7 Best Telescopes For City Viewing (For Light Polluted Skies) 2026
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Stargazing in light-polluted city skies poses a different kind of challenge for an amateur astronomer. Light pollution around us in the cities is a side effect of industrial civilization.
People living in cities with high levels of sky glow have a hard time seeing more than a handful of stars at night. Astronomers are particularly concerned with sky glow pollution as it reduces their ability to view celestial objects.
But with the right telescope, light pollution can be tackled and you can get great views of the night sky from your city apartment or condo.
If you’re looking for a telescope for city viewing, we’ve put together this list of amazing products you’ll be sure to love.
Our Top 3 Picks
Best Telescope For City Viewing In Light Polluted Skies
1. Celestron PowerSeeker 127 EQ
- PERFECT ENTRY-LEVEL TELESCOPE: The Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ is an easy-to-use and powerful telescope. This 127mm Newtonian Reflector offers enough light gathering ability to see planets, the Moon's craters, distant stars, the Orion Nebula, and more.
- MANUAL GERMAN EQUATORIAL MOUNT: With its slow-motion altitude rod, the German Equatorial mount allows you to navigate the sky with ease. Find celestial objects quickly and follow them smoothly & accurately as they appear to drift across the night sky.
- COMPACT AND PORTABLE: The ideal telescope for adults and kids to use together, the PowerSeeker is compact, lightweight, and portable. Take it to your favorite campsite, a dark sky observing site, or simply the backyard.
- MULTIPLE ACCESSORIES: The Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ Telescope comes with 2 quality eyepieces (20mm and 4mm) plus a 3x Barlow lens to triple the power of each. You'll also receive a FREE download of one of the top-rated astronomy software programs.
- UNBEATABLE WARRANTY & SUPPORT: Buy with confidence from Celestron, a leading telescope brand in California since 1960. Your purchase includes a 2-Year US Warranty and unlimited support from our team of US-based experts.
The Celestron PowerSeeker 127 EQ telescope kit is the best-selling telescope model in the country. Beginners love it because it is affordable and super easy to set up and use. No tools are required for its assembly which just involves attaching the telescope tube to a preassembled tripod and equatorial mount. Intermediates and professionals love it because of its great optics.
The telescope comes with two eyepieces (20 mm and 4 mm), a 3x Barlow lens to increase your magnifying power, and Celestron’s very own astronomy software called “Starry Night.”
The Celestron PowerSeeker 127 EQ Telescope has a manual equatorial mount that features slow-motion control cables with large knobs to make it easy to track objects, while also minimizing vibrations caused by handling the mount with your hands.
You can easily set the telescope’s height according to your city apartment windows or balcony as it also comes with an adjustable-height aluminum tripod with a tray for accessories such as eyepieces, filters, and lights.
If you live in a city and are brand new to the hobby, have never seen the rings of Saturn, Moons of Jupiter, or a close-up lunar crater before, and don’t have few extra hundreds of dollars lying around to test whether astronomy is the hobby for you, then this telescope is a great way of finding out.
2. Celestron – NexStar 5SE
- ADVANCED TECH MEETS ICONIC DESIGN: The NexStar 5SE pairs Celestron’s legendary orange tube with a fully computerized GoTo system—ideal for those ready to step up from manual scopes and explore more of the night sky with precision and ease.
- 5-INCH SCHMIDT-CASSEGRAIN OPTICS: The 5" aperture gathers enough light to reveal fine lunar details, cloud bands on Jupiter, and deep-sky objects like galaxies and globular clusters—all in a compact, portable form factor.
- FULLY AUTOMATED GoTo MOUNT WITH NEXSTAR+ HAND CONTROL: Use the NexStar+ hand control to select from a 40,000+ object database. The computerized mount then automatically slews to your target and tracks it—no star charts or manual alignment needed.
- FAST & EASY ALIGNMENT WITH SKYALIGN TECHNOLOGY: SkyAlign gets you observing fast—just center any three bright stars or planets, even if you don’t know their names. The system then calculates your position and aligns the mount in minutes.
- BUILT-IN WEDGE FOR ASTROIMAGING: Capture long-exposure images of the night sky—perfect for entry-level astrophotography. The integrated wedge lets you polar align the mount, reducing field rotation for improved tracking during imaging.
The Celestron NexStar 5SE is a compact 5-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a 125 mm aperture and 1250 mm focal length, paired with a computerized GoTo alt-azimuth mount and Celestron’s SkyAlign system. Its StarBright XLT optical coatings help maximize light transmission through the optical system, giving you clearer, more contrasty views of brighter celestial objects despite urban sky glow.
While a 5-inch aperture won’t gather as much light as larger scopes, this size still collects about 329× more light than the naked eye, which makes it quite capable of showing details on the Moon, planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and even some of the brighter star clusters and nebulae from suburb or city environments.
One of the biggest advantages of the NexStar 5SE in light-polluted conditions is its computerized GoTo system and database of tens of thousands of celestial objects. The SkyAlign alignment feature lets you set up quickly by centering just three bright stars — a boon when light pollution washes out fainter guide stars.
Once aligned, the telescope can automatically locate and track bright deep-sky targets or planets you choose, which is particularly useful when you can’t see a lot of guide stars to manually aim your instrument. For city observers who are more interested in visual enjoyment than manual star-hopping, this functionality makes urban stargazing far more accessible.
However, the NexStar 5SE’s smaller aperture and relatively narrow field of view (f/10 focal ratio) do limit how much deep-sky detail you can observe under heavy light pollution.
It really shines on the Moon and planetary targets, delivering crisp views and good contrast even under bright skies, but for very faint nebulae or galaxies in a city setting, you’ll likely only catch the brightest ones without resorting to a darker site or specialized filters.
That said, for urban astronomers who want a portable, easy-to-use telescope that doesn’t require hours of setup, the 5SE strikes a practical balance of performance and convenience.
3. Dianfan 150EQ Astronomical Reflector Telescope
- 150mm Large Aperture: The Dianfan 150EQ astronomical telescope features a 150mm aperture and a 650mm focal length.Its powerful light-gathering ability delivers sharp,bright, clear images—perfect for beginners, experienced stargazers and families to explore the wonders of the night sky
- High Magnification & Flexible Viewing: Equipped with two eyepieces and a 2× Barlow lens, this telescope offers magnification from 26x–130x.It delivers detailed lunar views such as craters and lunar seas.It is great telescope for adults high powered
- Easy to assemble and use: Pre-assembled equatorial mount for convenience, it takes beginners about 20 minutes to set up the telescope.Enjoy smooth, precise tracking with a German-style new EQ mount featuring intuitive dials and slow-motion control cables. Ideal for exploring both the starry sky and distant landscapes, it offers inverted daytime views for terrestrial objects without affecting celestial observation
- Comprehensive Kit & Portability: It includes a red dot finderscope, a phone adapter, a moon filter and a carry bag for versatile use.Sturdy, custom-fit carrying bag is designed for easy transport and storage to protect the telescope. The bag measures 35.4 inches in length, 13.9 inches in width, and 9.4 inches in height, weighing 14 kg. It can be carried by hand or over the shoulder, offering convenient portability for outdoor stargazing
- Stable Tripod: Comes with a stainless steel tripod that provides solid support and stable views. The telescope height is 48.4–66.2 inches,it is easy to set up and user-friendly. Durable and reliable for every session,making stargazing and sky exploration effortless
The Dianfan 150EQ Astronomical Reflector Telescope is a manual equatorial-mount reflector with a larger 150 mm aperture and 650 mm focal length, which gives it strong light-gathering capabilities.
A bigger aperture is one of the most useful features for observing skies affected by light pollution because it collects more light than smaller beginner scopes, helping you see brighter details on the Moon, planets, and some deep-sky objects even when urban glow washes out faint stars.
The telescope also includes two eyepieces and a 2× Barlow lens, giving a useful range of magnifications (about 26×–130×) that covers everything from wide views of star clusters to more detailed lunar and planetary observing.
The equatorial mount — with slow-motion control cables — is a notable plus for city skies. Light pollution often means only a few bright stars are visible, so being able to track objects smoothly as they move through the sky without constantly re-centering makes observing more enjoyable.
The included red dot finderscope and stable stainless steel tripod offer decent support for visual observing, although heavy-mounted setups like this are heavier and less portable than small alt-az telescopes or computerized GoTo systems. The package also comes with a moon filter and phone adapter, which are nice accessories for reducing glare on the Moon and capturing images, respectively.
However, because this is a manual telescope, it won’t automatically find or track objects for you — meaning you’ll still rely on visible stars to center targets. In heavily light-polluted areas where many stars are washed out, this can make finding fainter deep-sky objects more challenging compared to computerized or GoTo models.
Also, while the 150 mm aperture is good for urban skies, very faint galaxies and nebulae will still be tough to see without filters or travel to a darker site. For what it offers in price and optics, though, this telescope provides solid performance for beginners and intermediate observers who are willing to learn manual tracking and want a device capable of more than just casual Moon and planetary viewing from a backyard under bright skies.
4. Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 5-inch App-Enabled Telescope
- SMARTPHONE-POWERED SKY TOUR: No experience needed! Just dock your phone, launch the StarSense Explorer app, and follow the on-screen arrows to locate stars, planets, nebulae, and more.
- PATENTED STARSENSE TECHNOLOGY: Unlike other astronomy apps, StarSense Explorer uses sky recognition technology to turn your phone into a celestial navigation system, analyzing star patterns overhead to pinpoint your telescope’s position.
- TONIGHT’S BEST TARGETS, INSTANTLY: The app generates a curated list of the top objects to see based on your time and location. See planets, bright nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters from the city—and even more from dark skies.
- SIMPLE SETUP, SMOOTH TRACKING: Features a manual altazimuth mount with dual-axis slow-motion controls. Follow the on-screen arrows to your target; when the bullseye turns green, you can view it clearly through the eyepiece.
- 5-INCH SCHMIDT-CASSEGRAIN WITH IMPRESSIVE VIEWS: The 130mm optical tube with StarBright XLT coatings delivers sharp, vivid views of the Moon, planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and deep-sky favorites like the Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy.
The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX uses StarSense technology that turns your smartphone into a sky-navigation assistant — the phone’s camera and sensors analyze the night sky and guide you to targets with on-screen arrows.
This feature is especially valuable in light-polluted cities where fewer stars are visible to the naked eye, making traditional star-hopping difficult. The smartphone app generates a list of objects currently visible from your location and shows you exactly where to aim, effectively compensating for washed-out skies that hide dimmer guide stars.
Optically, the telescope has a 130 mm (5-inch) aperture Schmidt-Cassegrain design with Celestron’s StarBright XLT coatings, which help boost light transmission and contrast — useful when urban sky glow reduces object brightness.
The included 25 mm and 10 mm eyepieces give a good range of magnifications suitable for lunar, planetary, and some brighter deep-sky observing. The manual alt-azimuth mount with slow-motion controls lets you track objects smoothly once you’ve found them, which is a practical benefit for city observers who want stable views without complex setup.
That said, this model is not a fully automated GoTo telescope — you must manually move and center objects following the StarSense app’s guidance. In a heavily light-polluted sky, very faint galaxies and nebulae may still be challenging to observe without filters or darker skies.
However, for an affordable and user-friendly telescope that significantly simplifies finding celestial objects in urban environments, the StarSense Explorer DX offers excellent value for city stargazers, making it one of the more approachable and rewarding choices for beginners and intermediate users alike.
5. Celestron – NexStar 127SLT
- COMPUTERIZED STAR LOCATING TELESCOPE: The Celestron NexStar 127SLT offers a database of more than 40,000 stars, galaxies, nebulae, and more. Simply choose an object and the telescope finds it for you in the night sky and tracks it as it moves.
- MAKSUTOV-CASSEGRAIN OPTICAL DESIGN: With a large, 127mm aperture, the NexStar 127SLT can gather enough light to see our Solar System and beyond. View Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s cloud bands, the Moon's craters, and the Orion Nebula in brilliant detail.
- COMPACT AND PORTABLE: The ideal telescope for adults and kids to use together, the NexStar 127SLT is compact, lightweight, and portable. It's easy to transport just about anywhere—your favorite campsite, a dark sky observing site, or simply the backyard.
- FAST SETUP WITH SKYALIGN: Celestron’s proprietary SkyAlign procedure has you ready to observe in minutes. Center any 3 bright objects in the eyepiece and the NexStar SLT aligns to the night sky, ready to locate thousands of objects.
- BONUS FREE STARRY NIGHT SOFTWARE: Your Celestron NexStar 130SLT includes a free download of Starry Night Special Edition, one of the top-rated astronomy software programs. Simulate the sky, learn about celestial objects, & plan your observing session.
The Celestron NexStar 127SLT is a computerized Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope with a 127 mm (about 5 inch) aperture and built-in SkyAlign computerized GoTo system, letting you automatically find and track more than 40,000 celestial objects using the included NexStar+ hand controller.
Its Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design is compact and portable, while still offering higher light-gathering ability than many beginner refractors, meaning it can pick up brighter deep-sky objects like star clusters and nebulae more effectively than small 70–90 mm telescopes typically sold to beginners.
For observers in light-polluted cities, this model’s computerized object locating is a major advantage. City skies often wash out many fainter stars that you’d use to aim a manual telescope, so having the scope automatically slew to and track targets reduces frustration and makes observing much more enjoyable from urban backyards.
The 127 mm aperture also helps gather more light than most entry-level scopes, which improves contrast on the Moon and planets (like the rings of Saturn or Jupiter’s cloud bands) and lets you catch some of the brighter Messier objects — such as the Orion Nebula (M42) or the Hercules Globular Cluster — even when sky glow is significant.
However, despite its computerized mount and respectable aperture, there are still limitations when observing from heavy urban light pollution. While bright solar-system targets and some bright deep-sky objects will be satisfying to view, very faint galaxies and diffuse nebulae may remain washed out without filters or travel to darker skies. Maksutov-Cassegrain scopes like this one also have a longer focal length and narrower field of view compared with some rich-field refractors or larger Dobsonian reflectors, so star clusters and wide nebulae might appear smaller in the eyepiece. Still, for an observer in a city who wants a compact, easy-to-use telescope that automatically finds objects, the NexStar 127SLT is a strong and versatile choice that balances portability, power, and convenience.
6. HUGERSTAR 90 mm Refractor Telescope
- Superior Optics: This telescope features a large 80mm aperture and 600mm focal length for bright, wide-field views. Fully multi-coated lenses enhance light transmission and reduce glare - Ideal for astronomy at night and nature observation by day
- Optimum Magnification: This telescope for adults, kids, and beginners includes 25mm & 10mm eyepieces and a 3X Barlow lens, offering 24X-180X magnification. A 5X24 finder scope for fast targeting. Perfect for moon, birding, wildlife, scenery & stargazing
- Convenient Accessories: Comes with a sturdy aluminum tripod (adjustable from 21.2-44 inches) for stable viewing angles, a phone adapter for capturing and sharing images, and a moon filter reduces glare and improves contrast, making lunar viewing clearer and more comfortable
- Easy Setup & Portable: This refractor telescope offers a simple, no tools setup - 90% of users are ready in 10 minutes. Includes clear instructions. Lightweight and compact with a carry bag for travel. Perfect for beginners to enjoy backyard stargazing, camping, hiking, or wildlife viewing anytime, anywhere
- Satisfaction: Trusted by thousands of satisfied stargazers, the HUGERSTAR portable telescope inspires curiosity in science and astronomy, perfect for kids and beginners. A great choice for family bonding and learning, making exploration fun and memorable
The HUGERSTAR 90 mm professional refractor telescope offers a 90 mm aperture and 800 mm focal length with fully multi-coated optics, which is designed to improve light transmission and image brightness — a key benefit when observing celestial objects against the glow of urban skies.
The larger aperture compared to many entry-level scopes means it can collect significantly more light, helping bring out details on brighter targets like the Moon, Jupiter’s moons, Saturn’s rings, and prominent star clusters even when sky glow dims fainter features.
This telescope comes with two eyepieces and a 3× Barlow lens, yielding a useful range of magnification (approximately 32×–240×) and giving beginners flexibility for both wider views and more detailed looks. The included 5×24 finder scope makes it easier to dial in on objects, which helps in light-polluted conditions where many stars are dim and hard to pick out with the naked eye. An adjustable stainless-steel tripod and accessories like a phone adapter and moon filter add practical value — the moon filter can reduce glare and make lunar observing from city backyards more comfortable.
However, this scope is manual, meaning you’ll still need to locate and track objects yourself rather than relying on computerized guidance.
In a bright urban sky, very faint galaxies and nebulae will remain challenging to spot without specialized filters or travel to darker skies, and the basic alt-azimuth mount may feel a bit wobbly at higher magnifications. Still, for beginners or casual observers in a city who want a portable, affordable telescope that brings dramatic views of the Moon, planets, and brighter deep-sky objects, this HUGERSTAR model offers solid optical performance and an accessible entry into backyard astronomy.
7. Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ App-Enabled Telescope
- SMARTPHONE-POWERED SKY TOUR: No experience needed! Just dock your phone, launch the StarSense Explorer app, and follow the on-screen arrows to locate stars, planets, nebulae, and more.
- PATENTED STARSENSE TECHNOLOGY: Unlike other astronomy apps, StarSense Explorer uses sky recognition technology to turn your phone into a celestial navigation system, analyzing star patterns overhead to pinpoint your telescope’s position.
- TONIGHT’S BEST TARGETS, INSTANTLY: The app generates a curated list of the top objects to see based on your time and location. See planets, bright nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters from the city—and even more from dark skies.
- SIMPLE SETUP, SMOOTH TRACKING: Features a manual altazimuth mount with dual-axis slow-motion controls. Follow the on-screen arrows to your target; when the bullseye turns green, you can view it clearly through the eyepiece.
- 102MM REFRACTOR WITH IMPRESSIVE VIEWS: The 4" Refractor with high-reflectivity coatings delivers sharp, vivid views of the Moon, planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and deep-sky favorites like the Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy.
The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ App‑Enabled Telescope pairs a 102 mm achromatic refractor optical tube with Celestron’s StarSense smartphone-assisted pointing system.
Rather than a traditional GoTo mount, the telescope uses your phone’s camera and sensors to “plate-solve” the sky and provide on-screen guidance for where to point the scope, which is especially helpful when most stars are washed out by urban light pollution — you don’t need many naked-eye stars to align the scope. This makes setup and finding objects much easier than with a fully manual telescope. Celestron
Optically, the 102 mm refractor gathers a respectable amount of light for its size, meaning you’ll get bright views of the Moon, planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and larger star clusters even under city skies where the sky glow limits contrast.
The wider field of view compared with some longer-focal-length designs also makes it enjoyable to observe open clusters like the Pleiades and bright nebulae such as Orion — objects that hold up relatively well in light pollution. Reviewers note good basic optics for the price, though inherent color fringing (a characteristic of achromats) and fiddly accessories (starter eyepieces and a basic diagonal) can slightly temper peak clarity.
The alt-azimuth mount with slow-motion controls is simple and beginner-friendly, but it’s not as stable or smooth as heavier mounts, which can be noticeable at higher magnifications.
The supplied eyepieces and diagonal are basic, and many users upgrade them over time for sharper views. While StarSense dramatically simplifies finding targets in light-polluted skies, this setup still doesn’t track objects automatically — you manually nudge the telescope to keep objects in view. Very faint deep-sky galaxies and nebulae will remain difficult to observe from bright city locations without filters or traveling to darker skies, but for beginners and casual urban astronomers, this telescope strikes a good balance of accessibility, smartphone assistance, and optical capability.
Conclusion
The Celestron PowerSeeker 127 EQ is a good option for observing under light-polluted skies because its large 127 mm aperture gathers more light than smaller beginner scopes, improving views of the Moon, planets, and brighter deep-sky objects even where city glow washes out fainter stars.
Its reflector design and adjustable equatorial mount also help you track targets more smoothly once aligned. For urban astronomers who want strong optical performance without a huge price tag, the PowerSeeker 127 EQ strikes a practical balance of light-gathering ability, stability, and value that makes backyard stargazing more rewarding despite light pollution.
Written by:
Chandrashekhara Rao
I grew up in a rural community with a dark sky, and that is where I learned to appreciate planets and stars at an early age. I have been fascinated with all things astronomical since I was a kid and started with a cheap-and-cheerful 60mm refractor on a wobbly tripod.
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