
( Brand: Celestron ), ( Manufacturer Part Number: 21013 ), ( Type: Refractor ), ( Mount Type: Altazimuth ), ( Features: Slow Motion Control, Mounted )
The Celestron FirstScope 102AZ is an excellent entry-level telescope designed for beginners who are eager to explore the wonders of the night sky. This compact and portable refractor telescope comes with a sturdy and adjustable Alt-Az mount, making it easy to set up and use for observing celestial bodies such as planets, stars, and constellations.
The telescope features a powerful 102mm (4 inches) objective lens that gathers enough light to deliver bright and clear images. Its focal length is 650mm, providing a magnification range of up to 25x using the two included eyepieces. The 20mm eyepiece offers a wide field of view, making it perfect for observing larger objects like the Moon and constellations. The 10mm eyepiece delivers a higher magnification, enabling you to explore intricate details on planets and other celestial bodies.
The FirstScope 102AZ is equipped with a StarPointer finderscope, which helps you locate and align your telescope with your desired celestial object quickly and easily. The telescope also comes with a free downloadable Starry Night Basic Edition astronomy software, which provides a database of over 10,000 celestial objects and offers interactive maps and guided tours of the night sky.
The telescope's adjustable Alt-Az mount allows for both altitude and azimuth adjustments, making it easy to track objects as they move across the sky. The mount also includes slow-motion controls, allowing for precise adjustments during observation. Additionally, the telescope comes with a sturdy tripod that provides stability and can be easily adjusted for different heights.
The FirstScope 102AZ is a user-friendly and versatile telescope that is perfect for both terrestrial and celestial observation. With its powerful objective lens, adjustable mount, and included accessories, this telescope is an excellent choice for those looking to explore the night sky for the first time.
The Celestron FirstScope 102AZ is an entry-level telescope designed for beginners. Here are some pros and cons that might help you decide if this telescope is right for you.
Pros:1. Affordable: The Celestron FirstScope 102AZ is one of the most affordable telescopes in the market. It's an excellent option for people who want to try astronomy without investing a lot of money.
2. Easy to use: This telescope comes with a fully-assembled and aligned optics, making it easy for beginners to set it up and use it. The Alt-Azimuth mount is also very user-friendly.
3. Portable: The FirstScope 102AZ is lightweight and compact, making it easy to transport and set up in different locations.
4. Wide field of view: The 102mm objective lens provides a wide field of view, making it easier to locate and observe celestial objects.
Cons:1. Limited magnification: The telescope comes with only two eyepieces, which limit the magnification to 25x and 50x. This might not be sufficient for observing more detailed features of celestial objects.
2. Not suitable for deep-sky observing: The FirstScope 102AZ is best suited for observing the Moon, planets, and bright stars. It may not perform well for deep-sky observing due to its limited magnification and light-gathering capability.
3. Short eye relief: The eyepieces may not provide sufficient eye relief for people who wear glasses.
4. Plastic construction: The telescope is made of plastic, which might not be as durable as telescopes made of metal or other materials.
Conclusion:The Celestron FirstScope 102AZ is an excellent choice for beginners who want to explore the night sky without breaking the bank. It's easy to use, portable, and provides a wide field of view. However, it has its limitations, such as limited magnification and not being suitable for deep-sky observing. If you're looking for a more advanced telescope, you might want to consider investing in a more expensive model.
Recommendation:If you're just starting out in astronomy and want an affordable, easy-to-use telescope, the Celestron FirstScope 102AZ is an excellent choice. It will help you get familiar with the night sky and provide hours of enjoyment. However, if you're looking for more advanced features, you might want to consider investing in a more expensive telescope.
Its fast f/5 focal ratio is designed to show you sweeping vistas of open clusters, nebula's, and galaxies. It has 66% more light gathering and 25% higher resolution than an 80mm scope. There is an erect and right-reading terrestrial finder available as option if the scope going to be used mainly for land viewing. It has a visible but well-corrected secondary color spectrum.
Optically, it is surprisingly good for a large aperture fast focal ratio achromatic refractor. Nevertheless, it is still well suited for lunar and planetary observing by adding a short focal length eyepiece or two an eyepiece/Barlow combination to increase the magnification levels. Star cluster and planetary images superior to those of 8 10 Newtonian's Schmidt-Cascaras are possible in 4 refactors such as this Celestron, given suitable seeing conditions. Its mounted on a heavy-duty manual altazimuth mount that moves up and down in altitude right left azimuth, rather than the curved path taken by an equatorial designed for astronomy.
Flexible cable slow motion controls allow you to manually track action on the ground, as well planets and deep space objects they move across night sky. The mount has a convenient adjustable height aluminum tripod. Its wide contrast range, typical of a refractor, often reveals wealth subtle lunar and planetary detail that's washed out in the glare larger Schmidt-Cascaras reflectors. With the high contrast and light transmission typical of a multi coated refractor, this 4 scope is capable surprising amount serious Messier NGC catalog deep space observing, too - with faint objects standing out crisply against velvet black sky.
An accessory tray adds rigidity to the mount and convenient storage for eyepieces. Images are upside down and backwards in the finder, making it a little less convenient for terrestrial viewing.