Celestron Astromaster 70AZ Review

Celestron Astromaster 70AZ Review
  • 80%
    Performance - 80%
  • 86%
    Ease of Use - 86%
  • 86%
    Value for Money - 86%
84%

Summary

The Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ is one of the best and most affordable entry-level telescopes for backyard astronomy enthusiasts, campers and kids.

The Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ is a great choice for beginners looking for an affordable telescope that easy to use and carry around.

With a 70mm aperture, the AstroMaster 70AZ is ideal for lunar and planetary observations. It comes with two eyepieces, an easy-to-use Alt-Az mount with a steel tripod and a laser pointer to pinpoint your target.

Read on for my full review.

Celestron Astromaster 70AZ review

What are you buying?

1. 70mm refractor telescope

The AstroMaster 70AZ is a refractor telescope. It doesn’t collect as much light as a comparable reflector telescope but the viewing quality is generally better in terms of sharpness and contrast.

You also don’t need to keep adjusting the telescope (what’s called collimation) every time you observe the skies.

The 70mm aperture won’t get you sprawling views of galaxies, stars and nebulae, no matter which eyepiece you use. But it’s great for observing the moon and planets like Jupiter and Saturn.

2. Easy set up with alt-az mount and tripod

You can set up the AstroMaster 70AZ in just a couple of minutes. It sits on an Alt-Az manual mount and a lightweight tripod with steel tube legs.

The tripod ensures it stays still even when it’s slightly windy, making it easier to focus on objects.

The Alt-Az mount is not as advanced as an Equatorial mount. But for beginners, it’s perfect for tracking objects across the sky.

It uses an attached pan handle to turn the telescope to the left or right and up or down.

3. Laser scope

Laser pointers are handy for pointing out objects in the sky to other people around you. You can also use it to pinpoint objects for easier and faster focusing.

The Astromaster 70az comes with a red laser scope that mounts on the barrel of the telescope. Use the scope to point the telescope towards what you want to view.

You can then look through the telescope eyepiece to further adjust the telescope and focus on your object of interest.

It takes some getting used to use the laser scope properly but it’s really handy for quickly finding and focusing on what you want to see.

The scope comes with its own batteries so you don’t need to have a power outlet nearby. Just be careful not to leave the scope on and drain the batteries.

4. Portable design

One advantage of buying a refractor telescope over a reflector one is the lightweight and compact design that makes for easy portability.

If you often go out into the country for better celestial observations or if you love taking your telescope with you when camping, you’ll love the AstroMaster 70AZ.

It’s also a great choice for younger astronomy enthusiasts. They can carry the telescope themselves out to the garden.

The assembled weight of the AstroMaster 70AZ is 5kg.

How easy is it to use?

Even if this is your first time getting a telescope, you’ll get the hang of it in no time using the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ.

Remember this is a beginner telescope, meaning it’s designed to be super easy to use. No complicated set up or adjustments.

Once you set up the telescope on the mount, attach one of the two eyepieces to the diagonal and you are ready to explore.

The laser scope makes it much easier to pinpoint objects in the sky. But you don’t have to use it. If, like some customers, you find it fiddly and inconvenient, you can just use the eyepiece to focus.

What accessories are included?

Here’s what you get along with the telescope.

  • Laser sky pointer
  • Two 1.25” eyepieces: 10mm and 20mm
  • A 1.25” diagonal
  • CD-ROM with a celestial objects database, images and printable maps

Celestron Astromaster 70AZ Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Beginner-friendly.
  • Affordable.
  • Easy to set up and use.
  • Portable.
  • Great for lunar and planetary observations.

Cons:

  • Not ideal for deep space observations.

Anything else you should know?

Something I didn’t mention above: the tripod is height-adjustable.

You can adjust it to your most comfortable viewing height though some users say they still have to bend a little even with the tripod fully extended.

The tripod also comes with an attached accessory tray that provides a handy place to put the eyepieces and other accessories when you are using the telescope.

To conclude…

The Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ is one of the best and most affordable entry-level telescopes for backyard astronomy enthusiasts, campers and kids.

It provides high quality views of the moon and planets.

Where to buy?

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