Celestron C102-AZ

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Brand and Model:Celestron C102-AZ
Price ($USD):$399.00
Type:Achromatic Refractor
Attributes: un-checked Go-To un-checked PEC
Aperture:102mm (4")
f Ratio:f/5
Focal Length:500mm
Finder:6x30
Electric Power:n/a
Mount:Alt-Az
Tripod:aluminum
Weight (lbs):17.5 lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:Celestron's C102 Page
Affordable Astronomy's Review
Todd Gross's Review
Cloudy Nights' Review 1
Cloudy Nights' Review 2
Ed Ting's Review

Vote Highlights Vote
Celestron C102-AZ
I bought this scope as an apartment scope.It has severe curvature at the edges along with poor color correction.It is made very solidly and the az.mount is made very well.I guess for $319.00 I guess I can't expect that much If you want a scope for some quick looks at planets,the moon and some easy to see nebula it's a quick and easy set up scope.

Overall Rating: 6
Optics:4 Ease of Use:9 Value:7
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=74677

Celestron C102-AZ
This rating is for the C102 AZ, the 500 mm f5 scope on the AZ-3 mounting. Several ratings are confusing this with similar products. For the price: very good optics (f5, remember), better than average coatings, very stable mount (a nice, simple altaz with slow-mo controls), good color correction for an f5 achromat. A very good "grab-and-go" scope. Leave it assembled and carry it out with one hand. Cool-down is VERY fast (about 10 minutes at 30 degrees F). I leave mine on the porch. Don't compare this to a Televue, Tak, ED apochromat, or any of the long-focus scopes out there. (It's a $350 scope, DUH!) BIG HINTS: Tighten all the tripod screws to keep it from wobbling, and ADD A VIOLET REDUCING FILTER!!!! Get one from Sirius or Williams (maybe others?). This will REALLY help the blue fringe around the Moon, Venus, Jupiter and the dozen or so brightest stars. (These are the only 'problem' objects, and people make too much of it! Who the heck really stares at Vega for hours on end anyway?) With the filter in place, this scope can take 250x with decent color and contrast. One last item: the bolt that holds the altitude axis in place is a 12mm, 1.7 pitch, Nylock bolt (at least on mine). Buy a fist-full of these at the hardware store. They tend to wear quicky and have to be replaced, not just re-tightened (you can't re-tighten a Nylock bolt). The azimuth axis is not a problem for some reason. Remember, if you could afford a TV-102, you wouldn't be reading my opinion. Clear skies!

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:7 Mount:9 Ease of Use:10 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=172015

Celestron C102-AZ
My father-in-law sent me this scope in April 2002 when he upgraded. It has piqued my interest in astronomy. It is easy to use, highly mobile and very rugged. Open and globular clusters can be seen along with more prominent nebulae. DSO appear as fuzzies. No detail on planets, but the inner 5 can easily be seen. I put the OTA on a basic $99 ORION mount and am satisfied.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:5 Mount:5 Ease of Use:9 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=104330

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