Description

FirstScope Telescope Official Product of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy. Ideal astronomical entry level telescope. The FirstScope Telescope pays tribute to Galileo Galilei and may of history's most notable astronomers and scientists. We honor these men and women for their contributions bringing us one step closer to understanding the universe around us. The compact design makes it easy to take with you on your next outdoor adventure. The FirstScope is also stylish enough to be used as a decorative fixture on your bookshelves or desk.

Features

• FirstScope Telescope
• 76mm aperture reflector optical tube
• Moveable tube for ease of navigation for viewing
• Lightweight, portable
• Two eyepieces included

Reviews

Very Disapointed

by wendy stowell from on 2010-09-08
I bought this as a gift and was embarrased when we tried it out. Maybe you need to buy better lenses to see more, I don't know. I'm leary to put any more money into this. The moon was slightly bigger and the stars/planets were only a slightly brighter dot in the sky. My binoculars work as well as this. I am sooooo disappointed in this telescope!! Don't waste your money on this little thing. I wish I would have invested in something a lot stronger!

Great amateur telescope

by Tikirocks from on 2010-09-03
It will suprise how stable and clear images this telescope is providing. The images looks clear and if is provided in a stable surfice, the image will not move at all. It is small and can take it almos anywhere. It easy to use (you really don't need the manual). The extras are not really necesary, it depends of how much use you will give it, you will know if you want it when you fist buy the telescope.

FirstScope

by cmo from on 2010-09-01
Great for Beginners! Gets you looking at the moon and the stars quick and easy. Better packaging was to be desired. Shipped in original box with little padding but it survived. checked it out on arrival and everything was ok.

Awesome Telelscope

by Dominique Inge from Fort Benning, GA on 2010-08-04
I bought this item for my son's birthday 7th today and turned out to be an awesome product. The interchangeable lenses make the experience a great one. Will be purchasing the accessory kit that comes separately for the telescope. No issues with shipping and arrived on time for sure.

Sorry To Say It Sucked For Me

by PaganDeva2000 from Jamacia, NY United States on 2010-08-02
I purchased this scope with great anticipation to practice before getting a 'real' one. I hate to say it, I really do, but I couldn't even focus on the moon. The finderscope, in my humble opinion should be placed directly where the eyepiece is while the eyepiece should be on the side...dunno. I was disappointed. Didn't return it, though, because for one, I did take it to a store that told me it works, and I do plan to try again, but, I'm already moving on to an Orion, anyhow.

Description

Celestron Nexstar 130SLT Newtonian Reflector Telescope lets you travel through our solar system and explore nearby stars and galaxies without leaving earth. It acts as a window to worlds beyond knowledge and imagination. With SkyAlign and PC connectivity, you become familiar with other worlds. If the many wonders of deep space fascinate you but you don't know how to find those fascinating sights, why not let this Celestron telescope do the finding for you? The new SkyAlign easy alignment technology and Star Pointer red dot LED finder of the Celesctron NexStar 130 SLT 5.1 go-to reflector make lining up on the sky a breeze. Once aligned, the scope's computer hand control will find more than 4,000 celestial objects for you and will track them unerringly while you observe at your leisure. With its pre-assembled adjustable height steel tripod and easy no-tool assembly, the NexStar 130 SLT can be up and ready to take you on a tour of the Universe in a matter of minutes. The 130mm aperture of the NexStar 130 SLT gathers well over two and a half times as much light as even an advanced 80mm refractor, for not much more money, giving you deep space images that are bright and well defined. With the appropriate high power eyepiece and a resolution 62% higher than an 80mm scope, it will give you lunar/planetary images that are crisp and detailed. Whether an advanced entry-level scope for the beginning astronomer, or a second scope for the more-than-casual backyard astronomer, the NexStar 130SLT takes you beyond. Adjustable height tripod Celestron 2-Year Warranty

Celestron’s computerized NexStar 130 SLT adds affordable "Go-To" technology to a compact Newtonian reflector telescope. By using mirrors instead of lenses, the Newtonian optics of the NexStar 130 SLT produce an image nearly five times brighter than the NexStar 60 SLT refractor telescope. The package includes everything except the batteries, and features easy no-tool setup, two good eyepieces, and even includes a student version of "The Sky" planetarium software. The Newtonian design of the NexStar 130 SLT is optimized to produce bright images over a wide field of view. When I use an optional 32mm Plossl eyepiece, the famous Double Cluster in Perseus looks like a display of celestial fireworks with streamers of stars trailing across the 2 degree field of view. The standard equipment 25mm eyepiece magnifies the image about 26 times, with a wide field of view just right for viewing deep space objects like star clusters or the Orion Nebula. The included 9mm eyepiece (72x magnification) offers great views of the Lunar disk and globular star clusters like M13. And when I add a 2x Barlow lens to the 9mm eyepiece for a total magnification of 144x, I can easily see cloud bands on the planet Jupiter and pick up detail in Saturn’s rings. The NexStar 130 SLT also features Celestron’s patented SkyAlign technology. With SkyAlign I don't need a star chart or a compass to align the telescope, I just enter the date and time then point the telescope at three bright stars. SkyAlign tells me the star names, and allows the telescope to find over 4,000 stars, planets, and galaxies by just pushing a button. The accurate tracking makes it easy to get high power views of the planets, and allowed me to take some great pictures using a Celestron NexImage webcam. I also like the "Two-Star align" and "Solar System align" modes because I can often get the NexStar system up and running while older scopes are still waiting for their alignment stars to appear in he twilight. Reflector telescopes offer more light gathering power per dollar than any other design, but that value is balanced by the fact that the mirrors may need to be aligned or "collimated" occasionally. Using Celestron’s Collimation Eyepiece I had no trouble fine tuning the optical alignment, and I was rewarded with sharp views of Lunar craters even when I pushed the magnification up to the theoretical limit of 300x. The other drawback of a computerized telescope, of course, is battery consumption. An optional PowerTank battery is a handy way to power the NexStar 130 SLT, and I like to keep the tripod legs short and observe while seated because this gives me a solid and comfortable view. --Jeff Phillips Pros: Wide field views Computerized go-to tracking Light and portable Cons: Short battery life Sensitive to vibration Suggested Options: Celestron Accessory Kit Celestron PowerTank battery Celestron Collimation Eyepiece

Features

• Computerized hand control with 4,000-object database
• SkyAlign allows you to align on any 3 bright celestial objects
• Motorized Altazimuth mount
• Focal ratio: f5
• Focal length: 650mm

Reviews

Buyer Beware

by Dissatisfied from on 2010-08-10
Just unpacked this last night. Did not work. Called tech support thismorning and that was no help. There only suggestion was to send it back to them. I guess I did not do a thorough a job of researching as I thought I did. My bust.

Misleading

by Casey Frey from The Colony, Texas on 2010-07-13
My quarrel isn't so much with the telescope as it is with the photos provided to demonstrate the telescope's abilities. The pictures provided were not pictures that have been taken using the telescope, not to mention the fact that the telescope lacks the power to even view these images with such clarity. It would probably be better to have no pictures than to show misleading ones.

Great starter scope

by L. Mitchell from Bonham, Texas on 2010-06-20
I've just started using this scope a couple of months ago after it sitting in my closet for 2 years. But in the past 2 months I've used this practically every clear night available. Here are my thoughts and advice after extensive use:For the price and the aperture this scope is great. The first thing I did was buy a Ultima barlow and 3 X-Cel eyepieces - 25mm, 10mm, and a 2.3mm. With the 10mm barlowed you get magnification of 130X which will give you great views of the rings of Saturn and the bands of Jupiter. On nights of exceptional seeing you can use the 2.3mm for a magnification of 280X -which is close to the max useful magnification of 300X- and can see the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. The moon is awesome at high magnification, but if it is more than a quarter full you need a filter because it is too bright to view. From my very light polluted yard (limiting magnitude at zenith about 4 - 4.5) I can still see most of the Messier catalog, although I haven't been able to resolve any globulars, and some of the fainter nebula aren't viewable, and the few brighter galaxies are just smudges. However, open clusters are great to look at and some of the brighter nebula are great (Orion, Swan, Lagoon). I'm sure that if you get this scope to a dark site it would be way better.As far as the GoTo feature - it works great if you align it properly. The most important things you need to do are to enter an accurate time(don't estimate - I was off by 20 minutes one night and couldn't find anything) and date, gps coordinates (I used Google Earth to get the exact coordinates of my house and anywhere else I may take my scope), and have the scope level. As far as the Star align, I found that the One Star align works best. If you don't know any named stars use the Sky software that came with the scope and learn to identify the brightest stars in the sky for that night. Using this method I've consistently been able to slew to dozens of Messier objects each night with no problem. Last night I spent 2 hours slewing between about 14 different objects in the southern part of the sky, and at the end of the session the scope was still bringing objects to near the center of my 25mm eyepiece - it definitely does what it is supposed to.Also learn how to collimate it. The manual shows how to do this just by looking through the focuser and centering the reflection of you eye - this will give you a rough collimation - but to align more accurately you need to buy a collimation tool.Overall this is a great beginners scope - it will show you enough of the wonders of the night sky to make you want a bigger scope and see even deeper!

We are pleased

by Jason Nordby from Minnesota, USA on 2010-05-15
This was a gift for my daughter for her 13th birthday. We had it out last night for the second time for our first serious attempt at observation. Sky alignment is a snap and my daughter performed last night's alignment with me talking her through it. After the controller indicated a successful alignment, my daughter selected Saturn and the mount went to work and locked on to Saturn with minimal manual slewing to center the planet in the eyepiece. We swapped out eyepieces from 32mm all the way down to 4mm (the scope only comes with 25 & 9mm as advertised...we bought the 1.25" eypiece/filter/Barlow kit). At 25mm with a 2x Barlow the rings of Saturn barely began to emerge. But by the time we hit 4mm w/Barlow the rings were pronounced and crisp, the planet was resolved to a nice-sized disc, and as a bonus two of Saturn's moons were visible. The only difficulty in using this scope is in understanding and achieving collimation (alignment of the optics). I ordered the Celestron collimation eyepiece at the same time as the scope and other accessories. I am a manufacturing laser operater and deal with optics alignment several times on any work day. The instruction sheet included with the collimation eyepiece did little to instill confidence and I found myself alternately reviewing the instructions and staring through the pinhole of the eyepice for more than an hour before I started turning screws. I had to collimate the scope right out of the box as it shipped with loose primary mirror locking screws. One week later (yesterday) I found that both the primary and secondary mirrors had shifted and another collimation was necessary. The secondary mirror adjustments are very difficult compared to the primary which are quite easy after overcoming the initial anxiety. I was at it for quite a while again. I must have done well as indicated by such sharp focus on Saturn's rings and no perceptible wandering of stars during de-focusing. But you will have to collimate, so get a collimating eyepiece with this kind of telescope. Perhaps a laser-equipped collimator would make the process easier?

Great Telescope

by David H. Israel from Macon, Georgia on 2010-04-26
First I bought the Celestron 130 SLT ( Christmas 2009)and the 60 SLT. It was so easy; I started ordering eyepieces, filters, ccd, SkyScout, Nexstar Connect, the PowerTank (17aH) power inverter and the solar filter. I will admit I expected to take deep space pictures but the mount is really only good for planetary Pictures. My Bad...the literature says as much! The SkyScout hooked-up to the telescope is the bomb! They say in their literature that it will not slew the scope...wrong! It is great. In one night I had a "StarParty" with some friends who have never seen a real telescope. I looked like a pro: point the SkyScout, it orally tells what you are seeing and slews the scope to the object. We saw everything on the SkyTools III list for the night that was viewable: Moon, Saturn, Saturn's moons, Mercury, Venus, and took pictures. Someone would ask what is that, they would point with the SkyScout and away we would go. My friends never realized that this was the first time I had operated the SkyScout "Connected" to the SLT's. One said, this is better than that planetarium (referring to the Mark Smith Planetarium). Though they were indeed wrong, what they were actually saying, "this is great fun." I have a crowd anytime I go stargazing. What fun! I am ordering the CGEM 1100 HDEdge because I am teaching Astronomy next year and I am teaching in Malawi this Summer and can see the Southern Constellations. I expect deep space pictures. I am certain I will!

Description

If you're looking for a dual-purpose telescope appropriate for both terrestrial and celestial viewing, then the AstroMaster Series is for you. Each AstroMaster model is capable of giving correct views of land and sky.

Features

• Quick and easy no-tool setup
• Permanently mounted StarPointer
• Erect image optics - Ideal for terrestrial and astronomical use
• "The Sky®" Level 1 planetarium software with 10,000 object database and enhanced images
• Rugged pre-assembled tripod with 1.25" steel tube legs - Provides a rigid and stable platform

Reviews

The Telescope

by Steven Neunhoffer from Nome, Alaska on 2010-08-03
I returned this item, but not any issue related about the performance or components. Telescopes are like clothes, they fit selectively. After talking with the Technical guy at Celestron I discovered that you Need an Dark environment to use the telescope effectively. The first half of enjoying a telescope is having the area to view stars and planets. Choose this telescope (the price was GREAT!) but beware, you have to have the time and environment to really enjoy views.

Great telescope for the beach

by A. Link from Northern Virginia on 2010-07-26
We purchased this based on other reviews. It was very easy to put together and also easy to use and to transport. We use it at the beach to watch birds and distant boats. It's been a great telescope for this. - We haven't used it to stargaze yet. I would highly recommend this as a great all-around family telescope.

Great Christmas present

by NurseShannon from on 2010-05-12
I got this for my boyfriend last Christmas and he still loves it. It has a very sturdy base, and is very nicely made. It even shipped sooner than originally promised! It's not the highest quality telescope, but for this price it was great for a beginner. I would guess that children could use it with ease, as well.

My Review

by Curtis Smith from Bakersfield, Ca on 2010-02-15
This is my first telescope and I couldn't be happier with the overall quality of the construction and ease of setting up, no tools required. This is a great starter telescope for the money paid with no extra taxes and free shipping how could I complain it was a great deal in my opinion.

Overall rating

by P. Aumick from NY on 2010-02-12
Overall this was a good purchase. My son is a new star gazer and this is just what we needed. It was easy to put together. It took a little while to find something in the sky. We could see the moon great and even make out its craters. I wish we had more magnification--can get more lens for extra purchase however. It is a sturdy telescope and we are happy with it so far. As for delivery, it was here the next day--that blew my socks off!!

Description

The PowerSeekers come with all coated glass optical components with for enhanced image brightness and clarity. The Newtonian reflectors offer larger aperture and greater light gathering power needed to resolve the faint detail of hundreds of deep-sky and other celestial objects. All PowerSeekers come on either sturdy equatorial mounts for tracking the sky, or collapsible altazimuth mounts suitable for terrestrial viewing as well as astronomical use. The PowerSeekers come with a full range of eyepieces plus a 3x Barlow lens, allowing an increase in viewing power hundreds of times greater than that of an unaided eye!

Celestron's value priced Powerseeker 60 telescope takes a basic "just the facts" approach to affordable entry level telescopes. The package includes an adjustable aluminum tripod with an alt-azimuth mount and stabilizer, a Kellner type K20 eyepiece, a Ramsden type SR4 eyepiece, a 3x barlow lens, and a 5 power cross-hair finder scope. The Powerseeker 60 comes disassembled in a compact box, but it won't take long to put everything together. Go ahead and try it out in the daytime, that's the best time to align the finder scope while looking at a distant tree or telephone pole. My first view of Saturn's rings and star cluster M13 in Hercules came with a 60mm telescope, and I enjoy celestial viewing with the Powerseeker 60 to this day. The secret is to use the low power K20 eyepiece and only extend the tripod legs half-way. This gives me sharp and steady views, whether I'm looking at nearby hills, craters on the Moon, the Double Cluster in Perseus, or even the Andromeda Galaxy! With a 1.25" focuser and diagonal mirror, it's easy to add better eyepieces. The Kellner type K20 eyepiece yields a 1.1 degree true field of view, better than the Huygens or H-type eyepieces still found in many beginner scopes. Adding an optional Celestron 25mm E-Lux eyepiece is better still. With nearly 2 degrees true field of view, the 25mm E-lux makes it much easier to find objects, either on land or in deep space. The SR4 eyepiece is less impressive; it's like peeking through a pin-hole. Adding the 3x barlow to the SR4 to get that 525x proclaimed on the box is peeking through a dim, fuzzy pin-hole. I'm surprised that a telescope this inexpensive can be this good. It's good enough to show me Saturn's rings at night or a Steller's Jay at 100 yards during the day. In my opinion, the Powerseeker 60 would be an even better bargain if it came with a K10 eyepiece in place of the 3x barlow and the SR4 eyepiece. Also take a look at Celestron's Firstscope 60AZ; it's only a little more expensive, but it includes two useable eyepieces, a red-dot finder, and planetarium software for your computer. –Jeff Phillips Pros: Low cost Decent optics Accepts 1.25" eyepieces Cons: Too small for serious astronomy Only one good eyepiece

Features

• Affordable telescope for beginning astronomer; portable yet powerful
• All-glass optical components with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity
• Refractor optical design with a 60mm aperture and 700mm focal length
• Altazimuth mount suitable for terrestial viewing as well as astronomical use
• Includes 3x Barlow Lens (1.25"), 20mm eyepiece, 4mm eyepiece, aluminum tripod with accessory tray

Reviews

Not worth the money

by Charlene from Modesto, California on 2010-08-02
I bought this telescope with the idea to use to see the moon with it, and maybe do a little bird watching, and things like that. Well, it came with some nice software to track the planets and stars with. The software is far more interesting than the telescope, and it gave me false hope that this telescope was good for seeing some of the larger planets, maybe. It works fine during daylight hours, but at night there is not enough light, even when focused on a street light! The tripod fell apart the second day. I have yet to be contacted by customer support at [...] I do not think the listed price at the store of $200 for this model was accurate. Perhaps it is time to return it and get my money back.

Not bad for the $$$

by Nola Mike from on 2010-04-27
I bought this for terrestrial viewing. First, this is a $40 scope. Don't expect the Hubble here... For my purposes this works fairly well. Seems well constructed, tripod is nice. As others have mentioned, you won't get anywhere near the max mag specified. Best images are using the 20mm eyepiece. I get decent, if dark, images using the 4mm piece. The Barlow lens is worthless, even using the 20mm (though i'm not sure why--should be less magnification with Barlow + 20mm than with 4mm alone). All in all, pretty good for the money.

Meh...

by Andy Rich from on 2010-04-08
it works okay, the construction is good and the quality is fine, but this thing isn't much more powerful than my binoculars. it's on a tripod which helps to find the images and it makes it more stable and less shaky, but the power level leaves much to be desiered...

GREAT for a first telescope!!!

by Danielle D. Emmons from on 2010-03-24
We purchased this telescope for our son as an 8th birthday present. We were a little skeptical due to the scope being so inexpensive. Not wanting to spend a fortune on a telescope if our son was not interesed, this one had the right price. We definitely make the right choice. We are thrilled with the quality! We can see the moon so clear and in great detail. We and our son love using it. I would highly recommend this scope as first.

good enough for the money

by K. Rock from on 2010-03-08
My husband has been wanting something better than his binoculars to see the moon and stars. He is satisified with this purchase. Not amazing but good enough for basics.

Description

If you're looking for a dual-purpose telescope appropriate for both terrestrial and celestial viewing, then the AstroMaster Series is for you. Each AstroMaster model is capable of giving correct views of land and sky. The AstroMaster Series produce bright, clear images of the Moon and planets. It is easy to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn with every one of these fine instruments. For views of the brighter deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae, we recommend the larger aperture and light gathering ability of the Newtonian reflectors.

Celestron’s AstroMaster 70 EQ combines the solid optical performance of a classic achromatic refractor with a German style equatorial mount. The Astromaster 70 features easy no-tool setup and much better optics than 60mm beginner scopes. The Astromaster package includes high and low power eyepieces, a correct image diagonal prism, illustrated instructions, and planetarium software for your PC. The AstroMaster 70 EQ features very good optical performance. Achromatic refractors have a two piece objective lens, the second lens element compensates for “chromatic aberration”, the false color or blue fringes seen in low cost telescopes. In daylight tests I see very little blue fringing with the standard equipment 10mm eyepiece (90X magnification), and none at all with the 20mm eyepiece (45X). Stars and planets show up very nicely with the AstroMaster 70. The bright double star Castor, one of the “twins” in the constellation Gemini, is cleanly split at 90X with the 10mm eyepiece. When I tried an optional 6mm Plossl eyepiece for a magnification of 150X, I was treated to lovely views of Saturn’s rings and the little orange disk of Mars. My view of the Moon was delightfully crisp and clear; the 20mm eyepiece nicely frames the Lunar disk, and using the 10mm eyepiece I could easily see mountain peaks and terraced walls inside the crater Copernicus. The AstroMaster 70 EQ also features a newly designed tripod with 1.25 inch stainless steel legs. This new tripod holds the telescope firmly; I had no trouble focusing even with a high power eyepiece. The equatorial mount is a little more complicated to balance and align than the AstroMaster 70 AZ , but the reward is better slow motion control and tracking at magnifications over 100X. Simply point the equatorial axis at Polaris, the North Star, and the telescope tracks celestial objects by turning one slow motion knob. This makes it much easier to use a high power eyepiece while viewing the Moon and Planets. The “star pointer” finder scope works by shining a red LED on a plastic window; just look through the window and line up the red spot with your target. This works OK for bright objects like the Moon and planets but not so well for finding galaxies and deep space objects. The AstroMaster 70 EQ is a very good entry level telescope for a student or family. The good quality 70mm optics produce an image that is significantly sharper and brighter than 60mm beginner scopes, and the AstroMaster 70 EQ includes a solid mount, two good eyepieces, and fully illustrated instructions. --Jeff Phillips Pros: Reliable refractor design Good views of the Moon and planets Complete accessory package Simple no tool setup Cons: Star-pointer not so easy to use

Features

• Quick and easy no-tool setup
• Permanently mounted StarPointer
• Erect image optics - Ideal for terrestrial and astronomical use
• Quick release dovetail attachment - no tool setup
• German Equatorial mount with Setting circles - to accurately locate and track sky objects

Reviews

Good for beginners

by SaM4842 from USA on 2010-03-03
At first I was skeptical about the quality of this telescope because of it's price range, but once I received it, I was pleasantly surprised.The build quality is quite good. The tripod is very sturdy and the equatorial mount is well constructed. If I am not mistaken, some of the more expensive Celestron telescopes use this same tripod and mount. This package comes with a software that helps you locate stars and planets, so as long as you set the telescope to the north correctly, trying to locate stars is not a problem.One thing I wished I had paid more attention to is the dimensions of the whole telescope kit. It is much larger than I anticipated; my reasoning was: it is a kid's telescope, it is probably not full sized. Not so!Most telescope books I read said you cannot get a decent telescope for under $300, but for the beginner, the price and quality of this telescope is a great buy.

Price and quality fit!

by A. Reis from Roseville, CA United States on 2010-02-05
This was a great gift. Packaged well, arrived in a timely manner, quality for the price was amazing. Just what a novice needs.

Description

The Celestron PowerSeeker series of telescopes is designed to give the first-time buyer the perfect combination of quality, value, features and power. Offering exceptional value, these telescopes feature portable yet powerful designs with ample optical performance to excite any newcomer to the world of amateur astronomy.

Features

• 3x Barlow Lens
• German Equatorial Mount
• 127mm Aperture
• 1000mm Focal Length
• Comes with aluminum tripod and accessory tray

Reviews

Great scope, great price!

by Kasey P. Davis from Okinawa Japan on 2010-09-05
I got this scope about a month ago and its been nothing but great, its really opened up the sky. Planets come in great, the moon is spectacular and it yields some deep sky objects blurry but you can tell they are there and its still amazing. The only down side is the lenses provided and the finder scope, after you replace these this becomes a very enjoyable and easy to use scope.

Good telescope for upgrading

by A. Gale from on 2010-08-18
The Telescope and mount are high quality, but the accessories it comes with are almost useless. The two eyepieces and the Barlow lenses are made of plastic and aren't fully multi-coated. The 20mm eyepiece is useful for terrestrial viewing, but is not threaded for filters. The 4mm eyepiece has a tiny eye relief so that you eye has to almost be touching the eyepiece, and it is the only eyepiece threaded for filters. Also with this eyepiece when you even touch the telescope it makes the image blur, to stop this get it aligned with what you are are viewing then just not touch the telescope, to let the vibrations stop so you can see what you want to see. The finder scope is useful, but will be knocked out of alignment by a small bump, so if you bump it during the night it will be very difficult to realign, and your are pretty much done viewing for the night. All in all my advice is to get this telescope, and also get some high quality eyepieces and Barlow lenses.

Nice big starter scope

by George the Radio Ham from on 2010-08-11
I purchased this scope to try to get started in some backyard star gazing and to maybe start a new outdoor hobby for my retirement. The scope is nice and easy to set up, but heavier then I expected, with the balance weights. The finder scope, and the 4mm eyepiece are useless. I have not tried the barlow lens yet but suspect it is in the same catagory as the finder and 4mm eyepiece. I have been using some Meade Plossl eyepieces I found on eBay, and it became a real telescope with the better lenses. It is really made well for a lowcost scope, but not really usefull until it is beefed up with some aftermarket accesories, like the Celestron start pointer red dot finder and I even had to modify the tube to fit it. I don't mind though because I have plenty of time to tinker with it and it is getting better everyday. I like it but I like my Meade ETX-90EC with autostar much better for quick set up and portability. All that said, it is a good bargin for under $130.00, and a great place to start, nice tripod, and equatorial mount very steady. with some help from eBay items and accesories, you can see forever!

Reminded me why I got a telescope in the first place

by Ciaran A. Benson from on 2010-07-11
I wish I'd started with this telescope years ago. I've got several refracting telescopes including some of the Celestrons, but was never able to share my love of astronomy with my wife - the refractors were just too fiddly for her to have fun with. But with this simple, inexpensive and surprisingly powerful reflector we saw the rings of Saturn and the false "canals" on Mars the very first night. Delightful! I use this every time now for just poking around looking at planets and clusters or simply wandering aimlessly through the sky to see what I can see. It has brought back the fun. If you're looking for a way to share your love of astronomy with others, I absolutely recommend you get one of these.

Great scope

by Karl Arthur from on 2010-06-15
Before buying this scope I read all the reviews even though this scope a some negative reviews I decided to buy it anyway. I am honestly very happy with this scope I can see how someone impatient can get frustrated with it but if you do not have patience then astronomy is not the hobby for you. Given that do not expect Hubble like images from this scope but I live about twenty miles out side of the city and so far have been able to se the orion nebula, lagoon nebula, M57 (the ring nebula), galaxies M81 and M82, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus , and the Beehive cluster. I personally am very pleased with the views from this scope but the max magnification for this it is about 150X. given that you will almost never be able to use the 4 mm eye piece mainly because of seeing conditions just aren't good enough. So I recommend getting anywhere from a 7 mm to 10 mm eye piece to add to this scope other than that this is a good scope and will show you some amazing thing in our universe.

Description

70mm (2.8") diameter refractor, 700mm focal length (f/10), German equatorial mount with RA and DEC slow-motion controls and setting circles, 5x24 finderscope, 20mm eyepiece (35x) - 1-1/4", 4mm eyepiece (175x) - 1-1/4", erect image diagonal - 1-1/4", Barlow lens 3x - 1-1/4", adjustable aluminum tripod with accessory tray, "The Sky Level 1" CD-ROM. Metallic charcoal black tube color.

Reviews

Plastic Here And Plastic There

by M. Sabo from on 2010-08-01
Came in a big cardboard box. Opened it up and found it in it's display box. Opened it up and there where two long boxes for the scope and tripod. More smaller boxes were in there as well but not all boxes were filled. There were two empty boxes. Everything was there. Perhaps the boxes are for other models. The weight during shipping crushed the empty boxes.Took a look at the scope and it had a plastic shade for the objective. Pulled it off as it is slip fit and there's more plastic. I see screws holding things together. Can even see the screws through the lens. Looking at the focuser end more plastic all attached to the tube with screws. Not much of a slip fit as the eye pieces drop right in and are secured with two screws that apply side pressure. Attaching the Barlow I'd wish for a better fit on everything. Way too much plastic for me. What's the plastic going to look like in a few years? I've seen too much plastic go bad too soon.I put it all back in the box and thought of returning it and decided instead to give it away. Called my nephew and told him to come pick up a big box. I wonder what a real metal and alloy telescope costs? LOL.

This is not for kids as usability is concerned

by B. B. Talukdar from San Jose, CA USA on 2010-05-13
I ordered this item for my nephew who is around 12 year old. I set it up myself first and realized that it would be too hard for a kid to use it to its effectiveness. It's a good product for the price you pay especially the build quality is really good. I would like the eye-pieces to be little more advanced to help to see things easily in case of much ambient light around the user. Focusing this telescope this is not an easy job for the beginners. One has to spend time with it to actually make use of it. I had to return it.

Great Beginners Scope

by N. B. Dyches from Southern U.S. on 2009-01-07
I bought this as a christmas present and also wound up putting it together and checking it out.You can see the moon very clearly and very vividly, but that is about it. Any other stars are simply too far away to really get a good view of. As a beginners scope this is fantastic. Relatively easy to put together, fun to look through. Highly recommended for astral enthusiasts.

Description

If you're looking for a dual-purpose telescope appropriate for both terrestrial and celestial viewing, then the AstroMaster Series is for you. Each AstroMaster model is capable of giving correct views of land and sky. The AstroMaster Series produce bright, clear images of the Moon and planets. It is easy to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn with every one of these fine instruments. For views of the brighter deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae, we recommend the larger aperture and light gathering ability of the Newtonian reflectors.

Features

• Quick and easy no-tool setup
• Permanently mounted StarPointer
• Erect image optics - Ideal for terrestrial and astronomical use
• Quick release dovetail attachment - no tool setup
• German Equatorial mount with Setting circles - to accurately locate and track sky objects

Reviews

Mediocre at best.

by Jacob M. Kroon from Minnesota on 2010-08-26
The star finder is a joke. It will be by luck alone that you are able to find distant objects. It needs a much more finely tuned focuser as well, it is impossible to focus on more distant objects and see any detail at all. I have gotten many good views of the moon, but the planets and other objects are too blurry to see any detail at all. I purchaced high quality lenses, which help, however they are too much for the scope and were more for a higher quality telescope. With a ton of patience, and keeping your expectations in check, this can be a decent scope. The motor mount (optional) is a must to keep track of objects. It is way hard to manually track, keep focus, and enjoy planets and smaller objects.

"Big Bang" for your astronomy buck

by E. Kittrell from Williamsburg, VA on 2010-04-15
Let me say right from the start that you must set up some parameters or boundaries to work within when shopping and comparing performance, features, etc. When I was shopping around I kept asking myself what if a spend a little more, over and over. By the end of my browsing session I'm seriously considering a 16" light bridge truss dobsonian. So here's the highlights.1. Looks. I think you'll be hard pressed to find anything in this price range that looks more the part. I really like the orange annodized alum. bits & pieces. They really pop against the metallic blue optical tube. To me this thing looks like more scope than it really is.2. Apeture. 130mm is about as big as you'll find at this price point. Apeture is everything. The more the merrier. Do not get caught up in the magnification hype that is very common in department store telescopes. As a matter of fact this scope does not have very high power as supplied. With it's reletively short focal length, you'll need a barlow lens to get some big mag. numbers.3. Mount. Since I come from a cheap department store scope background, this is the best mount I've owned. Now that said, it is still very light, and there are plastic bits on the telescoping legs that will break if you get over assertive when tightening fittings. To a serious amature astronomer this thing is probably shakier than a Chihuahua at the north pole. The tripod probably is the weakest link in the package. THe legs are steel, but of the shower curtain rod wieght, not electrical conduit weight. It's probably the best place for them to skimp, in my opinion. There are tricks to make a mount more stable, but most of us don't want to grind our own optics at home. If you keep your hands off the scope while observing, it's more than stable enough for some good viewing. It will take some time for it to settle down after focusing, but that's what we have to deal whith at this price point.4. Optics. They seem pretty good. I get sharp points when viewing stars. I've found nebulae for myself for the first time with this scope. It's small and light enough to grab and go, which is how I use it so far. The viewfinder is on the weak side. It's a red dot finder with no magnification. That's not the bad part. It's that they used plastic lenses that definately eat some of the light passing through, and also seem to illuminate a slight bit when the red dot is on. Combined with the positions you may have to contort yourself in when viewing objects near azimuth, it's my least liked feature on this scope.5. Overall you get good apeture and optics for the money, it's nice enough looking to leave set up in a corner. You get an equatorial mount that can be motor upgraded cheaply. I'm happy with my purchase, and I've since spent more money on eye pieces and accesories than I originally spent on the scope itself.

Excellent astronomic equipment and good price

by David T. from Barquisimeto, Lara VENEZUELA on 2010-04-03
Already I have had opportunity to do a few tests of this telescope and can comment to them that the image is excellent. The construction and the design is robust enough. Only I found two negative details of design.First the screw that is used for adjustment of this latitude evil designed. When one increases the latitude due to the weight of the this assembly it becomes hard to manipulate and when one tries to diminish the latitude, that is to say to slacken the screw in order that the set goes down, the plastic piece separates of the metallic screw turning out to be very inconvinient to do that the assembly goes down almost to the point of remaining united.I come second, the unions of the tripod of stainless steel to the assembly are plastic, these should be metallurgies to give him better permanence in the time.A recommendation for CELESTRON, they must improve the protection of the packing of the Mount CG3, it(he) is not alone to put it in a box without any protection, this one should come protected by rubber(gum), to avoid what happened to me, that in the sending(parcel) and due to the weight of the mount, the mount I strike and there was doubled the screw of Slow Movement in DEC.Lamentably I cannot do claim for guarantee since I am in Venezuela, and the costs of movement going and return of the equipment(team) they be be very high in comparison with the cost of the Telescope. I do not still have mas remedy that to try to repair the piece.David Trujillo P. Barquisimeto, Edo. Lara VenezuelaEspañol. Ya he tenido oportunidad de hacer unas pruebas de este telescopio y les puedo comentar que la imagen es excelente. La construcción y el diseño es bastante robusta. Solo encontré dos detalles negativos de diseño.Primero el tornillo que se usa para ajuste de latitud esta mal diseñado. Cuando uno incrementa la latitud debido al peso del montaje este se torna duro para manipular y cuando uno intenta disminuir la latitud, es decir aflojar el tornillo para que el conjunto baje, la pieza plástica se separa del tornillo metálico resultando muy incomodo hacer que el montaje baje casi al punto de quedarse trabado.Segundo, las uniones del trípode de acero inoxidable al montaje son plásticas, estas deberían ser metálicas para darle mejor durabilidad en el tiempo.Una recomendación para CELESTRON, deben mejorar la proteccion del empaque de la Montura CG3, no es solo ponerlo en una caja sin ninguna protección, este debería venir protegido por goma, para evitar lo que me pasó, que en el envío y debido al peso de la montura, la montura se golpeo y se dobló el tornillo de Movimiento Lento en DEC.Lamentablemente no puedo hacer reclamo por garantía ya que me encuentro en Venezuela, y los costos de traslado ida y vuelta del equipo serían muy altos en comparación con el costo del Telescopio. No me queda mas remedio que tratar de reparar la pieza.David Trujillo P. Barquisimeto, Edo. Lara Venezuela

Don't expect too much

by AnObservation from Florida, USA on 2010-03-28
We found it difficult to use and tough to keep on objects once we were able to finally find them. The image magnification isn't significant enough to make great observations. Views of the moon were interesting.

Great Gift

by A. Tomlinson from Carbondale, IL USA on 2010-02-11
I gave this telescope to my fiance for Christmas and he loves it. He never had a telescope before, but he was able to find things with it still, so it was "beginner friendly". Overall, if your looking for a telescope for a beginners, that is also high quality, this is a great choice!

Description

Get more out of your astronomy sessions with this set of deluxe accessories.Kit includes:5 Superior Grade 1.25" Plossl EyepiecesSuperb color resolution, edge sharpness and clarity. All eyepieces are fully multi-coated for maximum contrast and resolution. Includes a 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, and 32mm eyepieces.Barlow Lens - 2x 1.25"Compliments the Plossl eyepieces in this kit and gives you a total of 10 power combinations. High-grade glass optics with fully multicoated lenses ensure no degradation of image.6 Colored 1.25" Eyepiece Filters (Lunar & Planetary)Kodak Wratten #12, #21, #25, #56, #58A and #80A. These filters will greatly enhance your enjoyment of our solar system.Moon, Filter - 1.25"A neutral density filter which allows maximum enjoyment of the moon, especially during the brighter phases.Aluminum Carrying CaseThis sturdy and well-built case holds all accessories securely in the die-cut foam interior.A terrific gift for any amateur astronomer who wants to experience the next level of scientific discovery.

A good set of eyepieces will improve the performance of any telescope, and that's particularly true of entry-level telescopes that often come equipped with economy-grade eyepieces. The Celestron Eyepiece and Filter Kit includes five good-quality multicoated plossl eyepieces and a 2x Barlow lens. The set also includes seven colored glass filters for lunar and planetary viewing, and a nicely padded 10.5-by-12.5-inch case with spare room for three more eyepieces. This set makes a great addition to telescopes like Celestron's Firstscope 114EQ or Firstscope 80EQ. A telescope's magnifying power is equal to the focal length of the telescope divided by the eyepiece focal length, which is usually printed right on the eyepiece. Since the Firstscope 114EQ has a focal length of 900mm, the 32mm plossl eyepiece gives a magnification of 28x and almost 2 degress true field of view. This wide field of view is ideal for viewing star clusters like the Pleiades or checking out the Andromeda Galaxy. On a dark, moonless night, when I use the 9mm plossl (100x magnification) to view globular clusters like M13 and M5, the Firstscope 114EQ shows me many individual stars. And when the night air is still and clear I use the 6mm eyepiece (150x magnification) to pick out planetary details like the Cassini Division in Saturn's rings, or even Jupiter's great red spot. The Celestron eyepiece kit also includes six colored filters and a neutral-colored Moon filter. The Orange and Red filters are handy for bringing out surface detail on Mars, and the Light Blue and Light Green filters can help a small telescope pick out Jupiter's famous red spot. The Moon filter works like a pair of sunglasses to reduce the blinding glare of the Moon. The Yellow and Green filters are sometimes helpful on the moon as well because they overcome the blue glow of "chromatic aberration," the false color that often troubles low-cost refractors. Overall, the Celestron Eyepiece kit is simply a great value. These eyepieces deliver crisp views in any telescope that accepts 1.25-inch eyepieces, from a Firstscope 60 AZ to a Nexstar 8GPS. --Jeff Phillips Pros: Good anti-reflection multicoatings Crisp, high-contrast views Con: Minimal eye relief on 4mm and 6mm plossls

Features

• Five superior grade Plossl eyepieces, all fully multi-coated for maximum contrast and resolution
• 2x, 1.25-inch Barlow lens gives you a total of ten power combinations
• Six colored eyepiece (planetary) filters
• 1.25-inch Moon filter provides maximum enjoyment of the moon especially during the brighter phases
• Items in this kit are valued at over $700.00 if purchased separately

Reviews

Saved my telescope

by Jacob M. Kroon from Minnesota on 2010-08-26
I was disappointed in my scope purchase until i tried this lens kit. It makes a world of difference and is a must have.

Excellent value for the money.

by Craig Daniels from SALEM, IL, US on 2010-06-05
Even though these are not the "top of the line" Plossls, close inspection shows they didn't skip on the necessary steps that go into a quality eyepiece. The casings are metal and do not in any way feel like plastic as other reviews may imply. The internal filter threads are darkened to minimize unwanted reflections. The optic elements themselves, along with being fully anti-reflection coated, are edge-blackened, a step most 'cheap' eyepieces ignore and another way to reduce internal reflections and light loss. Like any eyepiece, care must be taken when removing filters not to loosen the casing as they are designed to come apart. This is not a sign of poor craftsmanship, just thread it back on until snug. Far better Plossls do exist, but if you're looking to get your first set of 1.25" eyepieces this is the way to do it.

Awesome Lens Kit!

by D. Decker from Kailua Kona, HI on 2010-05-07
This kit comes with lenses that way stronger than my telescope can handle. It also includes a barlow to double the magnification on any lens you have and lens filters for looking at the moon etc... I've read in other reviews that it's not a super high quality kit but it totally does a fantastic job in my opinion.

Many choices.

by S. Cusick from Columbia, MD USA on 2010-04-03
I bought this kit with my first telescope, so I was naturally obsessed with magnification like most beginners. So yes, it's true that magnification isn't everything, but it is nice to have the option available all in one case. The filters will take me some time to figure out how to use, but once again, at least I have them. The case is well made and has room for extra items like the eyepiece that comes with the scope and even the red-dot spotting scope fits. All in all, a lot of stuff for a reasonable price.

Great Deal!

by Boris Mauricio Bossio Velasquez from Caracas, Venezuela on 2010-03-02
Really cool kit to enhace the real power of any mid-range telescope. Good quality lenses. Superb filters!...What else must I write?...Uhmmm...what are u waiting for?!!! you won't regret this purchase.

Description

90mm (3.5”) diameter refractor, 660mm focal length (f/7), altazimuth mount with pan handle and built-in clutch, 6x30 finderscope, 40mm eyepiece (16.5x) - 1.25”, 10mm eyepiece (66x) - 1.25”, adjustable SkyScout mounting bracket, erect image fully coated optics, adjustable height stainless steel leg tripod with accessory tray, “The Sky Level 1” CD-ROM

Features

• 90mm refractor optical design with all coated glass optics and 660mm (f/7) focal length for crisp, clear images
• Quick and easy no tool setup
• Erect image 6x30 finderscope with quick-release bracket
• Erect image optics are ideal for terrestrial and astronomical use
• Convenient pan handleccurate pointing with built-in clutch for easy targeting and smooth motion.

Reviews

Nice telescope.

by Douglas Meadow from Concord, CA USA on 2009-11-22
I bought this telescope to replace my 110 pound cassegrain. It was a chore taking it outside. This scope had a decent aperature and a decent price. PROS - Great price. Good for 90mm - Mounts a Celestron Skyscout. - Lightweight and easy to travel with. - In my neighborhood I easily saw Jupiter and Saturn. The moon looks great through the scope.Cons - Lots of cheap plastic parts. - Hard to track an object because when you tighten the locking handle the tripod moves a lot. Overall I am happy with my purchase. It is great for the occasional weekend peak into the sky.

Great for beginning star geeks

by Hubble Hugger from Texas/Montana on 2009-11-13
First time was exciting-Saw Jupiter's red spot-Look forward to viewing more when I can get to a darker area. Only one small problem-Altitude lock won't hold on its own in a horizontal position,so as to switch users without re-adjustment. Other than that I love it.