The Independent Newspaper published a review of the Top Ten Telecopes on the 16th November 2006. We put this on our web site and many customers found it useful in helping them to narrow down the choice of telescope. We've updated the list to take into account new products and price changes, and now offer it as the 'Green Witch Top Ten'.

There are many more excellent telescopes available and if you don't see one here that catches your eye please give us a call on 01954 211288 to discuss your requirements. But hopefully this list will provide food for thought and help you home on on the telescope that is right for you.

• SKY WATCHER

This looks like a toy but looks can be deceptive. It is a very good telescope that any youngster will get a great deal of use from. Unlike larger telescopes with tripods it can be kept in a child's bedroom without becoming a nuisance.

The optics are much better than you might expect from the price and its aperture is big enough to show Saturn's rings, Jupiter's Galilean moons, craters, mountains, rock walls and rills on our own Moon, plus all the objects in Messier's famous list.

It's also great fun for daytime use as well, provided the user understands never to point it at the Sun.

• Celestron

We've included this telescope because it offers all that a beginner needs to enjoy the wonders of the night sky. A good-sized aperture on a stable equatorial mount and tripod combine with a remarkably low price to provide an affordable entry level telescope.

It is suitable for young people and for adults who want to try astronomy but don't want to make a large outlay initially. If the bug bites and you move onto bigger and better things this telescope will still be useful as the one you grab when you just want a quick look at some old favourites.

The equatorial mount is easy to set up and it makes finding and tracking objects quite straightforward.

• Sky Watcher

This short-tube refractor gives a lovely wide-field view of the sky and is ideal for browsing the Milky Way and taking in the full beauty of larger objects such as the Pleiades. Its wide field also makes it easier to find objects by star-hopping, one of the best ways to learn your way around the sky.

Its sturdy mount and auto-tracking system allow it to be used at higher magnifications so all the regular objects such as Saturn's rings, Jupiter's Galilean moons and the Messier objects are well within its range.

The autotracking system allows an alt-az mount to be used which reduces the size and weight compared to an equatorial mount.

Beginners are often recommended to start with a pair of binoculars. This telescope gives a view similar to that seen through a large pair of binoculars but it overcomes the problems that binoculars often bring, ie it is on a steady mount, the eyepiece is at a convenient angle to avoid a cricked neck and your arms won't ache from holding it.

• Sky Watcher

The cheapest way to buy a large aperture is the Dobsonian Telescope. Named after John Dobson who introduced it to make astronomy simpler and more affordable it continues to be a very popular format.

Apart from the price, one of its main advantages is its simplicity, both to set up and to use. Just plonk it down and it's ready for use. Push it to point at the area of sky you want to explore then nudge it to star hop or to keep an object in view.

It won't find objects for you and it won't track them but if you want a large aperture at a low price and are happy to explore the sky for yourself then this is a real bargain.

• Sky Watcher

For a little more money you can buy an 8-inch Newtonian Telescope with optics similar to the Skyliner 200 but on a sturdy equatorial mount. The advantage of an equatorial mount is that it makes it easy to track an object and keep it in the field of view. Slow-motion controls allow the object to be centred, then as it drifts out of the field due to the Earth's rotation you just tweak the RA slow motion control to follow it.

Aligning the mount is quite straightforward. A scale on the side allows you to set it for your latitude then just point the main axis north and it's ready for use. Accurate alignment isn't necessary for visual use as minor corrections can be applied with the slow-motion controls.

This is a serious size of aperture that will show a wide range of objects in great detail. The equatorial mount makes it easy to keep an object in view and motors can be added to do this automatically if you wish.

The EQ5 mount and tripod is quite stable so high magnifications are possible when atmospheric conditions allow.

• Celestron

When the Nexstar 6 SE was released in April 2007 it became an instant success. All our staff were very impressed and we continue to recommend it highly as one of the best telescopes in its price range. It uses a new optical tube from Celestron mounted on a remarkably stable single fork arm making it easy to handle.

It comes with full computer control built in and alignment is so simple anyone can do it. You don't need to know anything about the sky, just point the telescope at three bright objects and let it work out what they are. Once it has done this it can find and follow anything else in its massive database.

Its six-inch aperture means it can show show you fascinating views of all the different types of visible objects in the night sky, from planets, asteroids and comets in our Solar System, through nebulae and star clusters in our galaxy, to distant galaxies in the wider Universe.

• Celestron

The 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope has long been one of the most popular telescopes for serious amateur astronomers. Celestron's CPC 800 is one of the most popular and is ideal for anyone wanting a large aperture that is still easy for one person to handle alone.

The CPC 800 is quick and easy to set up. It uses Celestron's very simple sky alignment procedure that can be carried out in a few minutes with no prior knowledge of astronomy. The built-in computer control is intuitive and even a beginner will soon be finding and following a wide range of the best visual objects in the night sky.

It is also a good platform for astrophotography and can be used with a wide range of camera adaptors. It can be used at its natural focal ratio of f/10 or with the addition of a focal reducer can be used at f/6.3 to give a wider field of view. A very exciting option is to add the Hyperstar prime focus corrector for very fast wide-field astrophotography. This allows you to fit a camera at the front of the telescope to use the primary mirror at f/2 to take stunning deep-sky images in a fraction of the time taken at f/10 or even f/6.3.

Whether you plan to use the telescope visually or for astrophotography this is is a great package to base your astronomy around.

• MEADE

We've included a second 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope to reflect the popularity of this type. Meade and Celestron offer very similar products with comparable performance. The LX90 is perhaps one of the most popular quality telescope ranges and we have no hesitation in recommending it.

With a built-in GPS receiver linked to its computer control system the LX90 quickly establishes its position and accurate time as a basis for navigating the sky with unprecedented accuracy. Using Meade's patented alignment procedure the telescope is soon ready for use, either for visual observing or for astrophotography.

Meade has an enviable reputation for the quality and breadth of its product line. If you choose the LX90 you have the backing of the world's leading astronomical telescope manufacturer.

• CELESTRON

If you want a larger aperture that is still feasible for one person to set up unaided then the Nexstar CGE 925 is highly recommended. Unlike the fork-mounted telescopes, the optical tube assembly can be removed and carried separately making it easy to handle the larger aperture. The sturdy tripod and equatorial mount can also be separated to make loads that the average person can manage with ease.

Equatorial mounts have the advantage over alt-azimuth mounts of being free of field rotation. This is important for long-exposure astrophotography making the CGE 925 an ideal platform for the dedicated imager.

• CORONADO

Until recently only professional solar researchers and eclipse chasers were able to see solar prominences. The Personal Solar Telescope (PST) makes them visible any day the Sun is shining and reveals lots of surface detail. Use the PST on an ordinary tripod; see our Solar Viewing Equipment section for other accessories.

Although this is a specialised telescope (only useful for the Sun) it gives such remarkable views we recommend it for everyone. It is especially good for schools where it can be used during the school day to bring the Sun and its physics to life.