Features:

  • A great compact grab-and-go telescope designed for entry-level and intermediate astronomy enthusiasts; Focal length: 450mm
  • Substantial 4.5 inch aperture and fast f/4 focal ratio provides bright, detailed views of solar system targets like the Moon and planets, as well as wide-field celestial objects like nebulas and star clusters
  • Ships pre-assembled so you can go from the box to your backyard in minutes. Glass material : Low thermal expansion borosilicate glass
  • Stable tabletop base provides smooth altazimuth motion for easy manual tracking of celestial objects. Age Range-13 years
  • Includes two Explorer II 1.25 inch Kellner telescope eyepieces (17mm and 6mm), EZ Finder II reflex sight for easy aiming, eyepiece rack, collimation cap, Starry Night astronomy software, and more!
Exactly what we needed for beginner! Excellent value and quality

We did a lot of research and checked with some astronomy buffs and this was one of several they recommended. The thing about this one is how easy it is to use - has all you need to get started (though we added a 2x barlow magnifier lens and later got more eyepieces) It's also pretty durable. Our child has had this out about 100 nights this last year even though the cold winter. Easy setup, light and portable, etc. lets you just take it outside and start looking for stars. We use a sturdy folding table in our driveway most of the time. No regrets, this is an excellent product.

High quality, gathers light, easy to use, portable, great scope

This was my first scope.... So I'm no astro nerd expert. But let me tell you, your mind will be blown. Shipped quickly, easy assembly, I glanced over the instructions.... trial and error, it takes a little practice to get the hang of this thing if you've never used a telescope. The laser sight works pretty good, for some reason I can't get mine to stay sighted in perfectly, probably need to read the instructions more carefully, but the scope works fine overall. Focuses well, really picks up light.... you know how you feel like you can almost see a bizillion stars in between the brighter stars? Well, they're there. You can stare into a dark area with this thing and boom there are more stars there. I did a little research before the purchase. This seemed like the best bang for your buck as far as a good entry-level scope that can collect a decent amount of light. Started eyeballing around, learning the constellations.... the moon is crazy detailed and close up... haven't gotten a chance to view planets yet.... but I see satellites all the time zipping around up there, star clusters... and I live in an area with somewhat bad light pollution, haven't even tried it out in the country yet where the view will be better. Maybe I'm nuts, but this is better than watching T.V. I sit out there in the bed of my truck in the driveway just eyeballing around, staring at stars... they're all different colors... flashes of light.... you can really see them.... like, you can tell they're just like the sun but just really far away.... I don't know. A couple of weeks ago I was out there eyeballing the stars late at night sipping on a screwdriver and staring at one star in particular and pondering existence and if we're alone and whether or not there's a god and all of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks and I can hardly put in to words what happened.... but it was a religious experience. Strange. Hard to explain. Best way I can put it is that I was overwhelmed with a mix of love, grief, peace, a longing, fear, happiness and sadness, all melded in this one powerful crippling emotion. A presence. I no longer have any doubt in my mind. If you've never had a religious experience.... well, maybe you'll have one eventually. I hope so. Aside from possibly triggering life-altering experiences, this little light bucket is your eyeball into the cosmos. I love it. One of these days I'll go for a bigger light bucket but this one is great... very portable.... I've been using it as much as I can for about three months now, cloudy winter skies sometimes... learning all of the stars.... the great thing is that the stars change with the seasons. Always something new to see, somewhere else to look and explore. Your mind will be blown! If you're thinking about whether or not to buy it, buy it. Stare at the heavens. Ponder existence. There's so much to learn, so much we don't know. Go for it! As an inexperienced amateur with nothing to compare it to, I've been very pleased with the scope and its performance. Exceeded my expectations, very well worth the money. I will come back and dig up this review should it prove to be cheap and break or have a serious malfunction. If no updates, assume I'm still out there in the driveway sipping on a screwdriver. *UPDATE APRIL 2019* - It fell apart. What a cheap piece of garbage. Naw I'm just kidding. Still works as good as the day I got her. Since I wrote the original review I've seen the planets, seen a band or two of clouds on Jupiter as well as the moons, seen the rings of Saturn, eyeballed Andromeda, the brighter Messier objects... star clusters... etc. And great news! Moved out into the boonies where I can really see the stars. Almost zero light pollution. One really clear night the ole' lady and I were camping and looking at the night sky... I put the scope in the center band of the Milky Way... you could see as many stars through the scope as you could see in the entire night sky with the naked eye. Its just ridiculous. Watch the Tim and Eric documentary on space. It will blow your mind. Great scope. She's been bounced around in the back of my truck on crusty rutted gravel roads and still held up great. I wouldn't recommend doing that but it is a fairly durable piece of equipment. SOON... someday soon I'll order the XT8 (the step up with the 8" aperture.) Amen brother.

Light weight high quality scope.

Purchased this to replace my son's refractor scope that was lost in a house fire. What a surprise! It comes almost fully assembled and a quick collimation check showed it was ready to use. We put in the 6mm eyepiece and installed and adjusted the spotting aid in just a few minutes. Once it was good amd dark we took it outside and placed it on a table for easy use. Sirius was bright in the sky so that was our first target. The spotting aid proved to be almost dead on as Sirius was just off center with the 6mm. We decided right away that an eyepiece with longer eye relief was needed as my son and I both wear glasses. Next we installed and focused the 17mm eyepiece and things got more interesting. The viewing was easier and it seemed as if thousands of faint background stars suddenly made themselves visible. Next, find Amdromeda galaxy and so we did. Even with the neighbors back light on we made out the center of our target. While not the best choice for planetary viewing it dose a nice job with general deep sky viewing. It is rasy to use and light enough for an adult or teenager to carry with one hand. The included eyepieces are good enough to get you started but better qualty eyepieces with longer eye relief make a very noticeable improvement in image quality and ease of use. I highly recommend this as a first scope or a grab and go for experienced users.

This is my first scope and I am very happy with it

This is my first scope and I am very happy with it. Very compact and lightweight, easy to move around and to set up. Optics are good for such entry level equipment. Beware, this is not for observing planets, even with the 2X barlow. The moon however looks great. Observed at 150x with the included eyepiece (6mm) and 2x barlow.

Very cool beginner scope

Very cool beginner scope. It's my first telescope and have had no issues finding planets. You can see the rings around saturn as well as jupiter and its four moons with ease. 2x barlow lense is a good addition to this telescope.

Great for learning about astronomy!

My son's tenth birthday was around the corner and with most kids lack of interest in anything that doesn't have a screen nowadays, the wife and I were trying to figure something out that would be educational and possibly something the whole family could enjoy. Looking outside one evening at the sky, it hit me, a telescope! I had one 30 years prior, so I had an idea of what to look for. After a few days of light research, the Orion StarBlast seemed to be a good telescope to go with. I was leaning towards a refractor telescope initially, but this Orion was about $100 more than the one I was looking at. It came in a giant box, we wrapped it up, and my son was genuinely surprised and excited when he opened the gift. Nothing much to assemble. Only tough part was lining up the sight but the little red dot made it fairly easy. After sitting through Sunday's super blood moon lunar eclipse for 3 hours, I realized that even after the kids leave for college, I'll be able to personally enjoy this for years to come. They loved watching the eclipse as did my wife and had loads of questions. The two lenses that come with it are excellent. I do plan to order the recommended Barlow lens in the future though. Looking forward to looking at planets now. I was able to line up my lens with my iPhone for some pics. Took some work but it was fun.

Excellent experience

An excellent out of the box experience. Only assembly required is getting the packaging material off the telescope tube, and attaching the red dot sight. The secondary mirror is collimated quite well, and the primary mirror needed just a touch of tweaking to align it. The alignment ring already placed on the main mirror was very helpful for this. With the included lenses, I am able to view Saturn fairly well as a tiny disc and make out the rings around it (though not distinguish between individual rings). Eye capability does vary from person to person. This telescope was recommended to me as an excellent choice to get started in astronomy on a budget, and I second that recommendation.

Great viewing scope

It is a serious mistake to buy more telescope than you really need. I have a much larger scope that hasn't made it to the yard in twenty years. This one has reasonably high magnification, crisp image, and total ease of use. This is primarily a viewing scope, but unless you need a scope that tracks the sky for long exposure photography, or one with a carrying case for camping, this is an excellent choice. It's a perfect second or beginning scope. I'm always surprised how many people have never seen either the moon or planets through a telescope. You can't beat it for the price. Highly recommended.

... altogether dropping the computer programming that takes away the greatest part of the price ticket

This telescope has put the accent on the pure visual quality altogether dropping the computer programming that takes away the greatest part of the price ticket. What you have in hand here is the best visual performance for this price level giving nothing away onto electronic support. I immediately observed, when operating this telescope, that the image is much more precise and rocks, valleys and craters on the Moon are more easy visible. I consider this Orion Starblast 4.5 Astro Reflector as the best in its category. Go and search for a better one in this price level you sure won’t find it.

Great Beginner Scope

Awesome first scope. Didn't take long for me to get the hang of it. You learn as you go. I purchased filters and extra lenses including a 2x Barlow. So far I've been able to see stunning close ups of the moon, a small but undeniable Saturn during it's opposition, Jupiter and a few of it's moons and way more stars than I can see with my own eye's (even with an airport only a few miles away) I noticed a couple of confused reviews so I'll tell you, for planetary viewing I use my 2x Barlow with my 20mm lense to locate the planet and then switch to my 6mm lense for more magnification. This is my first scope and I've only used it a month but that's what I've found useful. If your patient and put in the time needed, you won't regret it. If your not patient then don't buy a telescope. I did tons of research before I decided on this scope and this one seemed like the best option, in this price range. It's already paid for itself with my pure enjoyment. It has taken a hungry interest and turned it into a life long passion. I just ordered a 4 mm lense and am already dreaming of my next scope purchase in the coming years. Even then, this one is so convenient and easy to use that I'll still be taking it outside for as long as it let's me. I love it!

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