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The Celestron Encourage 100AZ telescope ($359.95/£249) is value investigating if you wish to get nice views of the moon, planets and extra whereas experimenting with some primary astrophotography.
Celestron Encourage 100AZ: Key specs
Optical design: Refractor
Aperture: 3.94-inch/100 mm
Focal size: 25.98-inch/660 mm
Focal ratio: f/6.5
Eyepiece focal size: 0.8-inch/20 mm (33x) and 0.4-inch/10 mm (66x)
Whole equipment weight: 20 lbs./9.07 kg
Mount sort: Alt-azimuth
A primary 4-inch/100 mm refractor, it is acquired no ‘go-to’ options so you are going to must be assured sufficient to search out your individual targets within the evening sky.
In case you’ve ever considered taking photographs of the moon you then’ll love the revolutionary smartphone digicam mount hidden in its mud cap. It is a neat manner of positioning your smartphone over the eyepiece with any slippage, although past this novelty is an effective worth telescope that offers good views of the moon, planets and the deep sky.
Celestron Encourage 100AZ telescope: Design
- Panhandle motion
- 1.25-inch eyepiece holder
- Achromatic lens
An achromatic refractor with a 4-inch/100mm aperture and a fairly brief focal size of 660mm, the Celestron Encourage 100AZ is designed for use at house by newbies for planets, the moon and deep sky objects. It is perched on a easy altazimuth mount that strikes aspect to aspect and up and down, with a panhandle to search out the precise place you need and to lock it in place.
Extra equipment that comes with telescope
10mm and 20mm Kellner eyepieces
Mud cap digicam mount
StarPointer Professional red-dot finder
Erect picture star diagonal
Purple LED mild
Celestron Starry Evening Fundamental Version software program
The Celestron Encourage 100AZ is pretty light-weight. Weighing 20 lbs./9.07 kg in complete, it isn’t a heavy telescope by any means, however the 26-inch/660mm lengthy optical tube and the big tripod does give it a pretty big footprint. That mentioned, it may be constructed and deconstructed rapidly and simply, so may undoubtedly be put at the back of a car and brought on journeys to darkish sky locations.
It additionally comes with a StarPointer Professional finderscope and in addition a 90º picture erect diagonal, which makes it extra handy and comfy to view objects on the zenith.
Celestron Encourage 100AZ telescope: Efficiency
- Excels with lunar views
- Slight chromatic aberration
- Deep area objects lack wow issue
Rising within the east simply as we began the assessment, Saturn was straightforward to find utilizing the bullseye-style finderscope and the 20mm eyepiece. A vibrant picture with plenty of element will be had by means of the 20mm eyepiece, however not so the 10mm, which was persistently blurry compared. We discovered the identical at super-bright Jupiter, the place wide-field views revealed a purplish halo across the large planet. Nonetheless, this chromatic aberration ‘false’ shade’ is pretty minor on the 100AZ and far much less distracting than on some cheaper rival refractors. Ditto for the moon, which we noticed from a crescent by means of its full moon section and acquired some wonderful close-ups of its craters, although a purplish line round its limb was seen, although not dominating.
Transfer deeper within the cosmos and the 100AZ carries on its good work, clearly exhibiting Andromeda (M31) and a few of the brighter star clusters, although it lacks the aperture to go exploring the true deep sky.
Celestron Encourage 100AZ telescope: Performance
- Simple set-up and take-down
- Constructed-in pink mild/flashlight
- Smartphone adapter built-in
The Celestron Encourage 100AZ is very easy to arrange. The telescope tube itself attaches to the tripod mount utilizing a Vixen-style dovetail plate, so it is easy to arrange and take down. Sadly, the altazimuth mount is of common high quality, missing precision. For instance, the left-right swivel is stiff and must be prolonged effectively past the goal as a result of it recoils barely when the panhandle is let go of. Nonetheless, as soon as in place the altitude motion is extra exact and will be locked into place utilizing the panhandle. Due to the relative solidity of the mount it is then potential to easily nudge the eyepiece barely to observe, say, the moon because it begins to float out the sphere of view.
The tripod has an adjunct tray that additionally acts as a stabilizer, upon which you’ll retailer a few eyepieces in custom-made slots, which is helpful. Nonetheless, one thing it additionally has here’s a pink mild. It factors downwards and might mild up the accent tray on-demand, although you may simply as simply take away it because it’s really only a pink flashlight.
If that is an uncommon and intelligent design then so is the Celestron Encourage 100AZ’s revolutionary mud cap. The concept is {that a} smartphone will be lashed to the entrance and secured in place with its digicam over a round gap within the mud cap. That works effectively, with elastic straps supplied to lash a smartphone into a hard and fast place. It is then essential to take away a small cap within the mud cap and insert the highest of the eyepiece, which then needs to be secured utilizing a few tiny thumbscrews.
With all the pieces snugly in place, the eyepiece can then be inserted into the diagonal with a smartphone completely positioned to start taking a focal pictures. It really works effectively, although it pays to be fast about setting it up as a result of as soon as you’ve got lashed your smartphone and secured the eyepiece your goal could have drifted out of view. The one strategy to get it again will probably be to make use of that very same eyepiece. Customers are suggested to get a second 20mm eyepiece.
It is value noting that due to its somewhat uncommon hood design the Celestron Encourage 100AZ cannot take photo voltaic filters, so ought to by no means be used to look at the Solar.
Do you have to purchase the Celestron Encourage 100AZ telescope?
It is not good and it excels and like most refractors, it does its greatest work with the moon and planets, however the Celestron Encourage 100AZ has extra to get enthusiastic about than lots of its cut-price rivals. The construct high quality — significantly its tripod — is a step up whereas its aperture is simply sufficient to permit newbies to discover objects past the photo voltaic system. The icing on the cake is its intelligent lens cap, which turns right into a smartphone holder for astrophotography, which immediately provides it one other dimension. If you wish to keep away from the underside of the market however do not need to spend huge, the 100AZ is an interesting answer.
If the Celestron Encourage 100AZ telescope is not for you
If you need some assist discovering your manner across the evening sky then contemplate the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ, which comes with a smartphone holder and an app to create an evening sky sat-nav.
For optimum aperture that may entry vibrant photographs of deep sky objects attempt the Celestron StarSense Explorer 8-inch Dobsonian, which is huge on dimension and worth. In case you’re after one thing as small as potential and also you’re solely within the moon then a mini-Dobsonian just like the Celestron FirstScope 76, ought to enchantment.
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