Ideal for: Those who want a highly-portable visual performer without the bells & whistles

Only 14.5 inches long when collapsed, the Sky-Watcher Heritage 130p is a small telescope. Don’t let it size fool you, though — its 4.5 inches (130mm) aperture is the largest on our under-$250 list, leading to the brightest views of faint deep sky objects for this price. With a collapsible truss design, the Heritage 130p compacts down, making it ultra portable and easily storable. Though it lacks some of the bells & whistles of the others and will require occasional collimation (similar to calibration), the Heritage 130p is the best bang-for-your-buck visual performer in this price range. The Heritage 130p comes with two eyepieces and a red dot finder scope. For an even better observing experience, we recommend purchasing an additional eyepiece.