Orion SkyScanner 100mm TableTop Reflector Telescope - Compact & Portable Beginner Astronomy Telescope Ideal for Adult and Family Stargazing

This Newtonian reflector telescope is very well made and very easy to use. If you have realistic expectations (it is not going to produce a stunning large image of Saturn, even at 200x magnification, which is its maximum useful magnification), they will be fulfilled by this model. You would likely need a few additional Barlow lenses (I would recommend the affordable and well made lenses by Meade, such as their 3x and 2x Barlow lenses--around 30$ per lens), but other than that, you will be able to view the night sky comfortably with this scope. It is great for observing the planets and their moons (mostly Jupiter's), the Moon, and even some deep sky objects like the Great Orion nebula. The provided eyepieces offer a 20x and a 40x magnification. With a 3x Barlow lens, you can make that a 60x and a 120x magnification, which would allow you to see the planets (their image will be still reasonably small, though, but if the Barlow lens is of good quality, it will be quite clear). The only part that requires a bit of assembly is the EZ Finder II Reflex Sight. Make sure that you align it with the object that you see in your eyepiece when daylight is lower (maybe 30-40 minutes before twilight, so that you can see clearly the LED red dot). Aligning is reasonably easy (I had no prior experience doing so) and it works well. Once you attach the EZ Finder II to the scope, you are good to go. You can put the scope on a small 3- or 4-legged stool, or on a table. You can also use a tripod that has a 1/4 screw (or a quick-release plate). The scope will weigh about 7 to 7.5 pounds with the Barlow lenses, so the tripod should be able to support that weight. At this price, there is a lot that you can do with this Newtonian beginner's model, and it is very well made. This is my second telescope (until now I've been mostly using Celestron astronomical binoculars), and I am enjoying watching the starry skies with it!

After purchasing a "toy" telescope from a certain kids "r" us store for Christmas, and returning it due to a defect, I decided to look elsewhere. The telescope at that store cost nearly $80, and for only another $20, I figured I would try the Orion 100mm Skyscanner Pro...boy was I surprised/pleased. First, setup out of the box is quite simple. Everything was pretty much assembled, save the eyepiece and LED viewfinder. Speaking of viewfinder...VERY nice. During the day, I picked a telephone pole about .5 miles from home, keyed in on it, and had the scope zeroed in...OH, after of course I realized I had the scope on backwards :) Make sure the LED light is visible in the scope before you put it on, so you know which way to mount it (directions were clear, but in my haste, I just made a mistake that cost me 10 minutes of fiddeling). As for the lenses/quality. Within 5 minutes, I was able to hone in on Jupiter and the 4 Gallilean Moons (very thin gray stripes on Jupiter visible w/ 10mm eyepiece), a waxing gibous moon, subaru (pleadies), and the Orion Nebula. I was very impressed with ease and quality. Just this AM I saw the rings of Saturn VERY clearly (could actualy see space betewen the rings and the planet unlike in other scopes where the resolution is not that great). Now for the best part. It's for my 6 year old son. He is EASILY able to find what he wants to see (with the easy LED viewfinder), and is quickly able to focus on what he wants without any trouble. The only thing, if anything, I have found to be a concern was that I don't see a way to lock the base from moving. So while you can lock down your elevation, you can't lock your azimuth. Not a big deal, and because the unit is sturdy, this isn't much of an issue. And it is MUCH better than the poorly crafted tripod that we had on our "R" us telescope. Overall...very very pleased with this purchase...there will be many more nights of star-gazing ahead for my family! Oh, and now for the best part. The telesco

So for only about $100 on Amazon, this telescope is pretty nice. I'm stunned at how much more I can see of just the general sky with it. I can easily see the moons of Jupiter and make out the rings of Saturn. Next I'm going to try and see what I can with nebulas and close galaxies. Very light and easy to move. Doesn't take up a bunch of space. The negatives are that it doesn't have legs, so you have to set it on a table or on the ground, so you have the set up to consider before you buy. Tables are fine, but if it vibrated with the breezed, so will your image. I bought and use a Barlow lens, and it works great with the 20X lens, but I can't get a focused image with the 10X lens. Adjusting your image can be tricky, as it moves very easily horizontally (with no lock, so one accidental bump and wheee!). Overall, I'm glad I purchased this telescope and am excited to use it more.

Great for beginners with limited space. This Is my first real telescope aside from a cheap refractor I had many moons ago. This telescope is great if you are looking to get into astronomy. I have played around with it for about a month now and have had a great experience so far. The main mirror is not able to be collimated and that was almost a deal breaker for me but I’m glad I went for it. I did buy a collimating eyepiece and the secondary mirror took a tiny bit of adjustment but it was pretty dead on right out of the box. It has performed well many nights now. The red dot finder holds center once adjusted despite being taken off and stored in between viewings. I did purchase a few extras and would recommend at first getting a 2x Barlow then maybe moving on to a 6mm eyepiece as well. The photos I included utilize the Barlow and the 6mm eyepiece. I have pushed it all the way to 200x magnification with a 4mm eyepiece and the Barlow and the image is not to bad but at that level is isn’t super crisp. I live in heavy light pollution but on clear nights have spotted M13, M92, M32, as well as the rings of Saturn. Overall very pleased and would recommend for the absolute beginner. If you have a few more bucks to spend there is plenty out there that are better, but this is a good jumping off point to see if you enjoy the hobby.

My first telescope which I chose from reviews for less than $200. Easy to set up and use from the well-packaged box. Had to watch a few easy-to-find videos on youtube about the assembly and viewing to make sure I did it right and got some tips - made it much simpler. Got the telescope to see what I could view of mars while it was closer to moon, still, was only a small disc not even worth seeing with my vision (slightly blurry with glasses on and off). Glasses were actually in the way. According to manual, I need to look into additional eyepieces that have “longer eye relief” when wearing glasses. Also, may need that for viewing other small (far away) planets such as jupiter and saturn with glasses on. Next was the view of the moon which was a late riser on 08/01/18. Waited till after midnight to see it which was 3/4ths full on a clear night. Got a great view of it and look forward to a full moon. I put my iphone 5 camera up to lens as best and as steady as I could, posted couple pics. Used 10mm eyepiece with 2x Barlow (sold separately). Moon was bright, but was able to view without a moon filter (sold separately). If it were a full moon on a clear night, may need a moon filter with that Barlow 2x. Have not looked at Jupiter and saturn yet. I am 56. Could see moon very clearly without glasses (2.0 R/2.75 L, Farsighted). First-timer seeing the moon so close in a telescope was like wow! & woughhhhh!!! & awesome & freakish! I am only 5’2 so sitting on ground with telescope in front on ground made scope too long for me to lean over to look into eyepiece without nudging it out of focus. Was easier and steadier for me to sit on ledge of cushioned lawn chair with a steady foot stool in front of me with telescope on it. Did not use EZ Finder 2 Reflex Sight. I will later get a 4mm eyepiece and a Barlow 3x in hopes for larger/closer views of Saturn, etc. Very satisfied for the price and excited about more viewing. Will enjoy this as long as it lasts. Praise God for telescopes and outer space wonders!

My 5 year old daughter was expressing an interest in the night sky and wanting to read books about planets so I picked this up for her birthday (and partly for me). In addition to this I picked up the Orion shorty barlow lens which should be bought with this telescope. She has really enjoyed it so far but definitely needs adult supervision as the setup is and pointing may be a little above the skill level of the average 5 year old. First, the star finder does feel a little flimsy and the battery I got in it didn't work but I had an extra battery. swapped it out and it works. Some adjustments are needed to make it a little more accurate but if you point it at the moon first you should be able to get it in view. in the end it does the job of lining up the telescope. second, the telescope mount is small and if you don't have a small table to take outside with you or a barstool you may want to get a tripod (don't cheap out) to stick the telescope on. With the delivered lenses you can see the features on the moon quite clearly as well as the moons around Jupiter. With the shorty barlow lens and the 10mm lens and some finagling of the telescope on the tripod I was able to point it at Saturn and you can see the rings. All of this in the light polluted suburbs of Houston. My only complaint is that is the high humidity you may need to put the telescope outside for a little while before using it so the mirror isn't cold. I have had the mirror fog up on my as soon as I walked out the door making viewing just about impossible.

I ordered this for my father, who has an abiding though casual interest in astronomy and was smitten by this little telescope in the Orion catalog! He's used it for several months and really seems to enjoy it. I've used it a few times. My own telescope is a 4" rich field reflector with an assortment of eyepieces and other accessories, that I've used for many years. I'm more or less comparing this telescope to that one. Pros: This telescope delivers as promised -- nice views of the moon, Jupiter, Saturn. You can see cloud bands on Jupiter, rings of Saturn, and Messier objects (if you know where to look.) You can adjust the mounting so it turns more freely or tightly to suit your needs. Of course, most telescopes are NOT in use most of the time, and this one does not take up too much space sitting on a shelf in the den while waiting to be used! An important consideration in a first telescope. The SkyScanner is very light and easy to bring out and set up at any time. Cons: The two eyepieces that came with the telescope were, in my opinion, rather marginal. The telescope does not cost much -- invest in a good eyepiece (or two) and a Barlow lens, and you'll have a nice set up. I got dad a Barlow and it really helped get more out of the scope. Accessories: I recommend a Barlow, another eye piece or two, and why not get a solar shield so you can look at sun spots too? Use your telescope during the day and get more out of it.

I'm a beginner. Telescope is very durable and easy to use. Living in Arizona, it took me over a week to view certain planets due to the monsoon weather. Finally was able to view the moon. Great detail. Smaller planets took considerable time to focus and were very small. Appears I need to buy stronger eye piece. Over all, great product and I would recommend.

Telescope très compact léger et rapide pour de l'observation ! Très agréable avec un oculaire de 10mm pour du planète terre tel que Saturne ou le balais des 4 lunes de Jupiter et impressionnant avec la lune !! J'ai commencé en décembre seulement sans grande connaissance. Rapport qualité prix impeccable. Emballage au top.

Dieses Teleskop muss man nicht noch zusammen bauen. Lediglich den EZ-II Finder montieren, justieren und dann kann es los gehen mit der nächtlichen Himmelsbeobachtung. Auch die beiliegenden Okulare sind von guter Qualität. Klares Bild. Keine Verzerrungen. Der SkyScanner ist ausserdem standfest. Kein Zittern oder wackeln. Platzsparend und auch leicht zu transportieren und zu bedie en. Übrigens: Die Bedienungsanleitung in Deutsch gibt es im Internet zum downloaden. Für mich als Astronomieeinsteigerin ist der Kauf des SkyScanner 100 die richtige Entscheidung gewesen. Auch der Kundenservice bzgl. einer Anfrage war super. Thank you again Taylor M. Hier stimmt das Preis-und Leistungsverhältnis. Kann ich nur empfehlen. Clear Skies

Excellent if you're starting out. Would recommend purchasing a 2 x Barlow and 5 x Barlow for the 1.25" 10ml eyepiece provided (Plossl lens). EZ finder was simple setup - Find the top of something tall nearby to calibrate the aim, works as intended. Great value, compact size and easy operation. Very good value for money.

Estoy muy contento con la compra me mi telescopio, si quieres empezar con el hobby de la astronomía y no tienes idea de por donde empezar este telescopio es ideal, es facil de usar de buena calidad, facil de transportar y mover y es ideal si tu vives en la ciudad por su precio y porque te da vistas agradables de la luna y de objetos iconicos como Sirio, Orion, las Pleiades y sobre todo la Luna. Puedes cambiar los "eyesight" a unos de mejor calidad si quieres, por eso es una excelente compra ya que te la puedes pasar bien con lo que tienes o puedes ir haciendole mejoras como un zoom o mejores eyesights y ya cuando estes listo para hacer la inversión puedes hacer el upgrade, pero este es genial para empezar.

El precio es genial, es manejable y los oculares que incluye son de buena calidad, aunque son básicos y hay que hacerse con más. No es para nada un juguete. Se pueden ver detalles increíbles de la luna, la nebulosa de orión, y otros objetos del cielo profundo. Si no tienes mucho espacio, este telescopio es perfecto para iniciarse.