CelestronAstroMaster 70AZ Telescope - Refractor Telescope - Fully Coated Glass Optics - Adjustable Height Tripod – Bonus Astronomy Software Package

This is genuinely so good if you’re on a budget. it is super super clear. the first night i used it, it was cloudy but some stars decided to pop out for me. granted this isnt like a $20,000 telescope so it does just look like a dot, at least with the lenses provided but its super super cool. it was pretty simple to put together except for the finderscope. that one i had to figure out on my own. you have to remove the base of the finderscope from the finderscope itselff. and then slide them together. but other than that its super easy. you have to line it up too dont forget that. that part was a bit annoying but im used to it now. its relatively stable. its got a decent weight to the base. overall a great product at a cheaper price. I would go with this one if you’re looking for one!

Celestron telescope, love this telescope. Great optics! Well made! Shipping done well! When one was shipped it got lost in shipping but with no hassles Amazon had another one shipped to me at no extra charge!

When you buy your first telescope, like the same 70mm one marketed under several different names, this one is a huge upgrade on the quality of components at little increase in price (I got mine used like new from Amazon for $110 after tax), then you look it up and realize the refractor crew, or more experienced telescoping community, totally dumps on this one, however I really like it. The red dot is a big upgrade from one of those very entry level finder scopes that's impossible to focus. The mount is much more stable although it's a little short in my opinion, I got a 6mm eyepiece but I'm not sure it was worth it... Well see once the upgraded diagonal comes in. I can easily see the bands on Jupiter, rings of Saturn, and Orion nebula. I have seen the crab, bodes, and cigar nebulas although they ask only appear as a smudge, which is to be expected. Haven't tried Andromeda yet due to my location and season. So I'm my opinion it's a 5 star for the 110$ I got it for, but full price I would not likely purchase it. To be fair I wouldn't know what to get new at the 180 price point, but you would think they could throw in one of those cheap cell phone mounts or that better powerseeker tripod.

We love our Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ. We have always been fascinated with the moon, space, and planets. I bought this as a treasure my 11 year old son and 3 year old daughter can make memories with. We have not yet bought any extra accessories but will be purchasing a Barlow Lens soon to see how much more we can visualize. These photos were taken with an IPhone 14 in the lens and they are just incredible. We have moved on to now labeling the moon landmarks. You won’t regret this purchase! A year later and I finally read how to calibrate the laser. I should have taken the time to do that in the beginning but we were just so excited to use it. We still captured wonderful photos using it right out of the box.

Great up close view of the moon and its craters.I will admit my tripod came with a pea sized dent in it, and somehow there was a long hair stuck in the tripod as well.I chose 5 star though because it aligns with what I wanted in my first telescope. Clear view of the moon and its craters.Next I want to catch Saturn with its rings before it sets on me. From what I understand from seeing other reviews with pictures is that I will be able to see thatI am happy to part with my money for this telescope

Update:I dropped a second star after trying to use the scope to look at the moon. This year Jupiter and Saturn were both visible, so I started first on them. Nine months later, Saturn is now a daytime planet and Jupiter sets in the early evening, so I set my sights on the moon. Since I also bought a set of upgraded gold-line eyepieces, I expected to see a nice sharp image. I was very disappointed. Nothing was truly sharp. I tired every trick I knew. I went up and down the magnifications of my gold-line eyepieces. I tried both of the original Celestron eyepieces. I tried a moon filter. I tried adding my 80A filter to the moon filter. I put a cut-out over the large objective lens to reduce total light and increase contrast. I cleaned my eyepieces. I took apart the telescope and cleaned the star diagonal and the objective lens/lenses (The objective uses double lenses). Nothing helped. I began to suspect my eyesight and pulled out my binoculars and found my binoculars and gave me me a nice sharp image at one-eighth the cost. I'm still leaving this telescope 3 stars because I was impressed by it's ability to capture light and see distant faint objects, including Jupiter's moons and Saturn's rings. However, the resolution and contrast were disappointing for a $300+ telescope.Original reviewI dropped a star due to the annoying telescope mount on the tripod. Even with the mechanisms unlocked, when I first got the telescope, the mount was very hard to rotate, both horizontally and vertically. Basically, it is so stiff that once you put enough pressure to overcome the friction, it suddenly shoots past your target. I will provide directions on how reduce this problem, but plan on buying an 8 mm hex key (or 5/16 inch hex key) and Super Lube synthetic grease.I had a beginner telescope since I was 8 or 10 years old and shared it with my kids from time to time until it fell apart somewhere in my late 30s. I'm now past 60 and wanted to be able occasionally look at the moon and planets again, without breaking the bank. I first bought a $150 80mm Hexeum telescope, but returned it a few days later, realizing that I would have to spend lots more to replace every eyepiece and and drill some holes to install a better finder scope. So, it took a big breath, and bought the Celestron 102AZ for $300.When it arrived, I pulled the large refractor scope out of the box and was impressed. The telescope is best described as advanced beginner or pre-intermediate. I put it together and adjusted the finder scope while it was still daylight. After nightfall saw Jupiter and at least 4 moons and Saturn with its rings and at least one moon. The red-spot finder was a big help in targeting the planets and the eyepieces were pretty good for inexpensive Keller lenses. I also bought a 2X and a 3X Svbony Barlow lens to make the images bigger. I was impressed by the quality of the images, even with the beginner eyepieces.Now for the tripod. I know some reviewers expect a heavier tripod, but i found it sturdy enough, especially after trying the lightweight tripod that came with the $150 Hexeum telescope that I returned. However, the telescope mount was very, very stiff for both horizontal rotation (azimuth) and vertical up and down (altitude). I tried oiling various parts with WD-40 and light oil, but that solution failed.After email correspondence with Celestron and reading about similar complaints online, here is what I found. Between the tripod legs, under the mount, there is an overtightened bolt that attaches the horizontal rotating plate to the base that attaches to the legs. Turn the mount upside-down, then use an 8mm (or 5/16 inch) hex key (same thing as an Allen wrench) to loosen the bottom bolt counter-clockwise about a quarter turn. If that's not enough, turn it a hair more. Now flip it back over and try rotating the mount horizontally. If unlocked, it should turn smoothly and freely with almost no friction.The altitude (up and down) mechanism is a little harder to fix. The altitude mechanism attaches the telescope to a horizontally split tube that rotates around two parallel black disks, one on each side of the altitude mechanism, The disks are hidden by an orange cap on one side and grey metal on the other side, but they are visible though the horizontal split (or gap) in the mechanism. You may need a bright light or flashlight to look in the gap and see the black disks. The twisting handle, called the pan handle, reduces the size of the horizontal split (gap), causing the tube to grip onto the disks. Unfortunately, even when completely loosened, there still too much friction on the disks. To reduce the friction, buy some Super Lube Multipurpose Synthetic Grease, then take a toothpick or skewer and dab some grease on the edge of the black disks, which can only be reached through the horizontal "split" or gap in the altitude tube. After you dab in some grease, loosen the pan handle lever and rotate the altitude down and up, over and back in order to spread the grease. I had to dab the grease on the edges of the gap a several times and at multiple altitudes. Although the altitude rotation is not as smooth as I would like, it is a lot better with the synthetic grease.One more detail. Unlike the Hexeum telescope, the Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ does not come with a free carry bag. A decent carry bag is not cheap but is a worthwhile purchase to protect your telescope, especially if you ever need to store the telescope, move to a new apartment, or travel with the telescope.