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Celestron 21037 Power Seeker Telescope 70mm EQ Refractor $159.99 Delivered @ Amazon AU

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Lowest price on https://au.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B001592LFC

  • Manual German equatorial mount with setting circles to locate and track sky objects
  • Adjustable, full height tripod with deluxe accessory tray
  • Quick and easy no-tool setup
  • Accessories include a 20mm and 4mm eyepiece, an erect image diagonal, a finderscope, and a 3x Barlow lens.
    Download Starry Night Basic Software with a 36,000 object database, printable sky maps and enhanced images including 3D renderings of stars, exoplanets, and galaxies
  • 2 Years Warranty

Product information:
https://www.celestron.com/products/powerseeker-70eq-telescop…

Also get a Phone Adapter Mount if you want to take a picture from it:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B013D2ULO6

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.

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closed Comments

  • +2

    Nice price! Waiting for a drop on the Nexstar 8… (been waiting a while)

    • Will I be able to see Scomo's "honesty" with this unit or should I purchase the Hubble?

      • +1

        Think you'll need the James Webb for that, and even that is not certain.

        • The better joke would have been “competence”, although I heard no light escapes from that.

  • -7

    Lowest price on https://au.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B001592LFC

    It was actually cheaper on Sep 22, 2021

    • +1

      6 cents is 6 cents I guess

    • +1

      You are right but it is only 6c cheaper

      • +1

        Invest it in high yielding bonds…

        • I’m sure with CPI the adjusted rate today is cheaper than back then.

  • +1

    Is this a good beginner telescope? It's in my price range as something to just have a play around with, set it up for my 7yo to look at the moon and a few stars etc.

    If not, is there anything that's in this price range that's recommended?

    • +7

      If not, is there anything that's in this price range that's recommended?

      Have you looked at getting a reflector instead? Usually have better optics.

      Celestron FirstScope selling for around $120-$130….

      • Only downside is that what you see if a mirror-image, but you would definitely be able to see further with it.

      • +20

        I would normally agree that a Dobsonian Reflector is better bang for buck, but the "FirstScope" is terrible for collimation and stable seeing.

        Yes @TheHobo I would recommend this for a 7yo as a cheap entry level telescope if you aren't sure how often it is going to get used.

        You will be able to get good seeing on the moon, especially during the half moon phase when you get very good shadows across the terminator (the line between the light and dark halves). With a bit of practice you will be able to get some colour and shape of Jupiter and Saturn, and with a lot of practice you will be able to see the rings of Saturn and maybe even the faint dots of Saturn and Jupiter's moons.

        Once you have managed those targets, then you could start hunting nebula and clusters, but with such a small aperture you are going to struggle unless you go somewhere very dark.

        If this telescope is getting used and you think it is worth investing in something bigger, have a look out for a SkyWatcher 10" Dobsonian for around $700 on sale. Just about the best value telescope any amateur enthusiast can get.

        Hope that helps :)
        —Tim
        (Your friendly neighbourhood astrophysicist)

        • Where do they go on-sale for $700?

          • +2

            @rickb: Keep an eye out for clearance sales. I have seen that model as low as $700, more regularly in the $800-$900 range. BTW in Perth used to be my go-to recommendation but they closed down years ago.

        • Very helpful - thanks mate

    • +4

      Anything that lets you look at the moon will be a good beginner, so this one is ok. Most telescopes gets used once or twice to look at the moon, then it gathers dust. If you manage to keep your interest in looking at the sky, then spend more money later, getting better optics, better mounts etc.

      • +2

        Hard agree. I always tell my students, the best telescope is the one you actually use ;)

    • -2

      The one with the accessory pack looks good value, and very portable to take on camping trips etc…

      https://www.ozscopes.com.au/saxon-76-300-mini-dobsonian-tele…

    • +6

      I was looking into telescopes for my 9 yo recently. In the end I settled for the 'ACUTER MAKSY 60' telescope - look it up. There's also another brand around, but similar packaging with the teal green telescope.

      It's a great kit because:
      1. It comes with a mobile phone holder. This is great:
      - Can record videos/pictures
      - Your phone camera can adjust its exposure when looking at super bright objects like the moon.
      2. Also good for daytime viewing of trees, birds, faraway thing. No Mirror image (you move left, the image responds appropriately)
      3. Can open the side of the telescope to show the kid how the reflection refraction works.
      4. Super small and portable - if you have your own camera tripod already like I do, the kid can set it up themselves

      A few small downsides:
      1. Can't attach a spotting scope - have to use the 2 point edges, which can be annoying.
      2. Included tripod is table top height.

      For the price point (I paid around $150) I'm really happy. Took it down to us on a beach holiday, so far we have looked at the moon many times, found Jupiter and its 3 moons. Also fun in general to look out into the trees etc.

      • +2

        To the beach he said… the moon he said… now point it at the sky.

    • +1

      Why not buy or borrow a good set of binoculars and use that initially? That will allow you to look at the moon, planets and some deep space objects. You can then get a feel for whether you want to spend the extra dollars and buy a telescope

  • Can you attach a motor? for long exposure photos.

    • +1

      I think this is too low-end for those kinds of purposes. You would want to invest in something more advanced.

    • +3

      You absolutely could, but it is honestly just as easy to take video and then stack the frames. Even if you are doing long exposures with a tracking mount, you will still need to learn to do frame stacking to get decent images.

      • Ah yes, that makes sense. Thanks.

      • +1

        Agreed, 50% of the work is actually in post processing. But to get nice images you don't even a telescope. I've done some good work with a DSLR and basic EQ2 to get 3m unguided exposures. Good focusing is also a must, get or make a Bahtinov mask.

        I also use a big lens with my camera, which just happens to look like a 120mm ED refractor. :)

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahtinov_mask

  • +1

    According to reviews on youtube, the most recommended telescope is an 8’’ dobsonian under around $800. If you can’t spend over $1k for a tel, they suggest you go with a good bin with large objective lens. I use my 10x50 and they are quite good.

    • That’s where I’ve been leaning too.
      Apparently the dobsonian IQ smashes even the Schmidt cassegrain

  • +2

    I have one of these. While I have had some good views of the moon, it's been a real pain to use and I can't get anything more than a blur out of most of the lenses. Later on I also got the smartphone mount, which sucked at lining up with the camera and also squeezed the buttons on the side of the smartphone.

  • +1

    I have a similar one from saxon …… after a while my son lost interest and has been in the garage since. Great images of the moon, easy to setup. Greater starter scope and if your kid is still interested in a years time upgrade …….city lights can be a bit of a nuisance but worked even better when we went on holidays and put it in the back of the car.

  • +2

    Join iceinspace.com.au local Aussie astronomy forums and you can get some decent advise , reviews etc.
    the best telescope is the one you will actually use most, if your put off by complexity or bad cheap quality then this will be on the side of the road for kerbside pickup eventually,
    A good review of cheap starter scopes.
    https://youtu.be/S9AjNOCv-4I

    https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10

    Cloudynights.com American forum also good place for info.
    Lastly look to local shops Bintel, Andrews Communications etc for advise and deals. New can be expensive buying used in good condition you will save much. Also before you buy go to a Astro club new moon observation night and look through other peoples gear and get advise.

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