5.0 out of 5 stars Worth it to see Jupiter's moons!

2026-01-13    -K. M. Abernathy

My son is obsessed with planets, to the point where he would cry when we told him that no, we can't go live on Jupiter as he demanded and no, not even Saturn either. For his 5th birthday, he knew he wanted ONE thing, which he absolutely had to have and begged for for months: a telescope. Since I am a degreed laboratory technologist with extensive knowledge and proficiency with MICROscopes, pretty much the opposite side of the same spectrum as telescopes, I was starting with good working knowledge of the concepts but also pretty much from scratch as far as what current options there even were for telescopes regarding their power, their individual purposes based on the wide range of telescopy starting with children's telescopes that are essentially toys all the way up to breathtakingly enormous and powerful telescopes built on mountaintops with reaches far into the furthest corners of our Universe we know to even exist! The variations of ease/difficulty of use, functionality, and of course how detailed they could allow my son (and us, of course) to see planetary bodies as distant as his beloved Jupiter and even Saturn?At first I thought buying a telescope with more power and clearly meant for adults with some significant telescope competency was perhaps not the way to go. I knew I didn't want to get him a telescope meant for children, as this was an investment into an interest of his that was clearly inborn (considering how young of an infant he was when he began to notice the Moon and how consistently he was finding it in the sky, how spellbound he was by it, and how impactful his experience has been when we witnessed the total solar eclipse in 2024 from a dark sky zone along the shore of a lake directly in the path of Totality, watching the midday spring sunlight fade rapidly into an unnatural-looking dusk and temporary "night" darkness, then the reemergence of the daylight as all of Nature around us was "tricked" into the chirping of the night insects and a false nighttime - then, as quickly, all was restored into the bright white light of early Spring with the day insects blinking back to day mode. The experience was profound for us all, but affected even our son's understanding of the Sun and Moon.He's a fast learner, is distracted easily, is stubborn as heck, and if the telescope I picked didn't wow him off his feet at first shot, he would likely not get around to giving it a real chance later on, maybe even ever, as stubborn and unreasonable as he can be. I initially was considering a telescope with somewhat less power, which looked and seemed at least pretty cool to me and most of the reviews seemed somewhat or mostly satisfied with their choice. But then I stumbled upon the Celticbird High-Powered 80mm Aperture 900 Refractor Telescope (complete with mount, storage, carry bag, and even a phone mount for astronomical photography possibilities! The photos in the reviews submitted by customers who had purchased this telescope were simply breathtaking! The other, slightly lower-power telescope had nothing on this one! When I read one customer's review describing how she could see the "four moons of Jupiter," I was in disbelief. I wasn't even entirely sure what that would possibly look like, but on that premise and the option to order even more powerful lenses down the line, I was absolutely sure this was the one for my son and for us!I've been watching the "6-Planet Parade" of Saturn, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune lining up alongside the Waning Crescent Moon, now at just 4% full and finishing off the Parade line-up as just before sunrise in about an hour, it will cap the arc of the major planets in the cast and tomorrow it will wrap up this August 2025's very exciting cosmic events by its official 'Black Moon' status (a rare fourth New Moon to occur in one month,) almost as if the Moon is cutting the lights completely for the optimal inky black sky to showcase the Wanderers for closing night of a brilliant show. The Beehive Cluster should be rising with a dark enough backdrop to be spotted this morning as well, and I did indeed see, in a wonderful and breathtaking moment two mornings ago before a thick cloud layer took over for two days, those playful and different colored, indescribable four moons of Jupiter bouncing along as if they were Jupiter's halo. I have yet to get a photo of Jupiter and his entourage that is clear enough so this morning I'm setting up the telescope and prioritizing the best parts I think I'll see. The final beautiful streaks of the Pleiades meteors will be tonight into tomorrow, in the darkest dark of the sky. All at once behind this brilliant Parade! The meteors are shocking when they streak unexpectedly across my field of vision through the telescope. So much bigger and brighter than when I catch them with the naked eye. Stunning.What a great telescope! Easy to use, much like a microscope in focusing and stabilizing the scope to the stand. The carrying case is fantastic in size and design and how it holds the telescope in place without being rigid and requiring specific dismantling and placement. I can easily just unscrew the telescope from the stand with the major screw (which you don't need any tools for; it's a sturdy and large thick (I believe it's got a metal core with thick plastic exterior layers) plastic screw that's easy to tighten and loosen and meant to be done be hand. Even then the screw is ALMOST unscrewed enough that you might try to separate the two parts then, there's a specific point that the screw will actually come off the bolt and you can pick up the entire telescope in the center carelessly by one hand with the screw almosttttt to the last thread and the telescope will swing down from its loose position to dangling limply alongside the fold-up tripod stand, and still the telescope would not fall off or work itself looser and come off or do any damage to the scope and structure at all, assuming you are using some reasonable degree of care and not slamming it around or dropping it from the tops of high-up things. It is jarring, however, every time you did loosen the telescope and forgot and move the tripod dramatically, as in picking up the whole thing, and the telescope part flips itself skyward suddenly. I can set it up in about 5 minutes if the scope to frame screw easily aligns with the screw holes without me needing to get out some light and gain a visual of the parts. Tear down is even less, maybe 3 minutes average. The double-clip adjustable sections for each leg to fully customize the legs for the best and most comfortable position with the most mobility of the scope is invaluable. They're so easy to adjust as well, except for the one on the bottom of the front tripod leg that I have to reach to adjust and risk shaking the whole scope. Planets move constantly, so I'm having to loosen and tilt and tighten the stabilizer constantly, but it is so perfectly placed for that and never ever requires anything more than a quick thumb twist and back!This telescope is a total game-changer! I'm obsessed! It is so worth the little bit extra cost for the 900 aperature telescope rather than the 800 aperature!

Great beginner telescope

2026-02-05    -kellie Allen

It's ideal as a beginner telescope 🔭

Perfetto come primo telescopio

2026-02-19    -Clara R.

L’ho preso come regalo di compleanno al mio fidanzato appassionato di astronomia, ha rispettato tutte le aspettative!Per un principiante è l’ideale sia come facilità di utilizzo che come prezzo, consiglio assolutamente!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Affordable Starter Telescope Kit

2026-01-16    -Mike

First impressions: The telescope arrived undamaged and well-packaged. All the promised accessories were included in the package and were in good condition. Scope and tripod came in a nice zipper bag with lots of storage space; the bag will make transportation much easier than it would be otherwise.The telescope itself is impressively large in size, being a 900mm focal length refractor. The tube is metal, with the components being a combination of metal and plastic as is common on this style of Telescope. The scope has a good weight to it without being unweildy or awkward, and installing it in the tripod is easy for one person to do. My one concern is that there appears to be dust or lint on the inside of the main lens, however this is not a major problem as refractor telescopes are easy to disassemble and clean.The AZ mount/tripod is of acceptable quality, though it still falls into the category of "cheap starter tripod" that may make precise adjustments of the telescope difficult during use due to its design; though it is still of nicer quality than other tripods that I've seen included with similar telescopes. Overall the tripod is stable and you won't have to worry about the scope falling over once it's set up.The accessories included with the telescope are of surprisingly good quality. The phone mount is universal and works with most modern phones, and makes taking pictures through the scope very easy compared to other phone mount adapters that are sold.Traditionally, eyepieces that are included with telescopes are usually terrible and one of the first things which should be replaced, but in this case, the eyepieces which come with this scope are not only usable, but really quite good; they do not indicate whether they are Hygenian, Kellner, or Plossl, however they offer a wide field of view with good eye-relief and a clear image. I was able to easily distinguish the flag on top of a mountain approximately 7 miles from my window, which is my preferred target when I am calibrating a telescope or sighting-in the finder scope.To conclude, this is a great scope for a beginner or someone looking to get their first decent-quality refractor telescope. I look forward to testing its capabilities, and someday putting it on a motorized mount for astrophotography to see just what it's capable of.

Télescope legé et facile à monter !

2026-01-17    -POIROT Laurine

Parfait pour débuter, simple d'utilisation et de bonne qualité! Il est en plus facile à monter et léger, nous pouvons l'emporter partout très facilement ce qui est agréable pour aller observer le ciel en pleine nature.La qualité des images est correcte, petit + l'adaptateur de téléphone qui permet de prendre des photos des observations.

Great value

2026-01-21    -Hanan jeha

Love this telescope. Set up was easy, great for travel and the quality is amazing. Got some amazing shots on my iPhone with the camera lens. Comes with everything you need for a great price.

Perfetto come primo telescopio

2026-01-26    -Clara R.

L’ho preso come regalo di compleanno al mio fidanzato appassionato di astronomia, ha rispettato tutte le aspettative!Per un principiante è l’ideale sia come facilità di utilizzo che come prezzo, consiglio assolutamente!

Great beginner telescope

2026-02-23    -kellie Allen

It's ideal as a beginner telescope 🔭

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth it to see Jupiter's moons!

2026-03-02    -K. M. Abernathy

My son is obsessed with planets, to the point where he would cry when we told him that no, we can't go live on Jupiter as he demanded and no, not even Saturn either. For his 5th birthday, he knew he wanted ONE thing, which he absolutely had to have and begged for for months: a telescope. Since I am a degreed laboratory technologist with extensive knowledge and proficiency with MICROscopes, pretty much the opposite side of the same spectrum as telescopes, I was starting with good working knowledge of the concepts but also pretty much from scratch as far as what current options there even were for telescopes regarding their power, their individual purposes based on the wide range of telescopy starting with children's telescopes that are essentially toys all the way up to breathtakingly enormous and powerful telescopes built on mountaintops with reaches far into the furthest corners of our Universe we know to even exist! The variations of ease/difficulty of use, functionality, and of course how detailed they could allow my son (and us, of course) to see planetary bodies as distant as his beloved Jupiter and even Saturn?At first I thought buying a telescope with more power and clearly meant for adults with some significant telescope competency was perhaps not the way to go. I knew I didn't want to get him a telescope meant for children, as this was an investment into an interest of his that was clearly inborn (considering how young of an infant he was when he began to notice the Moon and how consistently he was finding it in the sky, how spellbound he was by it, and how impactful his experience has been when we witnessed the total solar eclipse in 2024 from a dark sky zone along the shore of a lake directly in the path of Totality, watching the midday spring sunlight fade rapidly into an unnatural-looking dusk and temporary "night" darkness, then the reemergence of the daylight as all of Nature around us was "tricked" into the chirping of the night insects and a false nighttime - then, as quickly, all was restored into the bright white light of early Spring with the day insects blinking back to day mode. The experience was profound for us all, but affected even our son's understanding of the Sun and Moon.He's a fast learner, is distracted easily, is stubborn as heck, and if the telescope I picked didn't wow him off his feet at first shot, he would likely not get around to giving it a real chance later on, maybe even ever, as stubborn and unreasonable as he can be. I initially was considering a telescope with somewhat less power, which looked and seemed at least pretty cool to me and most of the reviews seemed somewhat or mostly satisfied with their choice. But then I stumbled upon the Celticbird High-Powered 80mm Aperture 900 Refractor Telescope (complete with mount, storage, carry bag, and even a phone mount for astronomical photography possibilities! The photos in the reviews submitted by customers who had purchased this telescope were simply breathtaking! The other, slightly lower-power telescope had nothing on this one! When I read one customer's review describing how she could see the "four moons of Jupiter," I was in disbelief. I wasn't even entirely sure what that would possibly look like, but on that premise and the option to order even more powerful lenses down the line, I was absolutely sure this was the one for my son and for us!I've been watching the "6-Planet Parade" of Saturn, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune lining up alongside the Waning Crescent Moon, now at just 4% full and finishing off the Parade line-up as just before sunrise in about an hour, it will cap the arc of the major planets in the cast and tomorrow it will wrap up this August 2025's very exciting cosmic events by its official 'Black Moon' status (a rare fourth New Moon to occur in one month,) almost as if the Moon is cutting the lights completely for the optimal inky black sky to showcase the Wanderers for closing night of a brilliant show. The Beehive Cluster should be rising with a dark enough backdrop to be spotted this morning as well, and I did indeed see, in a wonderful and breathtaking moment two mornings ago before a thick cloud layer took over for two days, those playful and different colored, indescribable four moons of Jupiter bouncing along as if they were Jupiter's halo. I have yet to get a photo of Jupiter and his entourage that is clear enough so this morning I'm setting up the telescope and prioritizing the best parts I think I'll see. The final beautiful streaks of the Pleiades meteors will be tonight into tomorrow, in the darkest dark of the sky. All at once behind this brilliant Parade! The meteors are shocking when they streak unexpectedly across my field of vision through the telescope. So much bigger and brighter than when I catch them with the naked eye. Stunning.What a great telescope! Easy to use, much like a microscope in focusing and stabilizing the scope to the stand. The carrying case is fantastic in size and design and how it holds the telescope in place without being rigid and requiring specific dismantling and placement. I can easily just unscrew the telescope from the stand with the major screw (which you don't need any tools for; it's a sturdy and large thick (I believe it's got a metal core with thick plastic exterior layers) plastic screw that's easy to tighten and loosen and meant to be done be hand. Even then the screw is ALMOST unscrewed enough that you might try to separate the two parts then, there's a specific point that the screw will actually come off the bolt and you can pick up the entire telescope in the center carelessly by one hand with the screw almosttttt to the last thread and the telescope will swing down from its loose position to dangling limply alongside the fold-up tripod stand, and still the telescope would not fall off or work itself looser and come off or do any damage to the scope and structure at all, assuming you are using some reasonable degree of care and not slamming it around or dropping it from the tops of high-up things. It is jarring, however, every time you did loosen the telescope and forgot and move the tripod dramatically, as in picking up the whole thing, and the telescope part flips itself skyward suddenly. I can set it up in about 5 minutes if the scope to frame screw easily aligns with the screw holes without me needing to get out some light and gain a visual of the parts. Tear down is even less, maybe 3 minutes average. The double-clip adjustable sections for each leg to fully customize the legs for the best and most comfortable position with the most mobility of the scope is invaluable. They're so easy to adjust as well, except for the one on the bottom of the front tripod leg that I have to reach to adjust and risk shaking the whole scope. Planets move constantly, so I'm having to loosen and tilt and tighten the stabilizer constantly, but it is so perfectly placed for that and never ever requires anything more than a quick thumb twist and back!This telescope is a total game-changer! I'm obsessed! It is so worth the little bit extra cost for the 900 aperature telescope rather than the 800 aperature!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Affordable Starter Telescope Kit

2026-01-26    -Mike

First impressions: The telescope arrived undamaged and well-packaged. All the promised accessories were included in the package and were in good condition. Scope and tripod came in a nice zipper bag with lots of storage space; the bag will make transportation much easier than it would be otherwise.The telescope itself is impressively large in size, being a 900mm focal length refractor. The tube is metal, with the components being a combination of metal and plastic as is common on this style of Telescope. The scope has a good weight to it without being unweildy or awkward, and installing it in the tripod is easy for one person to do. My one concern is that there appears to be dust or lint on the inside of the main lens, however this is not a major problem as refractor telescopes are easy to disassemble and clean.The AZ mount/tripod is of acceptable quality, though it still falls into the category of "cheap starter tripod" that may make precise adjustments of the telescope difficult during use due to its design; though it is still of nicer quality than other tripods that I've seen included with similar telescopes. Overall the tripod is stable and you won't have to worry about the scope falling over once it's set up.The accessories included with the telescope are of surprisingly good quality. The phone mount is universal and works with most modern phones, and makes taking pictures through the scope very easy compared to other phone mount adapters that are sold.Traditionally, eyepieces that are included with telescopes are usually terrible and one of the first things which should be replaced, but in this case, the eyepieces which come with this scope are not only usable, but really quite good; they do not indicate whether they are Hygenian, Kellner, or Plossl, however they offer a wide field of view with good eye-relief and a clear image. I was able to easily distinguish the flag on top of a mountain approximately 7 miles from my window, which is my preferred target when I am calibrating a telescope or sighting-in the finder scope.To conclude, this is a great scope for a beginner or someone looking to get their first decent-quality refractor telescope. I look forward to testing its capabilities, and someday putting it on a motorized mount for astrophotography to see just what it's capable of.