Ease of use and portability: If a telescope is too complex or cumbersome, it might deter you from using it regularly. Beginners should look for telescopes that are easy to set up, transport, and ...

A 2.4-inch refracting telescope, for example, should never use more than 120-power magnification (the general rule of thumb is 50-power per inch of aperture).

Instead, the telescopes use a smart algorithm and autofocus system to do that work for you. And the multi-depth technology lets you switch seamlessly between near and far objects, a feature you won't ...

Why do people use telescopes to look into space but not binoculars? – Niraj, age 6, Arlington, Massachusetts Go outside right now. What’s the farthest thing you can see? A tree? A bird?

The night starts with shooting a laser into the sky to create an artificial guide star; they then use that to focus the telescope by changing the position of each mirror segment.

With the James Webb Space Telescope safely deployed, many scientists want to use it. To minimize the effect of unconscious biases, they go through a process developed for the Hubble Space Telescope.

Using a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, it might be possible to use the sun as a gigantic telescope to peer deep into space.

Night sky watcher Daniel Lanpher sent in a photo of his son, Wes, learning to use the family's telescope in Lansdale PA, a suburb of Philadelphia, taken in early December 2012. Lanpher writes: "In ...