Celestron FirstScope 76-300mm Telescope with Accessory Kit

Comments about Celestron FirstScope 76-300mm Telescope with Accessory Kit:

I bought this for my 7 year olds birthday. It's simplicity and size make it an easy scope for him to handle. After a quick alignment of the finder scope that I performed, he was easily finding objects in the sky without my assistance. The mount is strait forward for him to use and we place it on a table outside to make viewing easy. This scope sees mostly bright objects like the moon, planets and bright deep sky objects because of its small size. However, for a child just starting out, its perfect... in fact it is much better than the telescope I had at his age. The eyepieces are pretty good for the price, much better than I expected. I did try a 9.7 mm super plossl from my Meade LX200 just to compare eyepieces and the images were sharper. Your child will get better viewing results if you teach him not to touch the scope while looking thru it - this is common practice on all telescopes - and help him with the focusing. You just can't beat the value this scope offers with good optics, low price, easy to operate and if your child drops the scope or eyepiece your not hit hard in the wallet.

Comments about Celestron FirstScope 76-300mm Telescope with Accessory Kit:

I loved the telescope. It isn't expensive but the images seen through makes one feel like it was being seen through an expensive one

Comments about Celestron FirstScope 76-300mm Telescope with Accessory Kit:

Bought two of these as gifts: one for an eight year old girl and the other for my brother. The mechanics are great in these small scopes, big bang for your bucks. Really sturdy too, survived the long haul back to Europe from NYC. The youngest star afficionado complains having a hard time finding objects in the sky by way of the finderscope included in the accessory kit. May be the finderscope's viewing angle should have been still wider?

Comments about Celestron FirstScope 76-300mm Telescope with Accessory Kit:

The product was just what I wanted at the best price I could find. I was amazed at the speed at which it came with the free shipping (next day).
What a great company.

Comments about Celestron FirstScope 76-300mm Telescope with Accessory Kit:

I have been using telescopes for over 50 years and now own 10. I often get asked by parents attending public and private star watches with their children what a good "beginner" telescope would be. I can without hesitation recommend the Celestron FirstScope, a 76-mm reflector on a table-top dobsonian mount. This scope normally lists for [$], which is a good value (especially since the 50-mm Galileoscope refractor kit popularized during the 2009 International Year of Astronony now costs between $50 and $60 retail, depending on where purchased). The absolute best price on the FirstScope can be found at B&H Photo. B&H is offering the FirstScope (which comes with a R&P 1.25" focuser and two eyepieces--4 mm and 20 mm) AND the Accessory Kit (6-mm and 12.5-mm eyepieces, Moon filter, 5x24 finderscope and bracket, CD-ROM with The Sky X planetarium program, and a nylon carrying case for the scope and EPs--a $24.95 value) AND a 13-mm Plossl eyepiece for[$]. Having stumbled on this, I immediately ordered one (for teaching and demonstration purposes). I have checked out the Moon, and the views are really quite good. The 4 EPs that come with the scope and accessory kit are below Plossl grade but work adequately and will more than meet a child's expectations. B&H's decision to throw in the 13-mm Plossl is a nice bonus and shows the Moon fully in the field of view. The telescope comes attached to the mount; the only thing to be installed is the finderscope (which attaches via two thumbscrews to the telescope's main tube). Put an eyepiece into the focuser, and you are ready to go. The tabletop dobsonian mount allows for easy movement in azimuth (N-S-E-W motion in a circle) and altitude (with a locking knob). So-called "dobs" are "point-and-look" telescopes. You can teach a 5-yr old to work this scope (though adult supervision is recommended). Get a free monthly skymap from skymaps.com and you are ready to go. This scope will show the Moon, planets (Jupiter and Saturn will appear the best), and bright open and globular clusters. So, for grandparents thinking of paying $55 for a certificate for a grandchild that shows a star has been "named" for him or her from that "star registry" company (note that ONLY the International Astronomical Union--IAU--can name celestial objects) spend $40 and get that child a real telescope that will allow him or her to explore the real universe.

Comments about Celestron FirstScope 76-300mm Telescope with Accessory Kit:

This is a very nice looking telescope and it comes with all the eyepieces you'll ever need for it. If you want a table-top telescope and don't want to spend much, you can't go wrong with this one.