When I was looking at taking my first steps into stargazing I wanted a telescope that was affordable and compact so I could pack it away when it was cloudy. I ended up starting my stargazing journey by buying the Celestron Travel Scope 70 and today, thanks to Amazon Prime Day, it’s $40 off, making it just $81.
This portable, beginner-friendly Celestron Travel Scope 70 is $81 right now at Amazon.
Not only is this telescope the reason I got into stargazing but it has the pedigree of being from reputable telescope manufacturer Celestron, whose products appear in our best telescope guide and best binoculars guide. It’s a breeze to use and super portable with it.
The moment I trained it on the moon and took in the stunning, detailed views of its craters, I was hooked. Now, thanks to Prime Day, you can save big on this fantastic, beginner-friendly scope.
Chris McMullen
Chris is a freelance journalist who owns three telescopes. When he’s not writing, skywatching, playing games or building Lego, indulges his taste for horror, sci-fi and the post-apocalyptic. As well as Space.com, you can find his work at GameSpew (where he’s the weekend editor).
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It’s fair to say that if I hadn’t bought the Celestron Travel Scope 70, I wouldn’t be into stargazing. I didn’t want to spend a fortune or to tie up a room, so the Celestron Travel Scope 70 fit the bill. Several years later, I have a Skywatcher 200P Classic dominating my front room, so you can tell how that went.
So what makes the Celestron Travel Scope 70 such a great starter scope? It’s an absolute breeze to use, easy to assemble and while the included 20mm and 10mm eyepieces are basic, they still give you excellent views of objects within our solar system.
And while it doesn’t match up to the best deep space telescopes, the Celestron Travel Scope 70 offers respectable views of some deep space objects, light pollution aside. It also comes with a basic version of Celestron’s own stargazing software.
Could the tripod be sturdier? Yes, but I personally had no problems with that; my only gripe was that it took a little while to master fine-tuning the scope. But at $80, this is a superb starter scope and an absolute steal.
Key features: 70mm aperture, fully coated optics, a carry bag, a collapsible, full-height tripod, 10mm and 20mm eyepieces, a finderscope and Celestron’s Starry Night Software Basic Edition.
Price history: This scope has dipped to around $90 previously but this is the cheapest it’s been all year.
Review consensus: This is a superb beginner-friendly scope, especially if you’re short on space. I don’t regret my purchase one bit and going by its Amazon reviews, most purchasers feel the same, with just a few wishing the tripod was a tad more stable.
✅ Buy it if: You’re after a beginner-friendly telescope that can be packed away, or are dipping your toes in skywatching.
❌ Don’t buy it if: You’re prepared to spend a lot more, and have the room to house a bigger scope. Take a look at our best telescopes guide for other options.
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