Is the Celestron Inspire 70AZ a good first telescope?

Yes if what you mainly want is sharing it with children: that is what this family does best. No if your priority is nebulae, clusters and galaxies, by eye: other families do better for the same money.

What can you see with the Celestron Inspire 70AZ?

Under a suburban sky, from its 70 mm aperture: The Moon (Detailed), Saturn (Recognisable), Jupiter (Recognisable), The Orion Nebula (Detectable), The Andromeda Galaxy (Detectable), The Hercules Cluster (Detectable). Useful magnification from 12× to 140×.

How much does the Celestron Inspire 70AZ cost?

€259 observed on 2026-10-07 at Astroshop. Prices move; that is what the date is for.

Saturn at 70× in 70 mm — exit pupil 1.0 mm, Bortle 6 sky. Computed, not photographed.

70–90 mm refractor on an alt-az mount

Celestron Inspire 70AZ

Name: Celestron Inspire 70AZ
Brand: Celestron
Price: 259 EUR

The shape most people picture when they picture a telescope. Sealed tube, nothing to collimate, and a standing eyepiece height that suits sharing.

€259seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop

See it at Astroshoppaid linkAll the sellers

70 mmAperture
f/10.0Focal ratio
12–140×Useful magnification

Should you buy it?

Yes if what you mainly want is sharing it with children: that is what this family does best.
No if your priority is nebulae, clusters and galaxies, by eye: other families do better for the same money.

Computed from its family's per-goal scores and its own numbers — not a rating, not one evening's opinion.

Where to buy

Astroshoppaid link€259seen 7 Oct 2026→ships DE, FR, EU

Also search at First Light Optics · Optique Unterlinden · Pierro Astro · Teleskop-Express (searches; neither price nor stock checked)

1 of these 5 links earn us a commission, marked above. Sorted by price, never by what pays. How this site is funded.

Prices are observed on the date shown, never live. Links marked paid link earn us a commission and cost you nothing extra.

What it shows, really

These circles are simulations, computed from the aperture, the magnification and the sky — indicative, not exact. A real night also depends on the turbulence, your eyes and your experience. Closer to the truth than the photo on the box; still not a promise.

Under a suburban sky (Bortle 6), through a common 25 mm eyepiece for wide targets and a 10 mm for planets. Every circle is the true field — nothing is enlarged.

The Moon28× · 70 mm 2.5 mm exit pupilDetailed

Saturn70× · 70 mm 1.0 mm exit pupilRecognisable

Jupiter70× · 70 mm 1.0 mm exit pupilRecognisable

The Orion Nebula28× · 70 mm 2.5 mm exit pupilDetectable

The Andromeda Galaxy28× · 70 mm 2.5 mm exit pupilDetectable

The Hercules Cluster70× · 70 mm 1.0 mm exit pupilDetectable

Photo credits

These thumbnails are built from real photographs, scaled and darkened by the same arithmetic as the large view.

The Moon: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio / LRO, public domain
The Orion Nebula: NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (heic0601a), CC BY 4.0
The Andromeda Galaxy: Adam Evans, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
The Hercules Cluster: Wikimedia Commons, Messier_13.jpg, CC BY-SA

The numbers

Photo: Astroshop

Aperture	70 mm
Focal ratio	700 mm · f/10.0
Mount	Alt-az on a steel tripod, smartphone adapter
Eyepieces	20 mm and 10 mm
Useful magnification	12× to 140× at 70 mm
Resolution (Dawes)	1.7″ — the tightest double star this aperture can split
Faintest star, suburban sky	around magnitude 10.5
Observed price	€259 seen 7 Oct 2026 at Astroshop

Made for

Sharing it with children
Standing height, sealed tube, and no mirror to knock out of line.
The Sun
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). Measure the outside diameter first, then 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). Every time: certified filter over the front · finder capped · never an eyepiece filter · an adult with children · never without the filter · measure first.

Not made for

Nebulae, clusters and galaxies, by eye
Bright clusters and the Orion Nebula. Galaxies are mostly out of reach.

The Sun, safely

No solar filter in the box

The Sun with this model

No source we have states the outside diameter of its tube or dew shield. Measure it at the front, then take the cell whose range holds it. For 70 mm of aperture, one of these:

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).

euro EMC SF100 (57–71 mm): holds 57–71 mm, €50 (seen 26 Sept 2026) Astroshoppaid link
Omegon Helievo 72 (64–88 mm): holds 64–88 mm, €55 (seen 26 Sept 2026) Astroshoppaid link
Omegon Helievo 92 (84–108 mm): holds 84–108 mm, €59 (seen 26 Sept 2026) Astroshoppaid link
Omegon Helievo 112 (104–128 mm): holds 104–128 mm, €69 (seen 26 Sept 2026) Astroshoppaid link

The listing names no standard; no international standard exists for filters on telescopes, binoculars or lenses (AAS).

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

The family it belongs to: 70–90 mm refractor on an alt-az mount

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

Worth knowing about this model

The 10 mm eyepiece in the box gives 70× on 70 mm, an exit pupil of 1 mm. The usual rule allows about 140× on 70 mm (twice the aperture in millimetres, an exit pupil of 0.5 mm); anything past 70× on 70 mm (an exit pupil of 1 mm) needs a shorter eyepiece or a Barlow, and the spec table lists neither.

Everything about 70–90 mm refractor on an alt-az mount →