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

I purchased this telescope to use with my 9 year old son. I knew that the EQ mount would be a little complex to set up, but I figured that once I had it figured out and showed it to him, he would be able to work it with ease.All in all, we have been pretty impressed by this scope. By astronomy standards, it's a pretty small scope, though non-astronomers will find it pretty big and intimidating. It has worked well for us. We live in a rural area, and so we have fairly dark skies. Obviously the moon is breathtaking through the scope, and it is a target it find myself coming back to over and over. We were easily able to see Jupiter in the winter as well as its four moons. Be realistic, it's still going to look like a small dot, but it's impressive nonetheless. On a good night I thought I was able to make out a couple of faint cloud bands on Jupiter. Around the same time, we were also able to view Venus, which is fairly unimpressive, though still neat to see. The same goes for Mars, which we have also viewed. As the summer has come, Saturn has risen and it is quite a sight to see! Though the planet is small in the eyepiece, you can clearly make out the ring structure. Every person I have shown it to has gasped when they saw the image. We've also viewed the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula. The Nebula mostly looks like a cloudy area in the sky. I have tried to view other "deep space" objects, but have been unsuccessful, though I think this has more to do with my lack of skill than the quality of the scope.One huge strike that I will give to this package is the red-dot finder. I think it is absolute trash. The first couple of nights I took it out, I tried to use it, but found it utterly worthless. If I had just left my son to try it, he would have likely been so discouraged as to give up--I almost was! I've since put a mount for a green laser pointer on the scope and it is a tremendous improvement. I wish the finder included on the scope was of a little higher quality so as to be worthwhile--as it is, it's a complete waste, and a horrible thing to include for a beginner.The EQ mount works well. I suspect it's not a super high quality mount, but it certainly doesn't look or feel cheap. It works well for tracking after you have polar aligned the mount. It's a little overwhelming at first, but if you will read some tutorials online or watch some videos about how to do it, you'll quickly discover it really isn't too hard. If you are frequently going to be viewing from the same spot (like your backyard), then it's really trivial to set up and align the scope each night--it just takes me a couple of minutes now.I feel like the tripod is strong enough, and it holds the scope steady, even in light to moderate winds. I have attached my DSLR to my scope, and while I think it's probably heavier than the mount was designed for, it has worked even with all that weight on it.Overall, I think this is a great starter scope, and one that most people will be very satisfied with. We have enjoyed this scope enough that I'm now looking into getting a big 8" reflector that would give us a little brighter and higher quality views. If you'd like to get a good quality scope to start out with in astronomy, I think this is a good choice!

I wanted to get my feet wet in backyard astronomy, after getting bitten by the bug using a pair of Nikon 8x42 binoculars. The binoculars still are a must have item, but far to shaky and low magnification to get views of planets.So I researched telescopes, and decided on a refractor, due to having small children and little time to fiddle with collimation. My budget was low, to keep my wife happy. The 70EQ stuck out due to the sturdier CG-2 equatorial mount and tripod, and far more sensible and better eyepieces (Kellner) compared to the powerseeker models.I was able to assemble it in about 20min, got it outside, and found both Jupiter and Saturn in a few minutes. Absolutely amazing seeing both the Galilean Moons and Saturn's rings within minutes of getting it outside. The moon itself is spectacular through this scope at both 45X and 90X. The 10mm has considerably more chromatic aberrations than the 20mm, but it's not bad. After that first night, I got the mount set to my latitude, and polar alignment consists of setting the tripod up with the mount approximately facing North. For generally keeping Saturn in the viewfinder that's good enough. The EQ mount is a must have though. I love it.I have run into a problem with the red dot finder scope, it stopped working after about a week. I swapped in a couple of new batteries and still broken. So I quickly ordered a replacement for $14 and am back up and running. So far the new one hasn't faltered.I'd recommend this scope to anyone. It is usable right out of the box. I've seen all 8 planets through it. Uranus and Neptune are still tiny dots, but you can tell they're blueish color and that they are round, but that's about it. Saturn is my favorite, it's also tiny at 90X, but the rings are clearly visible and separate from the planet itself. Jupiter, I can faintly make out the cloud bands, the planet is small and contrast is low, but with patience and persistence they are visible. I haven't been able to make out the giant red storm, but I'm hoping to get a decent 7mm or possibly 5mm eyepiece to push into the very limits of this scopes capabilities and make it out, along with the Cassini division. But, if not, it gives me a reason to beg for an upgraded scope someday. I've also been mesmerized by the faint grey fuzzies that are up there. I've seen the Andromeda Galaxy, the Dumbbell Nebulae, and the Orion Nebulae, these are faint as the scope is a slow f/12.9, but again, with patience they are there yo see.Have fun, and get something, you can't see Saturn's rings without some sort of scope. 73

New to astronomy, within 10 minutes of going outside with it and with the help of a star app through phone. Found saturn and could see its ring very clear along with all the other fun planets. Worth the extra bucks for the adjustments and sturdier tripod and mounts then the hundred dollar scopes. Good experience

Not sure what to say, really. Bought this as a Chrismtas present. Set it up on the day and shortly after, we had a glorious clear sky. The view from our window is huge, clearly showing constellations and the moon when the conditions are right.We used the telescope and quickly found that it was giving us nothing like the pictures on the store page said. The view was blurry, regardless of focusing or lens used. The lenses themselves were difficult to use, the slightest movement obscuring the view. On the back of that, the stand and axis were unstable and constantly moved out of alignment after being set. Every time we tried to use the telescope, using the rangefinder (which is different to the one stated in the included documentation), moved off focus from what we were trying to view.Ultimately, this isn't a quality item for the intended purpose. I hear its near the top of the low end of the telescope spectrum but that wasn't reflected in our experience. The disparate pieces of the item are very plasticy, with connections made by turning a screw into bare plastic as a means of securing.We gave the item the benefit of the doubt and attempted reuse of it, several times over across a few weeks, with no discernable difference in output. On that basis I had to process a return which thankfully Amazon made hassle-free.Your mileage may vary but from our POV, it just didn't exhibit the quality or provide the output it claimed to, which in the end meant we just couldn't use it. Which is a shame, as I really thought I'd be opening a new hobby for us with this.

This is my first telescope and it was really easy to set up. First time viewing the night sky i got to see jupiter and its moons and saturn and i could just make out the rings. I was super happy with this and really was an amazing experience. Now buying more equipment like a barlow lens to increase magnification and a colour filter but really wish i spent more money on the 90eq version now. However this telescope is amazing and don’t be put off by people having trouble setting it up. Just be sensible and look at the instructions and its all really self explanatory anyway. You can get apps on your phone that show you where planets/consolations/iss is etc that you can then easily track, making astronomy easy for anyone. Also i am in the centre of a busy city yet i was still able to see both these planets in an amazing way....Cant wait to see the other planets now when they are visible in the night sky!10/10 product

The media could not be loaded.  We have never had a telescope before so was alittle complex to put together. But the results so far are great, we need to use this more to get a better understanding of what we are doing. However, overall we are really happy with it. 👍👏

after weeks of research i decided to purchase the celestron 21062 - it is my first telescope and i am very pleased with it - now assembled it looks great nice colours with good quality adjustment mechanismseasy to align and pleased with what i have seen through the eyepiece - i am now looking to better the eyepieces as you get 2 inbox which is good as a starter but however looking forward to getting even more out of a telescope that has already satisfied my expectations !!bring on the clear skies !!!!!!

Very new to this hobby and was a bit nervous about setting up the telescope. I needn't have worried. Following the step by step guide was simple and the telescope was set up in about 20 mins. Still getting to grips with using it but so far I'm really impressed. It's easy to move about and sturdy when outside. I'll be purchasing more lenses but so far have been ok using the two supplied and the additional moon lens I bought.