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Celestron
Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ
Affordable three-inch reflector that delivers surprisingly sharp planetary views for beginners.
From the community
What owners say
Based on 24 Cloudy Nights discussions
What they love
- ✓Scope arrived already well-collimated despite shipping damage
- ✓Mount is sturdy and heavier than the telescope itself
- ✓Good performance on the Moon with clear views
- ✓Acceptable views of Jupiter including cloud bands despite chromatic aberration
- ✓Red dot finder works well once properly aligned
What caught them off guard
- !Chromatic aberration (CA) is pretty bad on planets
- !Mount quality is problematic
- !Plastic draw tube (on some variants)
- !Very cheap plastic diagonal (on some variants)
- !Comes with cheap low-dollar Kellner eyepieces
Top targets reported by owners
What you'll see
The Moon
bright and clear views
Jupiter
visible cloud bands and 4 moons clearly visible on good nights
Saturn
rings clearly visible
Planets generally
the f/9.
Worth knowing before you buy
The included tripod and mount are unstable and inadequate for tracking targets, especially in altitude, making it difficult to follow planets smoothly without slow motion controls.
Chromatic aberration (CA) is problematic on planets, appearing as rainbow color fringing around bright objects despite the f/10-f/12 focal ratio.
The plastic draw tube and cheap plastic diagonal are of poor quality and feel flimsy compared to the rest of the scope.
Frequently asked
Questions from owners
Sourced from Cloudy Nights discussions.
- Is the AstroMaster 70AZ a Bird-Jones telescope?
- No. The optical tube length (660mm) is only slightly shorter than the focal length (700mm), whereas Bird-Jones designs are substantially shorter—often less than half the focal length.
- Does it have a spherical or parabolic mirror, and does it matter?
- It almost certainly has a spherical mirror, but this is not a practical concern at f/9.2.
- Will I need to collimate it, and is it difficult?
- You may need to collimate eventually, but the scope often arrives acceptably collimated. At f/9, collimation tolerances are loose enough that eyeballing alignment (getting your eye centered in the secondary mirror) works without special tools.
- Is the tripod and mount sturdy enough?
- Yes. Multiple users specifically note the mount is surprisingly heavy and sturdy for the price—heavier than the optical tube itself.
- Can I use it for planetary observation from a Bortle 6 light-polluted area?
- Yes, planets are bright enough to observe clearly even in light-polluted areas. The 76mm aperture and f/9.
- What eyepieces should I buy, and will the included ones work?
- The included 20mm and 10mm eyepieces are usable Kellner-type optics, though upgrading improves views. The scope uses 1.
Full Specifications
Optics
| Aperture | 70mm |
| Focal Length | 900mm |
| Focal Ratio | f/12.86 |
| Optical Design | Refractor |
| Coatings | Fully coated glass optics |
Mount & Tracking
| Mount Type | Alt-Az |
| GoTo (Computerised) | No |
| Tracking | No |
Focuser
| Focuser Size | 1.25" |
| Focuser Type | Rack and pinion |
Physical
| OTA Weight | 1.8kg |
| Total Weight (with mount) | 4.9kg |
| Tube Length | 760mm |
| Tube Material | Aluminium |
Included Accessories
| Eyepieces | 20mm and 10mm eyepieces |
| Finder Scope | StarPointer red dot finder |
| Diagonal | Yes |