Celestron Travel Scope 80 Refractor Telescope

This is my first telescope and well I could say it does it’s job. Had a blue moon tonight August 30, 2023 and i was able to take some cool pictures with just my iPhone 13 Pro. Only downside at the moment is that the tripod shakes way too much! And it’s a little hard to get the object to actually be in the center of the telescope. Like I would adjust the tripod and then I think it’s good, it’s like it’s too heavy and then it sags and causes me to loose the object. If there is a fix for that. It would be nice. But I mean you get what you pay for. I saw other reviews of people being able to see different nebulas and being able to see Saturn. So far I couldn’t see anything but maybe in the future I can learn a bit more.

I didn't like that the instructions were not clear for a first time user of this telescope( it is for beginners). It needed to explain how to connect the cellular to the telescope. I was looking for Bluetooth connection or something similar..😟Second, the viewfinder was to difficult to use it, my neck hurt a lot in trying to move it, adjust it in order to centered it toward the object. The manuel should explain clearly what each knob does, starting from how to move it to accomplish the goal. It was not fun. The telescope moves when I was trying to use the viewfinder to aliniete both and this became tiresome for me. I couldn't handle all the things I had to do. Too stressful and painful for my neck.

If you are experienced in astronomy and experienced in dealing with super problematic tripods that a sneeze could knock over, this 80mm aperture "grab and go" telescope might be great for you. It is our strong advice to never ever buy this telescope for any kid interested in astronomy or for yourself as a first telescope. You or the kid will lose ***.and, we suspect if you try to use this often, it's only a matter of time before the rickety, toothpick strength tripod that comes with this fails and your telescope goes splattering all over any concrete or patio, sidewalk, driveway, etc. Any cool photos you see of users uploading them on this review, with detailed planets and nebula or galaxies, odds are they are using additional astrophotography gear, some form of a ... MoreIf you are experienced in astronomy and experienced in dealing with super problematic tripods that a sneeze could knock over, this 80mm aperture "grab and go" telescope might be great for you. It is our strong advice to never ever buy this telescope for any kid interested in astronomy or for yourself as a first telescope. You or the kid will lose ***.and, we suspect if you try to use this often, it's only a matter of time before the rickety, toothpick strength tripod that comes with this fails and your telescope goes splattering all over any concrete or patio, sidewalk, driveway, etc. Any cool photos you see of users uploading them on this review, with detailed planets and nebula or galaxies, odds are they are using additional astrophotography gear, some form of a camera or a camera that needs to be connected to a laptop, software, stacking software, photoshop or Gimp to help the colors. In that situation, it might be helpful to fellow astrophotographers on a budget but not to the new telescope users interested in astronomy. The box and manual make it clear this is mostly for outside day time wild life viewing and occasional "casual" sky viewing at night if you are in a very dark area like a campground out in the boonies, away from any city or burbs lighting for best results with this telescope, for eye viewing. The user manual is also incomplete. It talks about day time viewing and begins to go into night sky viewing then stops. No more info. If you are on a tight budget and you buy one of these as a "like new" "used return", just know, it was in decent condition and if it had not been, it has free returns. Our box arrived with a corner smashed in and to our surprise everything inside was fine. We bought ours as a used return in like new condition and it was kind of close to new. There were scratches on the outside of the telescope but nothing too crazy. The optics were perfectly fine. The optics for this telescope are super crisp, crystal clear. The eyepieces that come with this are super clear, very good quality. If you already have a better tripod, one that is stable and doesn't have a lot of play in it, then maybe this telescope set is a good deal but not if you have to additionally buy another tripod. That defeats the purpose of finding a good deal. You'll also want to get a Barlow 2x lens. So, add the cost of a better tripod and Barlow 2x eyepiece to what you already spend on this telescope kit. The tripod that comes with this, it's a lightweight cell phone and small type of camera travel tripod. At any given moment, while you try to zero in on your target in the sky, this telescope might just fall right off of the included tripod. You'll see what I mean once it arrives. That little piece at the top of tripods that are always missing if you find a used one for sale, that little removable plastic piece the camera screws into and then you move a little plastic lever to put that square piece into the top of the tripod -- that's your super flimsy telescope mount, and totally cheesy at that. Not even a good one. This setup is in no way worth anywhere near $100 brand new. If this Celestron 80 mm aperture travel telescope kit ever sells for $50 or $60 new, on sale, or "used/like new", then it is a good deal and probably worth that because you're only getting a small telescope with two eyepieces. The dew shield front piece removes. The eyepieces have nice individual containers. What good is a good deal if it's not really a good deal?We were warned about this telescope and kit but wanted to find out for ourselves. We gave it a fair trial over several days. The optics are so crisp.....You can't really see much more than the moon, anyway, and nothing too close. Planets are just bigger bright light balls. The tripod just flops over at the mount when trying to locate your target and twice we were afraid the telescope would flop right onto the ground from that flimsy connection. On top of that, have fun even thinking you should put additional weight on this thing using any phone mount and a cell phone. We returned our telescope. If you really want to see nice close images of the moon and better attempts at viewing planets using ONLY telescopes and eyepieces, not astrophotography or DSLR cameras or any camera needing to be connected to a laptop and learning how to use stacking software, having image editing software, then you'll need bigger than an 80mm aperture, anyway. Think about at least 90 mm (only if it is a super sweet sale or decent price) or 100mm aperture (nothing over priced, as some are). Budget and save to get what will keep you happy for a long time while new to this hobby and not wanting to spend too much money on something you may or may not . Reflector telescopes often need to be "collimated" (you'll probably need a tool for that) and everything is upside down and flipped. Refractor telescopes don't have those same issues and many already come with an eyepiece that makes everything right side up/normal. Learn how to collimate a reflector. Those are often less costly and get more bang for your buck. If you are on a budget, some items are sold on Celestron as "used" but they tell you what kind of condition it is in. Go for "like new". Also, make sure you will have a "free return" in case it is a clunker. Not everyone offers "free returns". Good deals are out there on Celestron if you are diligent and patient. Another thing is you can get to know your local astronomy club. Many don't even know there is one around them until they start looking into it. Get to know those people. Get to know more about astronomy and with that group, you can often look through telescopes costing thousands of dollars and telescopes that are huge. They are passionate people and so knowledgeable. They often have night time group viewing nights. They, too, like to sell equipment and buy more.

- Carry Case -Backpack is padded. No sternum strap or waist belt. Two padded compartments for tripod and Optical Tube. Each compartment has a nylon strap (with velcro) to secure each piece towards the top of the pack. Internal zippered compartment for eyepieces.- Assembly -Optical tube is well built. Not at all flimsy. Deep Sunshade on the objective end. Rack and pinion focus on the optical tube feels sturdy and no slack in the gearing. Eyepieces come in waterproof, dust proof, plastic containers. Every opening has a dust cap when not in use. Sighting Scope has dust caps on both ends. No 2x Barlow Lens included. Showed it in the picture, but not in the text of contents.- Sighting Scope -Had to shim Star Sighting Scope to get it true. Used 1/4"x1" pieces cut from ... More- Carry Case -Backpack is padded. No sternum strap or waist belt. Two padded compartments for tripod and Optical Tube. Each compartment has a nylon strap (with velcro) to secure each piece towards the top of the pack. Internal zippered compartment for eyepieces.- Assembly -Optical tube is well built. Not at all flimsy. Deep Sunshade on the objective end. Rack and pinion focus on the optical tube feels sturdy and no slack in the gearing. Eyepieces come in waterproof, dust proof, plastic containers. Every opening has a dust cap when not in use. Sighting Scope has dust caps on both ends. No 2x Barlow Lens included. Showed it in the picture, but not in the text of contents.- Sighting Scope -Had to shim Star Sighting Scope to get it true. Used 1/4"x1" pieces cut from Good RX card (any plastic coated cardstock will do). Stack as needed. Shim from the front of the Sighting Scope mount then fine tune with the three screws at the back of the mount. Needs occasional re-tuning!Turn eyepiece end of Sighting Scope to focus. Star Sighting Scope mounts to Optical Tube with large curl nuts. Very secure and good grip.- Tripod -Foot/Shoe for tripod mates to two holes in optical tube housing. No wiggle room when connected. Foot to Shoe connection is tight. No wiggle room their either. Cam lock holds foot to shoe securely. Tripod head pivots 180 degrees in the vertical plane and 360 degrees in the horizontal plane. Tripod has a level built in. Panning is a little jerky. Tripod has hook in the center (at the bottom). You can partially fill an empty 2L pop bottle with water and hang it from the hook to increase stability - especially in cross winds. Overall tripod design is cheap. Subject to a lot of wiggling when main mast is cranked up. Best used on a tabletop with legs collapsed, and main mast lowered. Reasonably stable in this configuration.- Digiscope Adapter -Works but does not hold the phone as securely as I'd like. Clamping sides are vertical against the phone. My phone popped out twice during testing. For better security, look for an after-market digiscope adapter with clamps that tilt in at the cellphone screen (cradling the cell phone from side to side).- Optics -Objective Lens = 80mmMaximum Useful Magnification = 160x (Sky Telescope formula)Focal Length = 400 mm20mm eyepiece = 20x magnification10mm eyepiece = 40x magnificationMinimum focal point w/ 20mm eyepiece = 12 ft. Lens have no distortion, clear edge-to-edgeImage is bright. Good Color.- Terrestrial Use -Can read the word 'TYVEK' off the insulation panels on new construction @ 1,900 ft (577m / 0.35 mi) w/ 20x. Can read a State Farm 12'x 24' billboard @ 1.37 mi (2.2km) w/ 20x. On a sunny day, there is a slight reduction in image brightness w/ 40x. (Expected)- Astronomical Use -Moon - OkayPlanets - Due to 40x, planets will just look like colored disks. Add on 2x or 3x Barlow scope would allow you to see more detail - but tripod wiggle looks worse as magnification increases. Open Clusters - Okay given caveat about tripod wiggle. Gas Clouds - To the naked eye they will look like BW smears with 80mm - Needs larger scope for color. Cellphones are sensitive enough that they will capture some color in photos.- Final Thoughts -Telescope optical tube and optics are well made and give good performance.* Star finder scope is dubious at best, but I have yet to find a good one on any brand/model that have just 3 adjustment screws.* Tripod is the weakest link. In order to get the stability I wanted (lack of wobble), I had to buy an after-market fuild head tripod for video cameras.* Telecope magnification is fine for terrestrial use. It gives clear, bright images right-sdie up. It is however, severely underpowered for astronomy. Strongly suggest purchase of a 2x and a 3x Barlow lens to see the rings of Saturn, or the red spot on Jupiter. All other planets (except the moon) will only look like colored disks with this magnification/light gathering ability.* Due to the arcing motion of the planets and stars through the sky, this type of mount (alti-asmuth) will require adjustments in both planes (vertical horizontal) often to keep the image centered. A fluid head mount is a step up in usability. An equitorial mount is a better (though more complicated) system for astronomy.* The telescope itself, is worth the money to me, but don't think that you'll get everything you need for astronomical use. Your getting what you pay for - a good tabletop terrestrial scope that can handle a bit of light astronomy (Unless you plan to upgrade it - likely costing as much as the telescope itself) I use the telescope for both modes (terrestrial astronomy).

Wow I can't believe what I am seeing out of this telescope! I bought this for my grandson he is 8 and by reading some reviews i was beginning to think i bought him a piece of junk. I own william optics and astro-tech scopes that cost 20x this so I wasn't expecting to much for the price, when it arrived of course I had to check it out before I gave it to him ya know know check make sure it didn't break in shipment. It was packed well the backpack is nice touch so he will be able to carry it with him the tripod was usable if left to lowest position the accessories are decent but upgrade when possible. Now the scope side by side with a ASTRO-TECH 80mm Triplet it feels like a toy but for visual use only WOW this thing had nice tight stars with a black background star ... MoreWow I can't believe what I am seeing out of this telescope! I bought this for my grandson he is 8 and by reading some reviews i was beginning to think i bought him a piece of junk. I own william optics and astro-tech scopes that cost 20x this so I wasn't expecting to much for the price, when it arrived of course I had to check it out before I gave it to him ya know know check make sure it didn't break in shipment. It was packed well the backpack is nice touch so he will be able to carry it with him the tripod was usable if left to lowest position the accessories are decent but upgrade when possible. Now the scope side by side with a ASTRO-TECH 80mm Triplet it feels like a toy but for visual use only WOW this thing had nice tight stars with a black background star cluster like Hercules was a pleasure to look at and bands of Jupiter and its moons no problem Now I was not using the eyepieces that came with the scope I expect they would do ok not sure I am just reviewing the scope I wish they sold it as OTA only, All I can say is I'm glad I kept it for him and didn't listen to the negative reviews about this scope he will definitely enjoy the views with this .

Don't believe these non-astronomers. Listen to 50 years experience!

This is a 'Bird-Jones' design telescope of the Newtonian variety. It has a spherically figured main mirror which cannot bring the light to a proper focus. It has a barlow in the draw-tube, which means that there is an extra (low quality) lens for the light to go through. THis makes focusing even harder. Collimating the scope is almost impossible without removing the barlow first, as you can't line up the mirrors (even / especially with a laser collimator). The blurb that comes with this telescope makes claims that the telescope cannot deliver and the consequence is that these telescopes are sold on to the next unwary buyer. YOur stars will be blurry and the detail on the planets will be about as good as a 60mm refractor! I have 50+ years experience observing the ... MoreThis is a 'Bird-Jones' design telescope of the Newtonian variety. It has a spherically figured main mirror which cannot bring the light to a proper focus. It has a barlow in the draw-tube, which means that there is an extra (low quality) lens for the light to go through. THis makes focusing even harder. Collimating the scope is almost impossible without removing the barlow first, as you can't line up the mirrors (even / especially with a laser collimator). The blurb that comes with this telescope makes claims that the telescope cannot deliver and the consequence is that these telescopes are sold on to the next unwary buyer. YOur stars will be blurry and the detail on the planets will be about as good as a 60mm refractor! I have 50+ years experience observing the night sky with telescopes and would suggest you look for a PARABOLIC Newtonian. Or, you could get better results for the same money with a 70 or 80mm medium focus (f5 to f7) refractor.

Not finding this telescope very useful

I need to be careful writing this review, because perhaps I didn't assemble the telescope properly. The telescope has some nice qualities to recommend it: it is lightweight, easy to assemble and disassemble, and can be easily packed away in a backpack that comes with the telescope, so that it ought to be ideal for taking on trips. Since I live in New York City where there is not much to see astronomically, that is very important.However, the telescope mounting doesn't seem to be sturdy at all. The telescope wobbles, which makes observation very difficult. But what is worse is that it is impossible to point the scope exactly at a target -- I can't get the scope to move in exact increments, it jerks arounds and doesn't stay where I point it. I found the instructions ... MoreI need to be careful writing this review, because perhaps I didn't assemble the telescope properly. The telescope has some nice qualities to recommend it: it is lightweight, easy to assemble and disassemble, and can be easily packed away in a backpack that comes with the telescope, so that it ought to be ideal for taking on trips. Since I live in New York City where there is not much to see astronomically, that is very important.However, the telescope mounting doesn't seem to be sturdy at all. The telescope wobbles, which makes observation very difficult. But what is worse is that it is impossible to point the scope exactly at a target -- I can't get the scope to move in exact increments, it jerks arounds and doesn't stay where I point it. I found the instructions to be rather sparse. To put the telescope together, I had to do work hard to figure out what the instructions meant.It could be that if I work with it more and consult the Celestron company, I'll find a solution, perhaps something I did wrong. But as things stand, I bought a useless telescope, at least for astronomical purposes.