In the last two to three years the world of amateur telescopes has been turned on its head. The advances in technology have been beyond incredible.

Honestly, it's been hard to keep up with it all!

As I wrote earlier this year, there is a revolution going on. The way I see it, there are basically two types of telescopes to choose from: conventional visual telescopes and small digital astrophotography telescopes. These small photo telescopes take wonderful images at much lower prices that, in some cases, rival much larger and more expensive astrophotography setups.

With both types of scopes, smart technology is available that makes exploring the night sky a lot more fun and less time-consuming.

There are also advantages and disadvantages to both types of telescopes, depending on personal preference.

The main mission of any telescope is to gather as much light as possible. While magnification is important, light-gathering ability is much more critical. That determines how clear your image will be. Magnification, or “power,” is controlled by which eyepiece you use. Most telescopes come with two or three eyepieces. Usually, 100- to 200-power magnification is the most you’ll ever need for most celestial targets. Higher magnification eyepieces are generally used on planets and the moon.

I’ve been flabbergasted by the advances in visual telescopes. Now you can get a scope that excels at collecting light, and many also come equipped with built-in navigation systems that will direct your telescope automatically to one of thousands of desired targets like star clusters, galaxies and more. Some you can even control remotely with your smartphone.

There are three basic types of visual telescopes: refractors, reflectors and Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes.

Below are some of my specific suggestions for visual telescopes.

1. The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Newtonian Reflector Telescope

This Newtonian Reflector Telescope is perfect for beginners. Its user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials make it like having your personal tour guide of the night sky. The app uses patented technology to determine where the telescope is pointed in real time, making locating objects easier. $368

2. Celestron StarSense Explorer 8-inch Smartphone App-Enabled Dobsonian Telescope

This is a much larger version of the Celestron StarSense DX 130AZ scope with the same smartphone app for easy and precise navigation. $879

3. Celestron NexStar 6SE

This Schmidt-Cassegrain type has a fully automated GoTo mount with a database of 40,000-plus celestial objects that automatically locates and tracks objects for you. Just type in the celestial target you want to see, and it will electronically guide the telescope right to it — then, track it across the sky! (I have this scope, and I just love it.) $1199

4. The Celestron First Scope — designed for children about 8 to 10 years old. It’s a reflector telescope with a small mirror. $80

The newer digital astrophotography telescopes are simply amazing in my opinion. You don’t “look” through them, but you’re able to take hundreds of images. Again, the images they produce won’t be as good as you’d get with much more expensive astronomical cameras and telescopes, but some will be darn close, suitable for framing!

You will see more detail and certainly more color in any celestial image you take than you would visually observe with a conventional telescope. The reason is that when you shoot images, even ones only a few seconds long, you collect and accumulate much more light than you can with your eyes looking through a visual telescope. We can’t accumulate and store light with our eyes. They weren’t designed that way.

Photographic scopes also “stack” individual subframes that produce wonderful celestial images.

They also have built-in navigation systems that will direct, or “point,” the scope to hundreds of targets, including the sun and moon, and then “follow” them across the sky, compensating for the Earth’s rotation. You control the scope with a smartphone or tablet using Bluetooth. It’s even possible to control them from the inside of your house, as long as the signal doesn’t get out of range. That really comes in handy on cold winter nights!

What I really find fantastic is that these photographic telescopes come with built-in light pollution filters, enabling you to get great shots even in heavily lit-up urban or suburban areas.

I truly love these scopes. No matter where you are, in a city or a country, I really believe you’ll be a lot happier with the images they produce compared to what you see with a conventional visual scope.

If you want to get a young person excited about stargazing and astronomy, I think you should go with photographic scopes. The cost of these scopes is also amazing, less than $600. You really can’t get much of a visual telescope for that price! Below are my specific recommendations.

1. ZWO Seestar S50

This amazing telescope camera system takes absolutely stunning celestial photos of star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, the moon, the sun and more, all in color! It’s less than a cubic foot in size and weighs less than 5 pounds. Using Bluetooth, you control the Seestar S50 on your smartphone or tablet. It directs itself to the celestial target of your choice and then projects the image on your phone or tablet, and then begins the process of live stacking. As the sub-exposures build in, the picture gets clearer and clearer. You have to see it to believe it! It also does daytime land photos and video. All of this for only $549.

2. ZWO Seestar S30

It’s a smaller, more compact version of the Seestar S50 but just about as powerful. What’s most amazing is that it’s only $399.

As it is with just about everything, you can use Amazon, which makes shopping so easy. I love it. You can certainly buy a scope on Amazon, but the problem is that if you encounter issues with it, the options for finding help are very limited.

I think you’re much better off either purchasing your scope directly from the manufacturer or from a telescope dealership. The problem is that there aren’t many telescope dealers left anymore.

My favorite dealership is Starizona in Tucson, Ariz. I’ve done business with them for years. They have wonderful people who you can actually get help with, before and after the sale, even over the phone. Their website is www.starizona.com.

If you’re ever in Tucson, visit their store. You won’t want to leave.

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is also the author of “Stars: a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations,” published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and at adventurepublications.net. Contact him at mikewlynch@comcast.net.