- Fully multi-coated lenses
- Slow Motion Adjustment Cables
- German Equatorial Mount
- 1000mm Focal Length
- Comes with aluminum tripod and accessory tray
Technical Details
Product Details
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Product Description
Amazon.com Review
Amazon.com Review Celestron's Firstscope 90EQ refractor telescope is a good choice for anyone who wants to try out astronomy at an affordable price, and it can double as a high-power spotting scope. Standing five feet high and weighing nearly 30 pounds, the Firstscope 90EQ is a serious sized achromatic refractor. Achromatic refractors occupy a middle ground between 60mm beginner scopes and premium-priced Apochromatic refractors.
Refractors are known for their sharp, high-contrast views of the moon and planets, and the Firstscope 90 includes everything you need to get sharp views of the moon right out of the box. The low-power 20mm eyepiece (50x) shows a nice overall view of the moon, while the 10mm eyepiece (100x) can be used to zoom in for more detail. When the quarter moon is in the sky, I like to look for detail along the "terminator," the dramatic boundary between bright sunlight and dark shadow.
The equatorial mount included with the Firstscope 90EQ is designed to track stars and planets. When I set up the telescope, I simply point the polar axis at Polaris, the North Star. This allows me to keep celestial objects in view by turning one slow-motion knob, and an optional motor drive is available for hands-free tracking. Celestron also offers the Firstscope 90AZ, which is the same telescope with an alt-azimuth mount. The standard equipment Kellner eyepieces are just average quality; I'd add a 32mm plossl like the one in Celestron's optional accessory kit to bring out the full view of deep space highlights like the Pleiades. You'll also want some star charts to help find planets and star clusters; I like the monthly star charts and viewing tips in Night Sky magazine. --Jeff Phillips
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Brighter deep-space objects also show up nicely in the Firstscope 90. 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 multiple star, the Trapezium. The moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn are easy to see with the 10mm eyepiece (100x). With careful focusing, I was even able to detect the Cassini division in Saturn's rings using my own Ultima 7.5mm eyepiece. Low-cost refractors like the Firstscope 90 can be troubled by false color and spherical aberration, but I find these effects are well controlled at moderate powers. When I look at Jupiter and Saturn at magnifications over 100x however, the images are not as sharp as the ones I see with my C102HD refractor.
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Pros:
- High-contrast views of the moon and planets
- Durable, low-maintenance design
- Can double as a spotting scope
- Eyepiece quality just average
- Equatorial mount can be awkward to use
- Planet views over 100x are a little soft
- 90mm is a bit small for deep space viewing
Product Description
The choice for the more serious beginning astronomer. -- Celestron?s powerful Firstscope 90 EQ is a precision optical instrument having almost 160 times the light-gathering ability of the naked eye! -- The FirstScope 90EQ has all-glass components, coated optics and a smooth-functioning German equatorial mount featuring slow-motion controls for easy adjustments on the RA and DEC axes. -- The scope yields breathtaking views of the moon, Saturn with its ring structure, Jupiter and its belts, and hundreds of deep-sky objects including galaxies, nebulae and star clusters. -- Comes with 1-1/4" 20mm (50x) and 10mm (100x) eyepieces; 90º star diagonal - 1-1/4"; StarPointer finderscope; equatorial mount; The Sky L1 CD-ROM; and sturdy adjustable aluminum tripod with accessory tray. -- The FirstScope 90EQ Specifications: -- **90mm (3.5") Aperture -- **1000mm Focal Length, f/11 -- **Telescope Weight: 22 lb. --
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to use telescope,
This review is from: Celestron FirstScope 90EQ Telescope (Electronics)
Very easy to set up for a beginner. Easy to use and very stable for viewing. I really like it.
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