Celestron – EclipSmart Safe Solar Eclipse Telescope – 50mm Refractor for Sun Viewing Only – Meets ISO 12312-2:2015(E) Standards – Observe Eclipses & Sunspots – Permanently Attached Filter

Pros:~Set-up was easy. 1st time having a telescope/mount and was very simple in putting together and use- Very light and easy to move around- Comes with compartmentalized bag for easy transport and/or storage of Telescope and accessories- Great view of the sun for the priceCons:- Tripod a bit of a pain on unlevel ground/thick grass, but that is to be expected w/ most mounts, I'd imagine- Fully extended tripod is a bit low for an adult to get into position and view for more than a few seconds without being uncomfortable. Will probably have to makeshift something to stand tripod on and also for person to kneel on for an extended view.Overall, I am happy with this telescope. It came easy to assemble, aim, and have in position. Everything came sealed up and new. Even backpack had a new kind of smell to it.The solar finder was a big help in getting the sun into the window and start observing. The safety of having the filter built in to the telescope was a big plus for me and will be for anyone newer to solar viewing. Forgetting to have filter on or tightening filter onto a telescope used for the sun can be a HUGE problem and risk with us that are forgetful and/or clumsy. We are humans...it happens ¯\_(ツ)_/¯I was able to get the sun in view easily and was presented with a white, 2D circle with a bit of brighter white in the center and the rest a slightly more focused white. Could not distinguish any sunspots as of yet, but from looking at a few websites, there are not many big sunspots, at the moment, that would probably be able to be seen through this particular telescope. I am sure, with a few more views over this next week and learning the focusing on this telescope better, I will find some sunspots without many issues. If I am not mistaken, we are currently heading into the 11 year solar maximum, so this telescope can and would provide plenty of further use for solar viewing to those interested in the sun even after the upcoming eclipse on April 8th, 2024.I have seen plenty of people on the review complain about the mount that comes with this telescope.I have had no issues with it at all. It is very lightweight and I could see how trying to use it on uneven ground or in a windy environment could possibly affect someone using it effectively, I have so far had success using it on concrete/even ground.My only issue w/ this telescope was the low set-up. with the sun, mostly you will be looking pretty high up to see it. The eye piece(Picture for reference) ends up only a few feet off of the ground. Making it hard to find a spot/posture to effectively get into to view comfortably. I would recommend placing it up on something higher so that the eye piece ends up around 5 feet or so(Your height my vary) off of the ground or go lower and use a type of chair to sit in. Also, Even though you are using one eye for the eye piece, your other eye will experience a lot of light, even when closed. For that, what I did was put on a beanie and slated it over the non-viewing eye to help me be able to focus more on what I am looking at. Just a suggestion that did help me out. I'm sure using a blanket or other cover could also work out.In summary, I am glad I bought this and feel it was a good investment that will no-doubt take me down a rabbit hole of better solar viewing telescopes, in the future.Eyes skyward, My friends! Cheers

"Like New" product had one loose screw. No big deal.

The primary reason for purchase was to see a magnified view of the sun. I can't see anything at all. Just black. I have tried on multiple occasions using multiple methods, including looking through the body of the telescope. No matter what, I simply see blackness. The instruction manual doesn't offer any kind of insight on why it is not working.Worse thing is, I bought this item for over a hundred dollars, and now the price has dropped to $35. It was a ripoff in every way.

This is a clever device that is a good choice for the beginner solar astronomer. It is very intuitive and easy to set up and provides a safe view of the sun for everyday sunspot viewing or to watch the progress of the upcoming total solar eclipse. Intermediate users might like this as an affordable addition to their collection for sharing with friends and family, but might want to mount the scope differently. I suspect expert astronomers will invest in a higher-end instrument.Pros:- Easy set-up- Very clever device to aim- Lightweight, complete package ready for travel- Very functional for the price!Cons:- Tripod slightly wobbly when fully extended- Fully extended tripod a little low for long-duration adult viewingDetailed review:The device arrives pre-packaged in the included backpack. The tripod and telescope, along with the instruction packet, are found in the main compartment, secured with Velcro straps. The eyepiece and “diagonal” (which connects the eyepiece to the telescope body and allows for more ergonomic viewing), along with appropriate caps and covers, are stored in a smaller front pocket. I suppose the instructions are okay, but set-up was so intuitive that I never read them. I had all parts assembled and was viewing the sun within 10 minutes.Attaching the diagonal to the scope is straightforward, although I had to fight the temptation to over-tighten, as it might be possible to strip the set-screw with little effort. The eyepiece is inserted into the diagonal and secured by another set screw. The assembled scope is small and light and easily attaches to the tripod with a thumb-screw. Without extending the tripod legs, the scope would be ready to use on a tabletop in this configuration.The tripod legs extend to four times their packed length by flipping three levers on each leg. The final height of the telescope was a little shorter than I (at 6’0”) would find comfortable for extended viewing, but at that height it will be accessible to most adults and children alike. When fully extended, the tripod is certainly less sturdy than heavier, more expensive camera and telescope tripods, but this one serves its purpose to hold the small scope while remaining light and portable.I have a solar filter for one of my larger telescopes, and the constant frustration is being able to get the scope pointed at the sun to begin viewing. The ingenious feature on this telescope is the “finder scope”. A pointer casts a shadow on a small disk. When the scope is pointing at the sun, the shadow is centered on the disk. This is a clever and elegant solution that allows for accurately centering the sun’s image in the scope’s field of view.In order to focus the image of the sun, the focuser knob extends more than I had expected, but focusing is straightforward and obtaining a clear image of the sun was easy. Unfortunately, there has been little sunspot activity in the past few weeks, so I can’t vouch for the clarity of these features through the scope, but the edge of the sun was crisp and clear, and it was comfortable to view. The “solar safe” filter delivers a pleasing white image of the sun, which I prefer to the orange image seen through some other filters. The image fills about a quarter of the width of the field of view. A different eyepiece would be required for a more magnified image, but with the rotation of the earth, the image of the sun will drift through the field of view at a rate of 15 degrees per hour, or one sun-width every two minutes. At this magnification, you need to adjust the aim of the scope every five to eight minutes to keep observing the sun. Therefore, the 20mm eyepiece is the right choice for this scope.Overall, I’m quite pleased with this scope. I’m sure beginners will be happy to be set-up and observing quickly, reliably and safely, with little frustration. I hesitated between 4 and 5 stars mainly because of the tripod, but I’m sure a more sturdy tripod would raise the price while making it slightly less portable.As a somewhat experienced amateur astronomer with several telescopes, I will likely mount this scope on a sturdy tripod with a motorized device I have that tracks the motion of the sky, so that the sun will remain centered for the duration of the eclipse.Happy Viewing!

This is a very affordable and easy to use solar eclipse telescope. It comes with all the accessories you need, is lightweight and comes with a carrying case. The magnification is excellent and you're able to really see things.