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Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ refractor telescope

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Achromat · Alt-Az

Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ

Long-focus 70mm refractor built for sharp, high-contrast views of the Moon and planets

Price in India

₹15,000

Price exclusive of GST. GST (18%) is added at checkout.

  • Free shipping across India
  • In stock
  • Setup and first-light guidance over WhatsApp

A slow f/13 achromat on a simple alt-az mount: crisp lunar detail, Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons, with a no-tools setup and nothing to collimate.

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Aperture
70mm
Focal length
900mm
Focal ratio
f/13
Mount
Alt-Az

About the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ

The AstroMaster 70AZ pairs a 70mm achromatic objective with an unusually long 900mm focal length. That slow f/13 ratio is the point: it suppresses the false colour that short refractors show on bright objects, so the Moon’s terminator, Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s cloud belts come through cleanly at the magnifications this aperture can hold. The pan-handle alt-az mount moves the way a camera tripod does, there is no collimation to learn, and the erect-image diagonal means it works for daytime landscape viewing too. What it is not is a deep-sky instrument — 70mm gathers too little light for galaxies, and a long tube on a light tripod rewards patience.

Lunar and planetary viewingFirst telescope for a beginnerMaintenance-free opticsDaytime spotting

Full specifications

Brand
Celestron
Model
AstroMaster 70AZ
SKU
NS-011
Optical design
Achromat
Telescope type
Refractor
Aperture
70 mm
Focal length
900 mm
Focal ratio
f/13
Mount type
Alt-Az
Computerised GoTo
No — manual
Recommended level
Beginner
Best suited to
Planetary

Why this telescope

  • 900mm focal length at f/13 keeps false colour low, which is what makes the Moon and planets look sharp rather than fringed.
  • Refractor optics are sealed and never need collimating — nothing to align before an observing session.
  • Pan-handle alt-az control with a clutch moves intuitively, so tracking an object by hand is straightforward.
  • Erect-image diagonal gives right-way-up views, so the same telescope works for terrestrial spotting.
  • Celestron rates the highest useful magnification at 165x and the limiting stellar magnitude at 11.7.

In the box

  • 20mm eyepiece (45x)
  • 10mm eyepiece (90x)
  • 1.25-inch erect image star diagonal
  • StarPointer red-dot finderscope
  • Adjustable-height steel tripod with accessory tray
  • Starry Night astronomy software

Optical performance, in plain terms

Every figure below is calculated from this telescope's own specifications using standard optical formulae. None of it is a marketing number.

Light-gathering power

100× the human eye

Compared to a dark-adapted 7mm pupil. This is what determines how faint an object you can detect.

Resolving power

1.66 arcseconds

The Dawes limit for this aperture — the finest detail the optics can theoretically separate.

Limiting magnitude

~11.7

The faintest star reachable under a genuinely dark sky. Expect two to three magnitudes worse from a city.

Maximum useful magnification

140×

Twice the aperture in millimetres. Atmospheric conditions usually impose a lower practical limit.

Magnification with 25mm eyepiece

36×

Your low-power, wide-field view — used for finding objects and framing large clusters.

Magnification with 10mm eyepiece

90×

The workhorse range for planets, lunar detail and globular clusters.

About magnification claims

The optical ceiling for a 70mm aperture is about 140x. On a typical Indian night, atmospheric seeing — not the telescope — limits you to roughly 150x–200x. Most of your observing will happen between 36x and 90x, and the view will be brighter and sharper for it.

Why telescope magnification claims are misleading →

Customer reviews

No reviews for the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ yet. We publish reviews only from people who actually bought the telescope from us, so this section stays empty until there is something real to put in it.

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Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ — common questions

What can I see with the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ?
With 70mm of aperture you will see lunar craters and mountain ranges in sharp relief, Saturn's rings clearly separated from the planet, Jupiter's cloud belts and its four Galilean moons, and the phases of Venus. Deep-sky objects are more limited at this aperture — expect the Orion Nebula as a distinct misty patch and bright open clusters such as the Pleiades resolved into individual stars, rather than detailed galaxy structure.
What magnification does the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ support?
The optical ceiling for a 70mm aperture is about 140x. With the 900mm focal length, a 25mm eyepiece gives 36x and a 10mm eyepiece gives 90x. In practice, atmospheric conditions over most Indian cities limit useful magnification to roughly 150x–200x, and the majority of your observing will happen between 36x and 90x where the image is brightest and sharpest.
Is the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ suitable for beginners?
Yes. It is rated for first-time owners: the mount is steady enough to hold a target while you focus, and the supplied eyepieces give sensible rather than inflated magnifications. The alt-azimuth mount moves up-down and left-right, which needs no learning at all.
Does the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ need collimation?
No. Refractor optics are sealed and fixed, so there is nothing to align. This telescope performs the same on its five hundredth night as on its first, with no maintenance beyond keeping it dry and dust-free.
Can I do astrophotography with the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ?
Only in a limited way. Smartphone photographs of the Moon through the eyepiece work well, and short lunar exposures are achievable. Deep-sky astrophotography requires a precision equatorial mount with autoguiding, which this telescope does not have.
What is included with the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ?
In the box: 20mm eyepiece (45x), 10mm eyepiece (90x), 1.25-inch erect image star diagonal, StarPointer red-dot finderscope, Adjustable-height steel tripod with accessory tray, Starry Night astronomy software. We recommend budgeting for one good mid-power eyepiece and a red torch, which together improve your observing more than any other purchase at this price.
How much does the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ cost in India?
₹15,000 through Nakshatra Scopes, shipped nationwide. We include first-setup and first-light guidance over WhatsApp so the telescope is working before you are left alone with it.

Where these specifications come from

Specifications on this page are taken from Celestron's official product documentation. Derived figures — magnification, resolving power, limiting magnitude — are calculated from those specifications using standard formulae, and observing expectations reflect what this aperture realistically delivers under Indian skies.

View the manufacturer's official listing

Similar telescopes

Considering more aperture? The Celestron AstroMaster 90AZ is the next step up at 90mm, for ₹25,000.

Before you decide

The guides and comparisons most relevant to this telescope.

GuideHow to Choose a TelescopeMost telescope advice starts with specifications. That is backwards. Start with where you observe and what you want to see, and the right telescope narrows down fast.GuideTelescope Aperture ExplainedAperture is the single specification that sets the ceiling on what a telescope can show you. Here is what each step up actually buys, in objects rather than millimetres.GuideWhat Can You See Through a Telescope?The single biggest source of disappointment in amateur astronomy is expecting Hubble. Here is what a real telescope shows a real eye, and why that is still extraordinary.CategoryBeginner telescopesEvery beginner telescopes we stock, with the trade-offs of the category explained.