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Editorial Review :
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.
Customer Review :
Overall rating
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!!
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Great telescope for the beach
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.
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The Telescope
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.
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Great Christmas present
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.
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My Review
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.
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Editorial Review :
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.
Customer Review :
FirstScope
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.
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Great amateur telescope
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.
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Good design and construction but unacceptable optical quality
I currently have an old Bushnell 60mm AZ scope (Banner Astro 280) from the 80's and a Meade 826 reflector. I purchased the Celestron Firstscope as a compact grab-n-go scope for Boy Scout outings and was hoping for identical or slightly better resolution than my old junky Bushnell. As soon as I got the scope I tried it out in the daytime and noticed that the terrestrial views of tree leaves, etc. were not clear. Since it's not really intended as a terrestrial scope I decided to reserve judgement until I did some nighttime viewing. I tried it again that night on some fairly bright, easy targets (Vega, Mizar and Alcor visual double, and blazing bright Jupiter) and found that the image quality was terrible, much worse than my Bushnell. I even tried the 1.25" eyepieces from my Meade, hoping that it was the included cheap eyepieces causing the problem, but I got the same results. The scope could not split simple double-stars and could not resolve Jupiter without a ton of aberration. I expect a little aberration on single stars on a scope this cheap but this was ridiculous. The clincher was that my nephew's junky Wal-Mart refractor resolved all of these targets much better than the Celestron. I hope the problems with this scope are some kind of isolated factory defect and that not all of these Firstscopes are like this. This is the kind of thing that puts kids off of astronomy. Personally, I'm not taking a chance on an exchange. I'm getting a refund and looking at other scopes now.
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Very Disapointed
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!
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A better "first" scope than most first scopes
As an owner of 12 other telescopes ranging in size from 60mm to 10 inches, I'm always curious about new products out there, particularly ones that "new" stargazers might use. The typical "department store" refractor usually has a decent lens, but often comes on a wobbly tripod, has a poor finderscope and cheap eyepieces.
This scope does better on a couple of those counts, although it does not come with a finder (but these are inexpensive, and adding one is still less than buying the "typical" department store scope). For one, the mount is solid, as it is a Dobsonian style alt-az mount. The eyepieces that come with this are inexpensive, to be sure, but are still slightly better in exit pupil and eye relief than many "department store" scopes have.
On the flip side, there are issues. The secondary mirror that came with mine was off-center on the single-stalk "spider." Recentering it was easy for me, but even if I hadn't, it still put up a decent image at low power after I collimated this mirror with the primary; at higher power the views were not great, but they were not horrible either.
Overall, the construction quality is surprisingly good given the price. A tweak or two of the secondary mirror helps immensely, and the addition of purchasing a few Plossl type eyepieces (which can be used with subsequent scopes) vastly improves the images. It's not perfect "out of the box," but it's darn useful, and if it whets the appetite of a stargazer, it's well worth the money spent on it.
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