If you happen to’re in search of a reasonable beginner telescope, the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ is now right down to $126.25 on this Cyber Monday deal at Amazon.
A super selection for budding skywatchers and beginners, the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ is great for viewing planets and the moon and has a light-weight design with no awkward setup. In case your kids are into astronomy, this might be an awesome gift without breaking the bank.
We reviewed the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ last yr, and although it isn’t going to impress seasoned skywatchers, we thought it produced natural-looking results of the planets and moon with none distracting ‘false color’ (chromatic aberration). It’s actually not the most effective telescopes for deep space, but for those who only want to ascertain out objects inside our solar system on a budget, it’s price a go.
We named it as ‘best for kids’ in our greatest budget telescopes buying guide, ‘best for viewing planets’ in best kids telescopes and gave it 3 out of 5 stars in our full review.
The deal includes a tripod with adjustable height, 10mm and 20mm eyepieces, star diagonal, finderscope and a download of Starry Night astronomy software. The 10mm eyepiece is great for powerful views with 90x magnification and the 20mm is good for wide-angle viewing at 45x magnification.
In our full Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ review, we noted how we found virtually no trace of false color, and it gave pleasing views of Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons, although there was a small amount of glare from the planets. If that is all you must view it for, then it’ll suit you nicely, but for more variety in night sky views, you’ll be wanting to ascertain out our greatest telescopes guide.
Beginners in search of a telescope they’ll grow with will want to try our greatest beginner telescopes guide, while anyone in search of a telescope with higher quality parts and optics will find something in our greatest telescopes for seeing planets guide.
Key Specs: The 2.76-inch/70 mm aperture allows enough light for pleasing views of the moon and planets in our solar system, with a focal length of 35-inch/900 mm and a focal ratio of f/13. The overall kit weighs 7.6 lbs/3.44 kg so it is easy to hold, and has a manual altazimuth mount.
Consensus: This lightweight refractor uses its relatively long length to supply natural-looking views of planets and the moon, but for the rest it’s underwhelming.
Buy if: You are on a budget or are buying for a toddler and are not sure in the event that they’ll proceed the hobby.
Do not buy if: You would like it to last beyond beginner status — you will probably outgrow it quickly.
Alternative models: If you happen to want the very best telescope in the marketplace and have the budget for it, go for the Celestron NexStar 8SE — you will not be upset. For a powerful smart telescope, try the Unistellar Equinox 2, which is improbable for those who live in a light-polluted area.