Looking for a Christmas present for a young astronomer? This beginner-friendly Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ telescope is the perfect gift and it's currently $23 off at Amazon. It's easy to set up and while you'll have to wait for nightfall to make the most of it, it should keep the recipient quiet on Christmas Day.
Get this Celestron 70AZ refractor telescope on sale right at Amazon for $99.99.
We think this Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ scope is a great place for beginners, young and old, to start. We rank it as one of the best telescopes for kids, including viewing planets, and in our review of the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ, we were seriously impressed by how easy it was to set up.
It's portable enough to transport, or pack away into a cupboard, too. In fact, the whole scope is aimed firmly at those who are new to the hobby. And at $23 off, down to $127, it's a great way of testing the water before spending serious money on a top-end telescope.
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The Celestron Astromaster 70AZ comes with everything you or its user will need to stat stargazing; perfect if you're buying this as a Christmas gift and want them to be able to use it on the big day. It includes two 1.25” eyepieces (20mm and 10mm), an erect image diagonal, and free Starry Night astronomy software.
Reviewing the Celestron Astromaster 70AZ, we came away feeling that it's a handy, portable scope for beginners to start with. In particular, were were impressed with its ease of setup, great if you want a young astronomer to just set up and go.
We felt that the image quality was lacking when it came to deep space, but it performs well when you're gazing at planets, and at $23 off at Amazon, the Celestron Astromaster 70AZ is a good place for smaller skywatchers to start.
That said, if being able to survey deep space is important to you, consider the Celestron NeXstar 4SE, which is $100 off at Adorama.
Key features: 2.76-inch/70 mm aperture, 35-inch/900 mm focal length, f/13 focal ratio, 0.8-inch/20 mm (45x), 0.4-inch/10 mm (90x) eyepiece focal length, 7.6 lbs/3.44 kg total kit weight.
Price history: Before today's deal, the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ was roughly the same price during September, but this is the joint-cheapest it's been since April.
Price comparison: Amazon: $127 | Walmart: $189 | B&H Photo: $150
Reviews consensus: We were impressed with the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ's easy setup and its effectiveness at viewing planets. We found it was less able when it came to viewing deep-sky objects, but those who've purchased it on Amazon are almost universally positive about their experiences.
Space: ★★★
✅ Buy it if: You want a great starter telescope for beginners or kids, and intend to use it mainly for planetary viewing.
❌ Don't buy it if: You want to survey deep space and can afford to spend more in service of that. Instead, consider the Celestron NeXstar 4SE, which is $100 off at Adorama.
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