Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ

Designed for celestial and terrestrial viewing, this refractor is suitable for beginners on a budget

Celestron’s AstroMaster 102AZ is designed for both celestial and terrestrial viewing, so if you’re a fan of observing wildlife and mountain ranges as well as the night sky, then instruments of this caliber are a worthy investment. Also, with its low price, and with everything needed to start observing supplied – including a StarPointer, steel-tube tripod, and 20mm and 10mm eyepieces that supply magnifications of 33x and 66x, as well as TheSkyX astronomy software – this scope won’t create much of a dent in your bank balance. Relatively portable and supplied with an alt-azimuth mount, the AstroMaster 102AZ promotes ease of use as well as minimum fuss, making it ideal for those who are just breaking into the hobby of astronomy.

Our first impression is that the build of this new addition to the AstroMaster range is exquisite. While we did note glue residue on the tube, the quality of this refractor lives up to Celestron’s usual standards, and we very much enjoyed the tube’s beautiful metallic-blue finish as well as the pop of orange on the Vixen-style dovetail and the mount – features that allow it to stand out from the crowd. The twist clutch handle is very well made and screws into the mount tightly, allowing the telescope to track objects by steering.