| Celestron 21024 FirstScope Telescope |  | Brand: Celestron
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $33.99
as of 9/4/2010 15:08 CDT details
You Save: $16.00 (32%)
New (13) Used (2) from $33.99
Rating:  46 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Aperature Mode: under-80mm
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.5
Dimensions (in): 9 x 9 x 16
MPN: 21024
Model: 21024
UPC: 050234210249
EAN: 0050234210249
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | FirstScope Telescope | | • | 76mm aperture reflector optical tube | | • | Moveable tube for ease of navigation for viewing | | • | Lightweight, portable | | • | Two eyepieces included |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In 1609, world-renowned Italian scientist, Galileo Galilei, introduced an elementary telescope to the growing astronomy community, which sparked interest into the mysterious night sky for centuries to come. Four centuries later, in celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, Celestron offers the portable FirstScope Telescope. The FirstScope pays tribute to Galileo Galilei and many of history's most notable astronomers and scientists by displaying their names around the optical tube. Honoring the contributions of these men and women, who brought us one step closer to understanding the universe around us. The FirstScope is a wonderful keepsake for anyone interested in astronomy. This quality Dobsonian style telescope features a 76mm aperture reflector optical tube. FirstScope is an ideal entry-level astronomical telescope. It is very easy to observe with; you simply navigate the night sky by moving the tube in the direction of the desired object, making the viewing experience a snap! The compact design makes it easy enough to take with you on your next outdoor adventure. FirstScope is also stylish enough to be a decorative fixture on your bookshelf or desk.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 46
 Great Portable Telescope May 28, 2009
Sky Observer (California)
119 out of 119 found this review helpful
I was looking for an affordable and portable telescope so that I can easily set up without taking too much time. A friend recommended this so I decided to purchase this (for $50, I can't go wrong). I was skeptical at first but that went away when I unpacked this. The telescope is 3" which is better than the 60mm telescope one usually sees in this price range. It came with 2 decent eyepieces (2 decent eyepieces by themselves already costs around $40 - $50). It was easy to put together as it was ready to use out of the box. For the price I paid, the base was well made like a dobsonian. It had a smooth swiveling motion so that I can easily point it at celestial objects and tracking it by gently pushing the tube. I was able to see Jupiter and its moons, Saturn, craters on the moon and on a clear night the Orion nebula. The images were brighter when I compared it to my friends 60mm telescope becasue this is a 76mm telescope. I am very pleased with my experience with this telescope and the price is great. It doesn't take long to set up so when I feel like just going outside to take a look at a celestial object, i can easily do it. My 9 year old daughter loves it too. Definitely a telescope I would recommend to anyone who is interested in looking at the night skies.
Nice starter telescope May 28, 2009
Hiker
41 out of 41 found this review helpful
After reading another reviewer state that he could see the rings of Saturn with this inexpensive scope, I immediately bought one for my son who is 8. He is really starting to get an interest in space, and growing up with an amateur astronomer father, I am overjoyed. It's a nice starter telescope and has been really easy for him to use. I like that it doesn't take up a lot of room and you can't beat the price. It's also nice that it commemorates history's greatest scientists and astronomers, my son has actually looked a few of them up on the internet to find out more about them! Very pleased.
What a Bargain! November 11, 2009
Charles Q. Bufe
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
For years, I've been wanting a cheap, wide-field, very portable 'scope. This one fits the bill perfectly. It's really inexpensive, has a really wide field, good optics, and is extremely portable. All of which -- along with its extreme ease of use -- makes it ideal as a first telescope for those just discovering the joys of astronomy.
The eyepieces that come with it deliver good images. But, the 20mm Huygens low-power "wide field" eyepiece that comes with it simply won't do. It's a narrow apparent-field-of-view eyepiece (20 degrees) that only delivers a 1.3-degree field of view. This would make finding anything but the brightest objects (basically the moon, Jupiter and Venus) an exercise in frustration. The 4mm symmetrical high-power eyepiece, in contrast, is fine. It delivers good images in an adequate .4-degree field of view.
Anyone buying this 'scope would be well advised to buy a better low-power eyepiece, such as a Kellner, RKE, or Plossl, in the 20mm to 28mm range. Most astronomy sales outfits grossly overcharge for these eyepieces, but you can find bargains at the surplus optical sites (run a search for "surplus optics") -- I just bought a 27mm Kellner for $12.50 plus $5 shipping from one. One of these better eyepieces will yield a 3-to-4-degree field of view, which makes finding an object easy just by pointing the 'scope in the general direction and sweeping until you find it.
From my heavily light-polluted backyard, the views of the brighter nearby clusters (Beehive, Pleiades, etc.) are wonderful in this 'scope -- its field of view is wide enough to allow you to view the entire clusters. I can't wait to take it out of town next year to check out the summer Milky Way.
Finally, don't bother with the accessory package. The eyepieces are almost certainly cheap Huygens eyepieces with very narrow fields of view; the finder 'scope is a toy that's useless if you have a decent low-power eyepiece; and there are good planetarium programs on the 'net (such as Stellarium) available for free. You'd be much better off buying a decent medium power -- roughly 10mm to 13mm -- eyepiece from a surplus optics site.
Great value starter scope July 5, 2009
mike892 (california)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
For less than $50, you get a great little scope in a compact package.
Set it on a table and explore the night sky. The lower power eyepiece is good for searching and the higher power eyepiece will fill the entire view with the moon (though it's quite bright)
A great value in a starter telescope April 18, 2010
Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
For years I've been telling people, in person and on my web site (findascope dot com), that you simply cannot buy a decent, minimal telescope for under $100- and then Celestron came out with the 21024. This is the first telescope I've seen that's so cheap anyone can afford it- and yet will still deliver decent views of the heavens. The Dobsonian-type mount is sturdy and vibration free, unlike many shaky mounts seen on telescopes costing 2x or even 10x what the 21024 delivers. Optical quality is good, and with a 3" mirror it should deliver usable images up to a magnification of 150x in good conditions, using the 50x per inch rule.
With a focal length of 300mm, the supplied eyepieces will provide magnifications of 300mm/20mm = 15x and 300/4 = 75x. You'll find that for most uses the 20mm eyepiece is actually more useful, as many of the most interesting objects in the night sky- galaxies, nebula, and star clusters- are quite large. For viewing the planets you'll want to use higher power- either the supplied 4mm eyepiece, or perhaps (as one reviewer suggested) a better "Plossl" type eyepiece from Celestron or another supplier. A 2x Barlow lens will double the magnification available from the supplied eyepieces, but maximum magnification isn't always useable. Buying better eyepieces is always a good way to spend your astronomy dollars, as you can use them when you move up to a larger telescope.
You'll also want a good guide to the night sky. My favorite is a book entitled Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them. It's intended for owners of small scopes, and will teach you to navigate the night sky by hopping from object to object.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 46
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