Celestron - 70mm Travel Scope - Portable Refractor Telescope - Fully-Coated Glass Optics - Ideal Telescope for Beginners - Bonus Astronomy Software Package

I don't know why people are expecting the results of the Hubble Telescope in the reviews. It does exactly what it's designed to do. It takes the moon and makes it look like a large marble that's placed a few inches from your eye that's in pretty good focus. You can see some craters on the Moon, but you can't see Niel Armstrong's footprints. You can see the rings of Saturn, but you can't count them like a tree that's been cut in half. I'm not sure why some individuals have ridiculous expectations for something that's less than $100...There are better scopes out there, sure, but it's a great beginner scope for kids and amateurs. I got this for my 7 year old who has shown interest in the Cosmos. If he really gets into it, I'll invest more later and pass this to his younger siblings. For right now, it's perfect.The frame is light, but the scope is light and doesn't need a heavy duty frame. It holds the scope, which is what it's designed to do.All the pieces were accounted for, and it came with a backpack so it can be taken on trips so you don't need to buy a separate case to hold it when you're traveling in the car or walking somewhere.It does what it was designed to do. Great for kids and amateurs at a modest price to see nature, take it to a long distance shooting range, see space a bit better, and anything else that is legal to do. If you want to see a nebula, and have a few thousand dollars to spare, go for it and buy that kind of scope.For the normal people with real expectations, this is a great telescope for beginners and kids. Well worth the investment if you're unsure if you want to invest a large amount of money to see footprints on the Moon.Take care!

I have 40 years’ experience with telescopes and hope I can help. First, the 50mm is a great first scope. This is designed as a travel scope and so is small (12 inches long) and light. The tube and screws are the only metals pieces, which helps with the portability and backpack use. The tripod included with the 50mm is adequate for most sitting uses but it is not tall for standing or sturdy at high powers. For example using the 3x barlow and the high power eyepiece it would be difficult to have a stable view. In that case a stronger tripod (at the cost of some portability) would be best. A standard camera tripod could be used with better results.The 1.25 eyepieces included with the 50mm are fair but not the best for people with glasses because you have to hold your eye close to the eyepiece. There are better eyepieces with better eye relief if you plan to stay with the hobby or if you are over 50. I would not recommend replacing the eyepieces for the smaller scopes for two reasons, (1) more expensive eyepieces will add more weight to your setup and (2) if you don’t need the portability a larger scope may come with better eyepieces. Many scopes come with low quality eyepieces to cut costs.The 50mm optics produces a sharp image and the scope focuses well with the supplies eyepieces. It is important to know that a law in optics is a larger aperture will produce a brighter image because it is able to capture more light. Example a 90mm scope will provide a better view at night when compared to the 50mm. This is not a big issue for daytime use with the 50mm scope. Also the supplied diagonal is best used as a spotting scope for daytime terrestrial viewing or bird watching. A con is the finder scope which I had to turn the diagonal sideways to use the finder; there is no room for a straight through view.On a clear, dark night the scope will show good images of star fields, a few star clusters and a few other objects. The included 45 degree diagonal is harder to use when viewing objects that are high in the sky; for those items a 90 degree diagonal works better. Expect to see good sharp views of the moon although a moon filter would help cut the brightness when the moon is full. With practice you can see Jupiter’s moons as well as Saturn’s rings but a larger aperture (80-90-102mm) would provide more detail. In a smaller scope don’t expect to see much detail and Mars, Venus and other planets will only appear as small colorful dots even with an 80mm scope. The 50 /60 /70mm will not provide detailed view of any galaxies.Bottom Line: this is a good portable scope but at this price point don’t expect the quality you would get from a larger 102mm scope which is 3 times more expensive. This scope is perfect for daytime and travel use. The scope is good for kids under supervision (don’t ever look at the Sun). If you want to do nighttime astronomy I would look at an 80mm scope for portability or a 102mm which shows more details and is much better but less portable. If you need better eyepieces and a new tripod buying a larger or more expensive scope will be a better choice. If you already know you will stick with this hobby the go with the 80 or 102 mm and replace the eyepieces with better quality ones.

Celestron travel scope is a good product for what it is made for. It is primarily a terrestrial viewing scope. The objective (large lens in front of the scope) is good quality and is functional. However, the eyepieces that come with the scope are (in my opinion) lower quality (this is probably done to keep the total cost of the scope low). Without a decent eyepiece the experience of viewing objects will be minimal.What I did was invest about $25.00 (they can be higher priced - based on quality) in a good quality 20mm x1.25 inch (a good standard starting size) "Plossel" type eyepiece (several listed on Amazon for under $30.00). The addition of a higher quality eyepiece really changed the viewing experience with this scope. Or, if you want to get into astronomical viewing with this scope Celestron makes an Observers Accessory Kit (#94308- you can get it on Amazon - about $70.00). It comes with two Plossel eyepieces -17mm and 6mm-, a moon filter (definitely will need it to bring down the glare if observing the moon), a 2X Barlow lens (doubles the magnification of the eyepieces), and two planetary filters, and a case. It seems like a well put together and thought out accessory kit (I know, another $70.00 !!).Also (as stated in other reviews) the tripod is weak (when extended to its full length). What I recommend is getting a sturdy table (and chair) and set the tripod (in its non-extended or shortest length) on the table. Sit in the chair, and rotate the 45 degree prism (with eyepiece attached) until you can see what you want. You don't need to be standing to view the stars (or whatever)!! It is even better to get a 90 degree correct image diagonal to view the heavens with (that way you don't have to bend over so far, and you can aim the scope higher - I know even more money - actually about $45.00 for a starter correct image diagonal). Become familiar with how the pieces attach (eyepiece to 45 degree prism to insertion in the telescopes focusing tube-and how they can be rotated to your seated position) and you will get a lot more enjoyment out of this well made product.Remember, this is not a heavy duty alt-azimuth tripod with slow motion controls (Celestron #93607 - which looks like it would fit this scopes screw on base). It is basically a standard camera tripod. You will have to "play" with it and figure out (especially on celestial objects) how to aim it high and then tighten the adjustments (which will lower the object into your field of view). You could even buy a heavier tripod with the same type of adjustments that this tripod has - Celestron #93610- it would make the scope more secure if you needed to fully extend the legs on the tripod - I have one that I use with some of my other telescopes - you just have to get used to the way it adjusts -think each mentioned tripod is about $80.00 to $90.00 (that money just keeps adding up !!). The adjustment for lowering the object into view while tightening the tripod controls takes some getting used to, but it can be learned -and is part of the overall "experience" of this fine travel scope.Also, about the adjustments on the tripod. The vertical (up and down) lever on the tripod - do not back it out all the way. What happened to me is that a small nut that attaches the handle to the tripod will fall out. So what I did was put a piece of tape over the hole where the nut is - so if I backed out the adjustment to far, the nut would not fall out (no big deal - just need to be aware that it could happen).I have had this scope for several years, and have seen many celestial objects with it (although I use a correct image 90 degree star diagonal - as stated previously). It is a nice scope for its intended purpose, however (in my opinion) it does need a couple of upgrades (as suggested).Further, if you need to make the tripod more secure when it is on a table top or partially extended - try draping some "strap on ankle weights" over one or more of the tripod's braces (let one or both sides of the weight rest on the table - so you don't over stress the brace). I had some old strap on ankle weights lying around, just draped one over the brace (without strapping it down), and it makes it much more secure. Also, you get two ankle braces in a set. So you will have an extra one if you need it !!So let's review. The most important item on any telescope is the objective lens (as stated previously) the large lens in the front of the scope. The Celestron Travel scope objective lens is of good quality, that's where I think the product excels. I recommend to buy a higher quality eyepiece (Plossel type), add some weight to the tripod (as suggested)-do not extend the tripod into its fully extended position (becomes really shaky and weak)-keep it as "low as possible"-preferably on a table top (add an "ankle weight" to the fold out extensions), learn how to rotate the 45 degree diagonal so you can view while seated (this won't change the correct image view of the object), and you have a very well made, fairly light weight travel scope. I have used this scope for terrestrial and astronomical purposes, and as a "spotting scope" while at the range. Works perfectly !! I hope this review has assisted you in your decision (I know -I didn't intend for this review to be so long - but there you have it !!). Have fun !!