As the Black Friday weekend comes to a close and gives way to Cyber Monday, deals on telescopes and skywatching equipment still continue to roll in. The latest from Amazon is excellent for beginners: you can grab the Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ for just $199.96, down from $319.95 this Cyber Monday.
If you're just beginning your stargazing journey and want a solid piece of equipment to work with, you won't get much better than the Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ. Celestron's one of the best telescope brands around, and while we haven't reviewed this particular model, Celestron absolutely dominates our round-up of the best telescopes.
This powerful piece of kit is designed with a Newtonian Reflector Optical Design, and its fully-coated glass allows for brilliant optics and beautifully bright views across the night sky. The AstroMaster 114EQ is mounted on a manual German Equatorial mount, so you'll get a more traditional stargazing experience here without any GoTo electronics involved.
This is a seriously hot deal, offering a massive $120 (or 38%) saving, and you're unlikely to get a powerful beginner's telescope of this quality for any less. Amazon's Cyber Monday deals won't last long, so we advise you to act fast if you want to buy this.
- Read our Cyber Monday 2024 deals page for big discounts on space gifts
Weighing 17lbs, the AstroMaster 114EQ is one of Celestron's lighter telescopes, making this a great portable option. Its tripod folds up, making it easy to transport to different stargazing locations as the night sky dictates. Don't let its light weight fool you, though: this is still a solidly-constructed bit of kit. And you're backed by Celestron's two-year warranty if anything does go wrong.
The telescope's 10mm eye piece offers up to 100x magnification, allowing beautifully detailed views of Saturn's rings, the moon's craters and much more. The 10mm eye piece gives 50x magnification, and with both included in the box you've got plenty of versatility.
Packaged with the Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ you'll find two eye pieces, a full-height tripod and a StarPointer red dot finderscope. When you purchase this, you'll also get a free download of Celestron's top-rated astronomy software.
Key Specs: 114mm objective lens diameter, manual focus, reflex finderscope, Equatorial Mount, Newtonian Reflector optical design, 10mm and 20mm eyepieces.
Consensus: The Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ is a great telescope for beginners, offering fantastic, bright views across the night sky. It's also light enough to be transported with ease.
Buy if: You're new to stargazing and want a solid, trustworthy piece of equipment that you know you'll be able to rely on.
Don't buy if: You're already a seasoned pro at astronomy, or you're looking for an electronic GoTo telescope.
Alternative models: If you would prefer a GoTo scope, the Celestron NexStar 4SE comes highly recommended for beginners. We also love the Celestron Inspire 100AZ Refractor, which is a great budget telescope.
Check out our Cyber Monday 2023 deals page for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.
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