Celestron 21064 AstroMaster 90 EQ Refractor Telescope

by Celestron

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 43 x 15 x 9.5 inches ; 27 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 34.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000MLHMBM
• Item model number: 21064
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,765 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
  • #18 in Camera & Photo > Binoculars, Telescopes & Optics > Telescopes > Refractors
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 24, 2007

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Celestron’s Astromaster 90EQ refractor telescope is a good choice for anyone who wants to try out astronomy for an affordable price, and it can double as a long range spotting scope. Bigger and more impressive than it looks in pictures, the Astromaster 90 EQ is an adult size telescope that stands nearly five feet high and weighs almost 25 pounds. With it’s fully illustrated quick set up guide, the telescope is easy to assemble, and the package includes an erect image prism, high and low power eyepieces, and astronomy software for your PC.

Refractors are known for their crisp, high contrast views of the Moon and planets and the Astromaster 90 delivers sharp views right out of the box. The low power 20mm eyepiece (50X magnification) nicely frames the moon, while the high power 10mm eyepiece (100X magnification) delivers a crisp close up image full of detail. The sharp Achromatic optics of the Astromaster 90 EQ give me memorable views night after night. On a moonless night I like the way the 20mm eyepiece frames the ghostly glow of the Orion Nebula. Zooming in with the 10mm eyepiece, I can easily pick out all four stars of the Orion Nebula’s embedded quadruple star the Trapezium. Another night I was treated to a nice view as one of Jupiter’s moons cast its shadow on Jupiter’s cloud tops.

The Equatorial mount included with the Astromaster 90 EQ is designed to help track stars and planets at high power. When I set up the telescope, I simply point the polar axis at Polaris, the North Star. This makes it easy to keep celestial objects in the field of view by turning one slow motion knob. Celestron also offers the AstroMaster 90 EQ MD which includes a battery powered motor for automatic tracking. The CG-3 equatorial mount is a little wobbly when the legs are fully extended, but that’s normal for any large telescope in this price range. The built in “Star-Pointer” finder allows me to aim the telescope by aligning an illuminated red dot with the target. This works OK for bright objects like the Moon and planets, but it’s not so easy to use on fainter deep space objects. --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Crisp clear views of the Moon and planets
• Rugged refractor design
• Easy no-tool set up
• Erect image prism and two eyepieces included

Cons:

• Equatorial mount wobbles a bit while focusing
• Star pointer not so easy to use

Jupiter showing the shadow of Ganymede, July 22, approx 400X.	Double star Albireo in Cygnus, July 28, approx 200X
The Moon as seen at 50X with Canon Powershot camera.	The Moon as seen at 200X with Neximage camera

Product Description

If you're looking for a dual-purpose telescope appropriate for both terrestrial and celestial viewing, then the AstroMaster Series is for you. Each AstroMaster model is capable of giving correct views of land and sky. The AstroMaster Series produce bright, clear images of the Moon and planets. It is easy to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn with every one of these fine instruments. For views of the brighter deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae, we recommend the larger aperture and light gathering ability of the Newtonian reflectors.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Major upgrade over other beginner telescopes, July 29, 2009

By 

D. Morrison "Computer Guy" (Chester County, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celestron 21064 AstroMaster 90 EQ Refractor Telescope (Electronics)

Just ordered this based on the outrageous deal on Amazon right now. I have had a few "entry level" department store scopes in the past, but sold them after quickly losing interest and being frustrated with the poor optics and mounts. The optics on this Astromaster 90 are fantastic. The mount is big and sturdy, but requires some learning. Once an object is located, it is quite simple to keep it in view.

The only challenge is that this is a fairly large scope with a long tube. Viewing objects directly overhead with the scope pointing vertically requires you to get very low to see through the viewfinder.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reasonable, entry-level scope, June 9, 2010

By 

Mark Twain Admirer "Aragorn" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celestron 21064 AstroMaster 90 EQ Refractor Telescope (Electronics)

This is not our first scope, but it's intended for first-time buyers. We purchased it to compliment our main scope, a Celestron XLT 150.

As entry-level scopes go, the Astromaster 90 EQ's a reasonable value. The construction and optical quality is high enough to yield a solidly performing scope, as long as your expectations are not too high. If you're willing to tinker with the mount a little, you can improve it's performance measurably at little additional cost.

At 90mm, this scope has enough light-gathering power to support magnifications up to 150x or so before the view gets too dim (more power means less brightness in the image) - more than enough to view details in Saturn's rings and on the moon.

The focuser and accessories work well enough, but the mount tripod is a bit wobbly. You can easily upgrade it with a clamp here and there if you're willing. As entry-level scopes go, this mount is certainly competitive, and offers more options for improvement than others in its class because of its steel legs.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great beginners telescope, April 7, 2011

By 

Mark R. Akey (Maalaea, HI United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Celestron 21064 AstroMaster 90 EQ Refractor Telescope (Electronics)

I researched telescopes quite a bit before purchasing this product. It was packaged well with no broken pieces upon arrival. Easy to set-up and the CD-ROM included is a wonderful guide to the skies since this telescope does not have a computerized tracking device. It does take a little bit to 'hunt 'n' peck' at the sky to find what you're looking for, but once you zero in using the 20mm, it's easy to switch to the 10mm for a closer look. I have since ordered a 2x Barlow to optimize my viewing pleasure.

Eventually, I'll be upgrading to a bigger lens' scope, but if you're looking for a decent telescope with a lower price tag than what a 4" lens will give, this is a very good option.