What it shows
Through the family's typical instrument: 80 mm at f/9.5, with the eyepiece a beginner would use for each target. Computed, then darkened by the sky — never a photograph.
- The MoonDetailed38× (20 mm eyepiece) · 80 mm · 2.1 mm exit pupil
- SaturnRecognisable76× (10 mm eyepiece) · 80 mm · 1.1 mm exit pupil
- The Hercules ClusterRecognisable51× (15 mm eyepiece) · 80 mm · 1.6 mm exit pupil
- The Whirlpool GalaxyDetectable24× (32 mm eyepiece) · 80 mm · 3.3 mm exit pupil
Photo credits
These thumbnails are built from real photographs, scaled and darkened by the same arithmetic as the large view.
Which level of detail a target reaches is a rule of thumb from observers; the magnification, field and exit pupil are arithmetic.
What it is for, goal by goal
Every score with the sentence behind it, highest first.
- With a child4/5 GoodStanding height, sealed tube, and no mirror to knock out of line.
- Sun4/5 GoodIn white light: sunspots with their penumbra, faculae near the edge, and granulation on a steady morning. Dawes' limit on the Sun: 1.7″ (116 ÷ 70 mm, arithmetic). The cell has to hold each model's own outside diameter, so it depends on the model: from €50 for the smallest (70 mm) to €89 for the largest (130 mm). Each model's page names its own. Every time: certified filter over the front · finder capped · never an eyepiece filter · an adult with children · never without the filter · measure first.
- Moon & planets3/5 FairGood on the Moon and adequate on Saturn. A long focal ratio keeps the colour fringing down.
- Learn the sky3/5 FairWide fields at low power make star-hopping straightforward.
- Travel3/5 FairCompact enough for a car; the tripod is the awkward part.
- Deep sky2/5 WeakBright clusters and the Orion Nebula. Galaxies are mostly out of reach.
Not scored: Photo, Serious photo.
What it does well
- Point it and look. No collimation, ever
- The eyepiece stays at a comfortable height wherever you aim
- Doubles as a daytime spotting scope
What it costs you
- 70–90 mm is not much light. Deep sky is a short list
- Cheap achromats show a violet fringe on the Moon and bright planets
- The bundled tripod is usually the weak part — a wobbly tripod ruins a good tube
The Sun, safely
The Sun with this family
The cell has to hold each model's own outside diameter, so it depends on the model: from €50 for the smallest (70 mm) to €89 for the largest (130 mm). Each model's page names its own.
In white light: sunspots with their penumbra, faculae near the edge, and granulation on a steady morning. Dawes' limit on the Sun: 1.7″ (116 ÷ 70 mm, arithmetic).
- 70 mm: outside diameter not sourced — once measured, one of: euro EMC SF100 (57–71 mm), Omegon Helievo 72 (64–88 mm), Omegon Helievo 92 (84–108 mm), Omegon Helievo 112 (104–128 mm) (€50–€69).
- 130 mm, 165 mm outside: Omegon Helievo 152 (144–168 mm), €89.
The listing names no standard; no international standard exists for filters on telescopes, binoculars or lenses (AAS).
Counted against this family: €69, the filter for its smallest model — its cheapest route, where its price band starts.
Later, and only on a refractor: a Herschel wedge with its ND3 filter (€139–339) gives more contrast. Never on a reflector, a Schmidt-Cassegrain or a Maksutov.
Every time
- A certified solar filter over the FRONT of the instrument, fastened so it cannot slip or blow off.
- Cap or remove the finder. It is a second telescope, and it has no filter.
- Never a filter at the eyepiece end: the concentrated sunlight there can crack it in an instant.
- With children, an adult is there every time.
- Never look, or point, without the filter on. Check it before each use; a scratched or torn filter goes in the bin.
- Measure before ordering. A cell that sits loose can fall off.
Sources for the Sun
- American Astronomical Society — How to View a Solar Eclipse Safely — filters on optics go on the front; eclipse glasses never with optics; children supervised
- American Astronomical Society — Solar Filters for Optics — eyepiece filters are dangerous; the finder capped, removed or filtered; the filter attached securely
- American Astronomical Society — About the ISO 12312-2 Standard — EN ISO 12312-2:2015 covers naked-eye viewers only; no international standard covers filters on telescopes, binoculars or lenses
- Société astronomique de France — Guide des observations solaires — a filter at the front, never one screwed into the eyepiece, the finder capped
- NASA — Keep Your Eclipse Glasses to See the Sun's ‘Freckles’ — a large enough sunspot shows through eclipse glasses
- AAVSO — Le Guide d'Observation Solaire de l'AAVSO, v1.1 (2017), p. 6 — archived copy — “Les ouvertures plus grandes que 100 à 125 mm sont généralement limitées par les effets de turbulence atmosphérique”; 50 to 80 mm is enough to count sunspots
Next to it
Smaller
72–80 mm ED refractor- −4 mm
- ±0 kg
- +€250 at entry level
Recognisable targets (of 14): countryside 11 → 10, city 7 → 7.
Same budget, another way
130 mm tabletop Dobsonian- +60 mm
- +1 kg
- ±€0 at entry level
Recognisable targets (of 14): countryside 11 → 14, city 7 → 10.
Bigger
114–130 mm Newtonian on a manual equatorial mount- +42 mm
- +5 kg
- +€150 at entry level
Recognisable targets (of 14): countryside 11 → 14, city 7 → 8.
Rule of thumb from observers, at each family's typical aperture.
The models
Each price is the cheapest one observed, with its date. Links marked paid link earn us a commission and cost you nothing extra; the list is ordered by price, then by name — never by what pays. How this site is funded
| Model | Aperture | Focal length | Weight | Eyepieces supplied | Cheapest observed | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Meade Infinity 70AZ | 70 mm | 700 mm | 5 kg | 25 mm and 9 mm | €119seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
| Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ | 70 mm | 900 mm | 4.5 kg | 20 mm and 10 mm | €189seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
 Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 70AZ | 70 mm | 700 mm | — | 25 mm and 10 mm | €199seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
 Sky-Watcher Evostar 90/900 AZ-3 | 90 mm | 900 mm | 11.7 kg | 25 mm and 10 mm | €258seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
 Celestron Inspire 70AZ | 70 mm | 700 mm | — | 20 mm and 10 mm | €259seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
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 Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ | 80 mm | 900 mm | — | 25 mm and 10 mm | €259seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
 Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ | 130 mm | 650 mm | 8 kg | — | €599seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop | At Astroshoppaid link4 other sellers
|
Questions people ask
What can you see with a 70 mm refractor?
The Moon, beautifully. Saturn with its rings, small. Jupiter's two main belts on a good night, the bright clusters, the Orion Nebula. Galaxies, barely: 70 mm is not much light.
What is the "525×" printed on some boxes worth?
Beyond about twice the aperture in millimetres — the usual rule, 140× for 70 mm — the exit pupil drops below 0.5 mm: the image gets bigger without gaining detail, and goes dim and soft. Magnification is chosen with the eyepiece; aperture decides what there is to magnify.
Refractor or tabletop Dobsonian for the same money?
The 130 mm tabletop gathers (130 ÷ 70)² ≈ 3.4 times the light. The refractor keeps a standing eyepiece height, no collimation ever and daytime use. For the sky, the Dobsonian; for sharing standing up and watching wildlife, the refractor.
Is the tripod the weak point?
Often. A shaky tripod ruins a good tube: every focus touch sets the image dancing for seconds. Check the steadiness first, and consider a sturdy photo head if the supplied one wobbles.
Read next
- Refractor or reflector for a first telescope?For the same money a reflector gives two to three times the aperture. When that decides, and the two cases where it does not.Updated 30 Aug 2026
- Telescopes under €200: what is worth itTwo good buys, one honest one, and the number that rules out the rest — with what each really shows.Updated 24 Sept 2026