National Geographic StarApp70 - 70mm Refractor Telescope w/ Astronomy APP

If you can't yet name the constellations, finding a target is the first hurdle. The National Geographic StarApp70 hands that job to your phone: it rides in a Bluetooth mount on the tube, and the free ARTelescope app shows the names and outlines of the constellations in view as you pan, with audio facts on constellations and planets. Underneath is a 70 mm f/10 achromatic refractor.

Key Features

• Setting up the app. Search the App Store or Google Play for ARTelescope-3L, as the manual directs, allow camera, location and Bluetooth, and activate it online with the manual's QR code.
• In the app. "Star Seeking" pairs the phone in the mount. It also holds an encyclopedia of constellations and solar system objects, a quiz and a 3D assembly animation.
• Magnification from 26.9x to 144x. The 26 mm and 9.7 mm Plössl eyepieces give 26.9x and 72x; the 2x Barlow takes the 9.7 mm to 144x.
• Diagonal, dew shield and smartphone adapter for photos at the eyepiece.
• Panhandle alt-azimuth mount on a full-size tripod with accessory tray.
• What to have ready. A phone (not included) and a screwdriver to fit the mount; a CR2032 battery is in the box.

Who It's For

• Beginners learning the sky. Explore Scientific names "detailed lunar and planetary views, as well as bright deep-sky targets like star clusters and nebulae."
• Children 10 and up (the manual's age marking), with adult supervision and never aimed at the Sun, per the manual.
• Comparing models. The NT114PH costs the same and gathers (114 ÷ 70)² = 2.7 times the light, with a red dot viewfinder instead of the app; the 70mm Silver Carbon Fiber Refractor is a 70 mm f/10 with a red dot viewfinder that costs less. Our Saturn's rings guide shows what 70 mm reaches.