Meade Instruments – StarNavigator NG 90mm Refracting Computerized GoTo Astronomy Telescope w/AudioStar® 30,000+ Object-Database & Audio Tours – Mount & Tripod Included – for Beginner Adults & Family

Overall, I must salute Meade instruments for making an extremely awesome go-to, or "robotic" telescope, that has given me hours of great fun observing the heavens and learning more about our universe. The telescope is very simple to use, even with the layers of capability available through the supplied go to hand controller that comes with the scope. The optics seem to be top notch, with very clear views of Saturn, Jupiter and it's moons, and numerous star clusters that I have observed. I must admit, I wasn't expecting an optical tube this good, but for the price, you can't beat it. The tri-pod is pretty stable, but gives a little with any side ways torque. All said, this is an excellent telescope for beginners or the experienced alike. Great job Meade!!!

Purchased for visual observation with friends and family, and rarely amateur astrophotography using an iPhone and adaptor.Arrived quickly, everything was properly packed with foam. It came with an instructional dvd but I haven't used it yet. Also included some planetarium software, but again can't speak to any of that. Instructions were easy to follow, although they covered two different types of scopes... and while the instructions were mostly the same -- still felt kind of cheap for a $500 telescope. Assembled everything quickly, didn't need any tools. Takes 8 AA batteries that aren't included. The optic was mostly clean and clear, a small amount of residue (glue?) on the side of the tube but it was easily removed with a finger - no damage to the paint. Two Plossl eyepieces were included; 9.8mm and 26mm. Along with a 90* elbow and leveling compass for alignment. Tripod was stable and easy to adjust, even while fully set-up.Field Use:Assembled it inside the house and brought it out to our pasture. Not too heavy, not too awkward. Average person should be able to handle it with little to no difficulty. The instructions make alignment easy, the controller even has a red light to make reading easier without losing night vision. Powered on, it asked for my zip code and got the time and date automatically. It then finds two stars to align itself with. The more accurately you set up the tripod and scope (by making sure both the tripod and scope is perfectly level, and that the scope is facing due north (either compass or true)) the less hunting around for the stars you have to do. If the star the scope is looking for isn't in the field of view, you can just hit the go-to button for a "spiral search" Ive only had to do this once but it worked incredibly well. Moon looked great, so did some Messier objects and Jupiter. The pictures I posted are over exposed, and don't do the view any justice. Bands of Jupiter and her moons were visible even under low magnification. Breathtaking with the 9mm eyepiece. The scope tracked everything perfectly, and required little to no correction even after a few hours observing. The guided tour and accompanying audio are major selling points to me. Really is a great scope for outreach or just hanging with friends and family. All things considered I would say this is a solid scope and would be a great purchase for both beginners and more advanced observers.

With this being my first telescope ever, it was really easy to assemble and set it up. On this I would recommend reading the manual thoroughly, there are a lot of quick troubleshooting tips and tips in general on using the telescope. Great quality on all of the components, nothing feels cheap or flimsy. And the audio information about objects is a nice touch for anyone with an interest in astronomy. Also does very well with astrophotography, however I suggest a dedicated telescope camera as my Sony mirrorless camera is too heavy to properly balance the OTA.

It vibrates constantly as the legs are not strong. Hard to use and so far, useless.

I got this scope hoping for a portable complement to my LX90, and in some ways it's a nice telescope. Easy to set up, good optics, great for travel…it should be a nice beginner or secondary scope. Unfortunately it has two flaws that made me send it back. First, manual control is really clumsy. The altitude adjustment is very good - it has a smooth motion with a good lock/unlock mechanism similar to the LX90's. Azimuth adjustment, however, is accomplished by loosening the underside of the base's screw, the screw that holds the whole telescope to the tripod. You have to be careful to not unscrew too much lest it come out completely and threaten the scope falling off the base. Once it's loose it can be moved, but it's impossible to move it smoothly as there are no bearings or anything. Manual adjustment is really just a starting point, manual tracking or star-hopping doesn't really work. Fine adjustment is best done with the handheld controller. The second major issue is the noise. There's the expected slewing sound of the motors, but once the target is found another squealing sound appears and goes on the entire time the scope is tracking. It's very distracting and ruins the experience of being out under the stars. It sounds like a modem connecting, or a telegraph with static background. It's really too bad, I wanted to like this telescope.

I am brand new to star gazing, but knew I should not cheap out on a first telescope. This is an entry level telescope, but has high end features and quality! If you are new to viewing the stars and cannot afford the $500-$1000 telescopes, this one will impress you and not let you down. The audio-star system has so much data to tell you about the stars, and the images are very crisp and clear. When I save up enough money and outgrow this one, I will be definitely upgrading to another Meade Maksutov-Cassegrain. I won't need a better one for sometime though, I'm just getting started, and this one is outstanding!

Great instrument, easy to assemble, usage set up takes a bit of time, learning curve on operation.

I'm sure this an excellent product but we are still having difficulties navigating how to use it properly. The product directions themselves are not very descriptive. Amazon shipped it and it came in in perfect shape, however!

Dos cosas por separado: la óptica de maksutov-cassegrian es una de las mejores, no hay aberración cromática, no hay coma, y va hasta 200 aumentos sin problema, excelente para planetas y luna, algunos cluster y estrellas dobles. La montura como todas las altazimutales no son exactas en localización y seguimiento de objetos en fotos de larga exposición, pero como telescopio de iniciación es de lo mejor

Amazing quality and so worth it for star searching and planets. Bought it fir my hubby for Christmas and he was instantly obsessed. Easy to use and easy to put together and cane super fast as well

La calidad de enfoque en planetas cercanos, como por Venus, muy pobre. En planetas lejanos no dejan de verse como una estrella. Cuando se les monta una cámara fotográfica, el enfoque es un peor.

Eviten comprar este telescopio. El Audiostar no es capaz de seguir las estrellas por más de 2-3 minutos y les es prácticamente imposible ubicar objetos. El motor es ruidoso. Los accesorios de Meade son los más caros.