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

As amateur enthusiasts, and new homeowners, my wife and I wanted something more reliable (and aesthetically pleasing) than our homemade solar viewer which we fashioned with aluminum foil, masking tape and re-shaped cardboard boxes from past Amazon orders. We decided to take our chances on the Celestron EclipSmart Travel Scope 50. Admittedly, we were wondering if it would even be that great a scope considering the Coronado one is about 3x more expensive, but we're certain we made the right choice! It arrived quickly: within 2 days and the set up was super easy!It was much lighter than we thought it would be. Not that we have any frame of reference to what scopes do weigh, but altogether with the stand, it was very light. This is great, by the way, seeing as it makes it very portable; with its size and weight, we can view the sun at any outing. Speaking of viewing the sun — locating it is way easy with the target. Like I mentioned, we’re amateurs, but we didn’t have to waste our time looking for the best angle to actually view the sun. It took a lot of the guess work out of it..We are looking forward to the next eclipse. The only thing to consider now is whether we want to buy a 2nd scope, so we don’t have to share viewing an event — it certainly won’t break the bank if we do.Pros:competitively pricedHas a carry backpackVery light (portable)Simple setup -- we were viewing within 10 minutes of opening the boxCons:Very light (actually maybe *feels* a little to delicate for any rough and tumble outdoor activities)Actual reflected image of the sun is very small… (*then again, it’s bigger than if we made a long 6 foot cardboard tube, so it’s not that bad — after all, we are still able to identify the sunspots)

This is the first telescope I've ever set up. The instructions were clear and the set up was super simple. 20 minutes from opening the box to viewing the sun, and that was with interruptions from kids. The tripod is easy to adjust for adult and child heights. It is very lightweight so in windy conditions it will probably need weights to hold it steady but I haven't had to use those yet. The whole set up comes in a nice little backpack bag with lots of extra pockets. The finderscope makes it very easy to line up with the sun. Both my 8 year old and my 5 year old were able to get the hang of how to use it this within a few minutes.

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!

The Celestron EclipSmart Solar Telescope 50 is a fantastic beginners solar telescope. It was extremely easy to setup, the tripod is not the best crafted tripod but it gets the job done. The mount is very easy to use and adjusting the scope is simple and straight forward. The carrying case is sturdy, well padded and the equipment fits snugly inside. When sun spots are visible you can see them clearly through the lens and the included eye piece gives you a wide field of view so you can see the entire sun. All in all a very good entry level scope which will come in handy with the eclipse in a couple of months.

This one is a complete fizzle. Unable to use for the annular eclipse, image was fuzzy for all of us and it ended up just a paperweight. Wasted money.

This product is inadequate, hard to focus and extremely unstable. Not worth the effort. I've owned 16 other telescopes and I know what i'm talking about.

Cumplió todas nuestras expectativas

Very cheep

Pude ver el eclipse de octubre en Mexico, toda la familia pudo participar, valió lamprea cada centavo que pagué a cambio de compartir con la familia la experiencia de observar el eclipse. El campo de visión es Perfecto ya que puedes ver el sol completo cubriendo casi todo el campo de visión y se pueden observar hasta las manchas solares. La estabilidad es suficiente para el uso que se le dará ya que no es para observar planetas ni objetos de cielo profundo (no sirve para la noche). Su sistema de alineación es fabuloso proyectando una sombra y solo toma unos segundos alinear.

Lo compré para ver el eclipse del 14 de octubre.El enfoque es bueno y sencillo.Pueden verse algunas manchas solares.Es un telescopio pequeño y relativamente caro.Los ajustes del tripié (horizontal y vertical) son muy malos.