The Zhumell Z100 and Orion SkyScanner 100 have a similar tabletop Dobsonian design and super-wide field of view to the FirstScope/FunScope but with more aperture, parabolic primary mirror optics, and decent included eyepieces, along with a red dot finder for aiming. Any 1.25" eyepiece supplied with PowerSeeker and AstroMaster telescope kits or any eyepieces with a 34mm outside diameter You’ll probably need to read it twice, but in essence it translate to “point it at what you want to look at, then move it around until you can see it through the eyepiece.”

As noted before, the Moon showed visible chromatic aberration (color around the edges) with the supplied 20mm (15x) eyepiece. It was also difficult to focus, as the eyepiece distorted the view of any object not in the center. The view through the 3mm (100x) was worse as the field of view was also significantly narrower. It almost feels as though you’re looking at the Moon through a magnifying glass at the end of a cardboard tube. The only alternatives to the FirstScope in its price range are basically rebrands or upgrades with better eyepieces and/or finderscopes, such as the Orion FunScope or Celestron Cometron FirstScope. Turn your telescope, spotting scope, or DSLR camera into a solar scope! The EclipSmart Universal Solar Filter is a must-have accessory perfect for viewing the Sun and eclipses like the upcoming 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse and 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Affordable, easy to use, and best of all, Solar Safe, this filter conforms to the ISO 12312-2:2015(E) international safety standard. The EclipSmart Universal Solar Filter has a solar filter aperture of 60mm and works with any optic or lens measuring 75 to 100 mm in diameter, including telescopes, spotting scopes, and DSLR camera lenses. The solar filter fits around your optical device with adjustable side panels that secure with a rubber band for a snug fit. We include (2) rubber bands, but we recommend that you change out the bands frequently. To replace use #32 rubber bands. When it’s not in use, fold the filter flat and place it inside the reusable bag. Bright, big nebulae like Orion and the Lagoon can be seen through the FirstScope, but for the best views, the sky needs to be dark.SVBONY Eyepieces (Set of 3) – this inexpensive set includes a 23mm, 10mm and 4mm eyepiece that will produce magnifications of 13x, 30x and 75x respectively. The FirstScope 76 Newtonian reflector telescope comes with a simple tabletop Dobsonian mount to which it is semi-permanently attached. Altitude tensioning can be adjusted with a hand knob while azimuth can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the nut in the middle with a wrench or pliers. As to the smoothness of the mount’s motions, they’re pretty good, but it’s more or less irrelevant for a scope that is probably not able to handle more than 40x. Should I buy a Used Celestron FirstScope 76?

Celestron 8mm to 24mm Zoom Eyepiece – avoid having to carry a range of eyepieces with you by using a zoom eyepiece. This eyepiece provides a magnification range of between 13x and 38x when used with the FirstScope. Globular clusters can be seen with the Celestron FirstScope, and they can be clearly distinguished from stars even at just 15x with the 20mm Huygens. However, no 3″ telescope, and especially not one with the poor optics of the FirstScope, can resolve stars in them. Familiarize yourself with the Moon, our neighboring world. Robert Reeves’ signature FirstScope comes with a custom wrap that highlights 10 lunar features to explore including Tycho, Plato, and Copernicus. Learn more about the Moon with Robert Reeves’ Lunar Landscape eBookwhich goes into detail about the sizes of craters, how marias are formed, the natural history of the Moon, and other fascinating tidbits. About Robert Reeves Unfortunately, this leaves you with the sense that while Celestron are more than willing and able to provide customers with a decent, inexpensive entry-level scope, they also have no qualms in expecting customers to pay extra for the most basic (and essential) accessories. While this is common with reflectors, it seems somewhat conspicuous on the FirstScope and could prove irritatingThe PowerSeeker mount comes with two slow motion control knobs that allow you to make fine pointing adjustments to the telescope in both Right Ascension and Declination axes, also referred to as RA and DEC. Celestron has joined forces with master lunar imager Robert Reeves on this addition to the beloved FirstScope family: the FirstScope Signature Series: Moon by Robert Reeves. This quality Dobsonian-style telescope features a spherical glass mirror with a generous 76mm of aperture. The FirstScope’s wide field-of-view provides bright, sharp views of the Moon’s mountains and craters in crisp detail. You’ll also enjoy using the FirstScope to pan the Milky Way, explore open star clusters, marvel at Saturn’s rings, or view favorite deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula. 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, 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. We honor the contributions of these men and women, who brought us one step closer to understanding the universe around us. A clear December sky offered a gaggle of solar system targets including Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the moon to test the telescope's optical system. Our lunar companion was at 22% illumination, meaning that there wasn't too much natural light pollution to hinder our view of other targets. This kit is essential for those looking to take the next step in exploring their telescope’s full lunar capability, or for seasoned lunar observers who use a variety of telescopes and eyepieces to observe the Moon.

Overall this might be an ideal first telescope for your kid as it has enough power to enable the discovery of the moon and our solar system. It’s also very portable weighing only 4lbs (2kg) in total which is a very strong point for this telescope. The Cometron edition of the FirstScope, as previously mentioned, comes with a 5×24 finder (slightly inferior to a red dot) and a pair of wide-angle eyepieces. Never look directly at the Sun with the naked eye or with an optic (unless you have the proper solar filter). Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result. That said, it should work fine if you use an eyepiece with a longer focal length and a barlow. For example, a 10mm and 3x will produce 100x but with better results. The tube of the Celestron FirstScope is wrapped in vinyl with the names of famous astronomers, physicists, and opticians from throughout history. This is a nice touch. This was originally done when the FirstScope was brought out for the International Year of Astronomy in 2009 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first discoveries with the telescope, and Celestron has kept it in the decade since. The Accessories with Celestron FirstScope 76One thing to mention here is that the finderscope is much better than the one from the COSMOS model. Other than that it’s the same with the rest of the models, being just a question of which design option you choose.