If you're a newbie astronomer looking for the crème de la crème of beginner telescopes, the Celestron NexStar 4SE is hard to beat. It's quick to set up, easy to use and produces great views of the moon and planets — we awarded it 4 stars in our review over at our sister site Space.com, and named it the best beginner telescope.
It's the same price across retailers like Walmart and Amazon, although Walmart 'appears' to be the better deal due to the higher 'before' price. We track the prices throughout the year, and it typically retails for $749, making this price of $679 the cheapest we've seen it since April.
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The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for a backyard setup, and its sturdy frame reduces vibrations very well. We found the calibration to be easy to do and only took a few minutes, and the motors are smooth and efficient to get you observing in no time. Once you're up and running, you'll be treated to the instant wow factor of lunar and planetary views — we loved observing Jupiter and its moons.
Even if you have no telescope experience or prior knowledge of the night sky, this telescope is suitable for everyone and its automated GoTo technology and database will guide you through the sky, so you just need to select an object using the hand controller, and the telescope will locate and track it for you. While it's not the most powerful telescope in the range, it's still worth buying and will suit beginners for a long time until you're ready to level up.
Key features: 4-inch aperture, 52.17-inch (1325 mm) focal length, 25mm eyepiece, 22 lbs 15 oz (10.4kg).
Product launched: 2003
Price history: It's been cheaper during previous Prime Day and Black Friday events, but this price of $679 is the best we've seen since April.
Price comparison: Amazon: $679 | Walmart: $679 | Best Buy: $679
Reviews consensus: Rated as our best beginner telescope, it's a quick and easy way to get beautiful views of the moon and planets, with a user-friendly GoTo system that's ideal for newbies.
Space: ★★★★
Featured in guides: Best beginner telescopes
✅ Buy it if: You want an easy-to-use telescope for a good price that doesn't compromise on features and optical quality.
❌ Don't buy it if: You want to view deep space objects — we'd recommend at least a 6-inch telescope for this.
Check out our other guides to the best telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors and much more.
