Bushnell NorthStar 78-8831 76mm Newtonian Telescope

The asking price for this telescope is over $200. For this price you get an eyepiece and a barlow. The diameter is only 3" and you are told you can boost the power to 576X.

For those of you who doubt this review, try to boost the power of any 3" telescope above 150X or so and see what happens; it won't be pretty.

3" is pretty dinky for looking at celestial objects except for the Moon, and how much can this human voice device tell you about the moon? Any other view through this scope will be far exceeded by the description. Again I say, if you do not believe me, go buy one and see for yourself, and weep.

There are other telescopes on EBay which have larger diameters and more light gathering power which will satisfy a buyer more. A telescopic view which doesn't talk to you will perhaps be far more satisfying if you can see the object first.

This telescope compares to the very expensive ones, it allow me to see details in the moon, and with the motor, you can pinpoint starts and planets, nicely. Excellent tool to show my kids the heavens, at a decent price.

I can't say too much about this scope other than that we used it once to look at the crescent moon. I bought it for my 6 yr old son as an x-mas gift but the weather in New England hasn't really cooperated very much for good viewing conditions.The fit & finish seem fine for the money and the clarity was good. I can't really comment about the electronics yet, as I haven't used them, I guess I'll find out more in the spring.