VIP Outlet via eBay has Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ LT Refractor Telescope Kit with Smartphone Adapter and Bluetooth Remote (22109-DS) on sale for $49. Shipping is free.
Thanks community member BabyBubba for sharing this deal
Features:
All-in-one beginner telescope kit 70mm refractor telescope with coated glass optics delivers stunning views of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, brighter deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula, and more
Capture your own images & video through the telescope with the included smartphone adapter and Bluetooth remote
Quick and easy no-tool setup will have you ready to observe in minutes
Sturdy full-height steel tripod with an accessory tray to keep you organized
Manual alt-azimuth mount with panhandle makes it easy to point the telescope at objects
Also works great as a spotting scope for land-based objects during the day
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VIP Outlet via eBay has Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ LT Refractor Telescope Kit with Smartphone Adapter and Bluetooth Remote (22109-DS) on sale for $49. Shipping is free.
Thanks community member BabyBubba for sharing this deal
Features:
All-in-one beginner telescope kit 70mm refractor telescope with coated glass optics delivers stunning views of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, brighter deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula, and more
Capture your own images & video through the telescope with the included smartphone adapter and Bluetooth remote
Quick and easy no-tool setup will have you ready to observe in minutes
Sturdy full-height steel tripod with an accessory tray to keep you organized
Manual alt-azimuth mount with panhandle makes it easy to point the telescope at objects
Also works great as a spotting scope for land-based objects during the day
If you view the recent feedback the seller has received on this account, its enough negative to make me uncomfortable purchasing from this seller. So... it's a no for me.
It's trash. I would not recommend anything less than a $250 reflector for beginners. 6 months ago I would have pointed you to Orion Telescopes but sadly they shut down in July.
A buddy of mine bought a high end Meade (I think) with handheld controller and auto-tracking a few years back; seems I remember it was $6,000 or so. It was big and transporting it was a bit precarious due to its size, weight, and fragility. He and his wife would go out to the lakeside outside of town a few nights a month to stargaze with minimal light pollution. After a year or so they grew weary of it and donated that expensive reflector telescope to the local museum for patron use. Lesson learned, and a reminder that starting small in a hobby that you may not enjoy long-term is a good idea.
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Can we see any constellations, moon, venus, mars, jupiter, saturn with this telescope in a city as i live near a city so decent amount of light pollution? I
Me thinks I remember a class action notification regarding pricing just recently. My AMZ purchased included telescopes binoculars and accessories ...the notice wasn't specific to any one instrument...only the brand.
Me thinks I remember a class action notification regarding pricing just recently. My AMZ purchased included telescopes binoculars and accessories ...the notice wasn't specific to any one instrument...only the brand.
You're correct Willow747, GREAT catch! I did a little searching and put together a few details.
For anyone who missed it, the class action lawsuit was over price fixing/stabilizing and covers purchases from 1-1-2005 to 9-6-2023. Here's a Morningstar article from December with a link to the settlement site. It looks like you can file a claim online until May 20, 2025, if you qualify (it is State specific).
"Did you purchase a telescope from January 1, 2005 to September 6, 2023?
A class action lawsuit and a settlement of part of that lawsuit could affect your rights. You may be eligible to receive a payment from a $32 million settlement."
"The group of people whom Synta has agreed to pay is called the settlement class, and it includes everyone who indirectly purchased one or more telescopes from January 1, 2005 to September 6, 2023, from a distributor/retailer that was manufactured by a defendant or alleged co-conspirator, while located in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin ("Indirect Purchaser States"). Typically, the qualifying telescopes related to this lawsuit were branded "Celestron," "Orion," "Skywatcher," "Zhumell" or "Meade."
It's trash. I would not recommend anything less than a $250 reflector for beginners. 6 months ago I would have pointed you to Orion Telescopes but sadly they shut down in July.
This is a refractor not a reflector.
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This was my son and I's first telescope..we saw the moon, Jupiter, Saturn. We now have 4 other telescopes worth well over $10,000. This is a great telescope if you want to dip your toes in the astro world. You'll know if you want more or not after using it
If you view the recent feedback the seller has received on this account, its enough negative to make me uncomfortable purchasing from this seller. So... it's a no for me.
It's a massive retailer and with eBay buyer protections there is no concern buying if this is something you want.
How is this telescope for beginners or elder kids ?
We have it.. would not recommend. Honestly a decent set of binoculars can see the same and are more useful IMO. ie. trying to watch the space station it moved too quickly. We also had the binocs and they were better. Could see just as much as the moon. As for other planets would see "see" Saturn and that there was a small "gap" between the middle fuzzy ball and the outer fuzz.. ie. the rings. Now collects dust in the garage.
These are junk. Bought one of these cheap telescopes recently and sent it back.
Celestron does make legitimately good telescopes, but you're going to have to spend quite a bit more. A decent one will probably run you at least $300.
My suggestion, if you're looking to get into this as a hobby, find an astronomy group and maybe go to a stargazing event, then you can see what everybody is using and what features you may want on your own telescope.
Also, beware of cheap Chinese plastic telescopes. There is currently a class action lawsuit against some of the sellers on Amazon.
I had this scope and returned it because the image wasn't good and it was hard to find objects in the sky. That's not because of lack of experience -- I've been using telescopes for decades -- but because it's hard to move and the sighting scope is really cheap. If you're willing to upgrade to a better sighting scope, it might be okay, but then you're spending more money on something that isn't worth the money.
While it's more and currently out of stock, the AWB OneSky Reflector Telescope is a much better starting point: https://shop.astronomerswithoutborders.org/. Check out classifieds/Craigslist/FB Marketplace/etc. for used telescopes. There should be good options in the <$200 range. If that's too much money, get binoculars.
Last edited by BrainDoc January 2, 2025 at 06:58 AM.
If you view the recent feedback the seller has received on this account, its enough negative to make me uncomfortable purchasing from this seller. So... it's a no for me.
They are located next to Walmart's HQ warehouse and gets their overruns and returns from Walmart. I've bought from them before and one item I got from them was not as described. They apologized and it was easy to return. They have a very large volume so it does look like a lot of negatives, but % wise they are not bad.
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You're correct Willow747, GREAT catch! I did a little searching and put together a few details.
For anyone who missed it, the class action lawsuit was over price fixing/stabilizing and covers purchases from 1-1-2005 to 9-6-2023. Here's a Morningstar article from December with a link to the settlement site. It looks like you can file a claim online until May 20, 2025, if you qualify (it is State specific).
.......
I signed up for what I'm certain will be 57 cents after the lawyers get their cut.
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39 Comments
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For anyone who missed it, the class action lawsuit was over price fixing/stabilizing and covers purchases from 1-1-2005 to 9-6-2023. Here's a Morningstar article from December with a link to the settlement site. It looks like you can file a claim online until May 20, 2025, if you qualify (it is State specific).
Good luck!
https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20241213sf64754/if-you-purchased-a-telescope-from-janua... [morningstar.com]
"Did you purchase a telescope from January 1, 2005 to September 6, 2023?
A class action lawsuit and a settlement of part of that lawsuit could affect your rights. You may be eligible to receive a payment from a $32 million settlement."
"The group of people whom Synta has agreed to pay is called the settlement class, and it includes everyone who indirectly purchased one or more telescopes from January 1, 2005 to September 6, 2023, from a distributor/retailer that was manufactured by a defendant or alleged co-conspirator, while located in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin ("Indirect Purchaser States"). Typically, the qualifying telescopes related to this lawsuit were branded "Celestron," "Orion," "Skywatcher," "Zhumell" or "Meade."
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Celestron does make legitimately good telescopes, but you're going to have to spend quite a bit more. A decent one will probably run you at least $300.
My suggestion, if you're looking to get into this as a hobby, find an astronomy group and maybe go to a stargazing event, then you can see what everybody is using and what features you may want on your own telescope.
Also, beware of cheap Chinese plastic telescopes. There is currently a class action lawsuit against some of the sellers on Amazon.
Or get these ones for $90: https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-...8Y0VN?th=1
I had this scope and returned it because the image wasn't good and it was hard to find objects in the sky. That's not because of lack of experience -- I've been using telescopes for decades -- but because it's hard to move and the sighting scope is really cheap. If you're willing to upgrade to a better sighting scope, it might be okay, but then you're spending more money on something that isn't worth the money.
While it's more and currently out of stock, the AWB OneSky Reflector Telescope is a much better starting point: https://shop.astronomer
They are located next to Walmart's HQ warehouse and gets their overruns and returns from Walmart. I've bought from them before and one item I got from them was not as described. They apologized and it was easy to return. They have a very large volume so it does look like a lot of negatives, but % wise they are not bad.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
For anyone who missed it, the class action lawsuit was over price fixing/stabilizing and covers purchases from 1-1-2005 to 9-6-2023. Here's a Morningstar article from December with a link to the settlement site. It looks like you can file a claim online until May 20, 2025, if you qualify (it is State specific).
.......
I signed up for what I'm certain will be 57 cents after the lawyers get their cut.