Looking for a telescope, but worried you've missed out on all those holiday deals? Don't worry, there are still bargains to be had, several of which can be found at Walmart.
Walmart offers a fantastic selection of budget-friendly telescopes, including great options under $500, perfect for upgrading your astronomy gear without overspending. We check and update our deals regularly to help you save money on stargazing gifts.
We've included a range of options to suit every stargazer, from beginners to seasoned professionals. If you don't see a suitable scope here, explore our guides for telescopes on Amazon and Best Buy telescopes, or check out our recommendations for the best telescopes, telescope deals, best binoculars, and binocular deals.
So, for the top telescope deals at Walmart, read on.
Telescopes at Walmart in 2025
Telescopes at Walmart: Best deals January 2025
Buying advice
When buying a telescope you need to consider two main factors: Your budget and what you want to view. The latter's particularly important, because some telescopes are better suited to viewing moons and planets than to gazing at far-off galaxies.
There are three main types of telescopes out there, and figuring out what you want to view will help you decide what type of telescope you will need. Those types are refractors, reflectors and catadioptric telescopes.
For beginners, refractor telescopes are often a popular choice due to their easy-to-maintain and use style. They're straightforward to use and easy to manufacturer, which means they're generally cheaper, putting them well within the reach of new stargazers.
Reflector telescopes tend to have larger apertures and are better for low-magnification targets like nebulas and galaxies. You get two types of reflector telescopes: Dobsonians and Newtonians, although there's some crossover between these. In brief, though, Dobsonians are easier to maintain and often found attached to the alt-azimuth mount. Newtonians are more commonly affixed to equatorial mounts, which allow you to follow the rotation of the night sky more accurately, but they require more upkeep.
Finally, catadioptric telescopes fix issues found in both of the above types of scope – such as chromatic aberration and the coma effect – and they are typically equipped with a GoTo system. These systems are essentially mini-computers that align your telescope to particular night sky objects.
You get two types of catadioptrics, the Schmidt-Cassegrain and the Maksutov-Cassegrain. As a rule, the latter is better for viewing planets, while the former models are a little more versatile and feature bigger apertures, so they’re preferred by astrophotographers. However, these telescopes do tend to be relatively expensive.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
