About
Methodology & disclosure
TelescopePrices puts every smart telescope side by side — by objective specs and live price — so you can decide between Seestar, Dwarf, Vespera, Unistellar and Celestron Origin.
How we rank: $/mm (price per mm of aperture)
Aperture — the diameter of the telescope's main optic — determines light-gathering power. Collecting area grows with the square of aperture, and unlike marketing figures it can't be inflated by spec-sheet spin. So we use the simplest honest value metric:
$/mm = best price ÷ aperture (mm)
Lower means more light-gathering power per dollar. But it's only one dimension: portability, field of view, sensor, whether it has an eyepiece, and GoTo/automation may matter more than raw aperture. That's why we show every spec and let you re-sort by aperture, price, or resolution by clicking any column header.
Where prices come from & how often they update
- OPT (optcorp.com): live prices via their public Shopify product data (covers Vaonis, Unistellar and more).
- Amazon: covers the volume models (ZWO Seestar, DwarfLab, Celestron Origin) that OPT doesn't stock.
- Prices refresh on a schedule; each model page shows when it was last updated. An MSRP tag means we don't yet have a live quote and are showing the manufacturer's list price.
Where specs come from
Specs are compiled from manufacturers' published material. We aim for accuracy but the manufacturer's official spec sheet is the final word. Spot an error? Let us know.
Affiliate disclosure
Some outbound links are affiliate links — if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Commissions help us keep the price data flowing and the site running. Our rankings are based on specs and price and are never adjusted for commission. This complies with the U.S. FTC's affiliate-disclosure requirements.