Astronomy - USA 2021-04)

56 ASTRONOMY • APRIL 2021

CELESTRON INSPIRE 100AZ

REFRACTOR

that 11th-magnitude galaxy have two

or three arms?” When you’re showing a

child the sky, however, it’s the bright stuff

that matters. And that means the Moon.

Start with an eyepiece whose field of

view will show our whole satellite. (Since

the Moon is so brilliant, you may want to

invest in a neutral density filter or create

an aperture mask).

Ask your child what’s most interesting

to them. Then, increase the magnifica-

tion to zoom in on that area. Go back the

next clear night and explain why the

Moon looks different. Most important,

let your child decide how long each

observing session lasts.

Staying in the solar system, Saturn

and Jupiter can’t be beat. Through a

small scope, however, Saturn’s rings will

give them a total

grasp of astronomy;

rather, you’re trying

to excite their imagi-

nation and get them

interested. Questions will

come, and you can answer those

in as much detail as you perceive

your child can handle. If they want

more, be prepared to hand them a

book (or a copy of Astronomy maga-

zine), or suggest an age-appropriate

website.

What to look at

As amateur astronomers, we love to test

ourselves: “What’s the faintest object I

can see tonight?” “How many craterlets

can I count in Clavius Crater?” “Does

EXPLORE

SCIENTIFIC

FIRSTLIGHT 90MM

The FirstLight 90mm, which also

goes by the company’s designation

FL-AR90500AZ, is a 3½-inch

refractor. It sits on a yoke mount

and incorporates a rod to move the

scope without touching the tube. The

unit sits atop an aluminum tripod.

Explore includes two eyepieces, an

erect-image star diagonal, a red dot

finder scope, a smartphone camera

adapter, and an accessory tray.

SPECIFICATIONS

Optical design: Refractor

Mount: Alt-azimuth

Aperture: 3.54 inches (90 mm)

Focal length: 500mm

Focal ratio: f/5.5

Eyepieces: 20mm (25x) and 9mm (56x)

Weight: 5 pounds (2.27 kg)

SPECIFICATIONS

Optical design: Refractor

Mount: Alt-azimuth

Aperture: 3.93 inches

(100 mm)

Focal length: 660mm

Focal ratio: f/6.5

Eyepieces: 20mm (33x)

and 10mm (66x)

Weight: 13.4 pounds

(6.1 kg)

The Inspire 100AZ is a 3.9-inch refractor,

the second-largest telescope in this

list. The unit sits atop a tripod with

1¼"-diameter steel legs and requires no

tools to set up. Like Celestron’s 70AZ, the

100AZ has a slow-motion control rod that

allows the user to aim the scope without

grabbing the tube. The scope comes

with two eyepieces, an erect-image star

diagonal, a red LED flashlight, a red dot

finder scope, an integrated smartphone

adapter, and an accessory tray. $ 2

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Viewing through a telescope

may not make your child an

astronomer, but it will foster

curiosity. COURTESY OF THE ADLER

PLANETARIUM