Single review
Gskyer AZ70400 Telescope Review
Reviewed from Gskyer's published specifications. We have not observed with it, and the honest way to read its magnification claims is below.
By Sawyer V. · Published
The short answer
The Gskyer AZ70400 is a reasonable first telescope for the Moon and the brighter planets. Gskyer publishes 70 mm of aperture, 400 mm of focal length at f/5.7, 16x and 40x eyepieces, and 120x maximum with the 3x Barlow. It publishes no age rating.
Block & Beaker earns a commission when you buy through our links, at no cost to you. It never changes a ranking, and we say so plainly when the right answer is the cheaper set, or nothing at all. Full disclosure · How we pick.
At a glance
The picks, ranked
Tap any row to jump to the full reasoning. Prices come live from Amazon where we have them and read “check price” where we don’t — never a number we cannot stand behind today.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The product Gskyer AZ70400 Refractor Telescope 70 mm of aperture at f/5.7, with two eyepieces, a Barlow and a phone adapter. | A first telescope for the Moon and bright planets | |
| 2 |  The tabletop alternative Celestron FirstScope Telescope 76 mm of aperture on a tabletop mount, with nothing to assemble. | Younger children, shared use | |
| 3 |  The upgrade Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ 130 mm at f/5 with an app that tells you where the telescope is pointing. | A household that will keep observing | |
| — |  A different sky NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Dual LED Student Microscope The indoor answer when weather, not interest, is the obstacle. | Eight and up |
4 picks, including 1 we tell you to skip. Ages shown are the manufacturer’s own rating, not ours.
What we can tell you, and what we cannot
We have not observed with it. No lab, no samples, no test children, and no star rating on this page or in its structured data.
Gskyer’s published aperture, focal length, focal ratio, eyepieces and included accessories we can report, and the optics reasoning below is standard. How steady this particular tripod is under a light breeze, we cannot say.
The specification that decides it
The arithmetic
Gskyer AZ70400, published
| Aperture | 70 mm |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 400 mm |
| Focal ratio | f/5.7 |
| Eyepieces | 16x and 40x |
| Maximum magnification | 120x with the 3x Barlow |
| Optical design | Refractor on an altazimuth mount |
| Extras | 5x24 finder scope, smartphone adapter, wireless shutter remote, carry bag |
| Stated age | Not published by the manufacturer |
What the numbers mean in practice
70 mm shows the Moon properly. Craters along the terminator, Jupiter’s four bright moons, Saturn’s rings as a shape rather than a photograph. That is a genuinely good first night.
120x is the ceiling, not the setting. A useful rule of thumb is about 2x per millimetre of aperture in good conditions — roughly 140x here — and most real observing happens far below that. The 16x eyepiece will see more use than the Barlow.
The mount decides the evening. On an altazimuth mount a target is nudged out of view easily at high power, and has to be followed by hand as the sky turns. Expect that, and stay at low magnification while learning.
No published age is information. Gskyer publishes none, and we do not invent one. Aiming a finder scope in the dark is the real barrier; an adult is part of the first few sessions regardless.
The carry bag is a hint. Gskyer publishes one, and a 400 mm tube that packs down is meant to be taken somewhere darker than a lit street. If there is no realistic way to get out of town with it, expect the Moon and little else.
Who should skip it
Anyone expecting deep-sky photographs. 70 mm shows galaxies as faint smudges. The pictures in listings are not what an eyepiece shows.
Younger children using it alone. A tabletop scope is far easier to aim and cannot be knocked over as easily.
Households in cloudy months. Buy the microscope now and the telescope in spring.
Say the unwelcome thing
Do not buy on the magnification number
Listings that lead with a large magnification figure are selling the least meaningful specification. Aperture sets what is visible; magnification only enlarges it, blur included.
What the extras are actually for
Gskyer publishes four extras with this telescope, and they are not equally useful.
The 5x24 finder scope is the one that decides whether a beginner ever sees anything. A main tube at 16x shows a tiny patch of sky; the finder’s wider view is how you get the target into that patch at all. Aligning it in daylight, on a distant chimney, is the single most useful thing an adult can do before the first night.
The smartphone adapter genuinely works on the Moon, which is bright enough to photograph through an eyepiece. On planets and anything fainter, expect a white blob — that is physics, not a fault.
The wireless shutter remote exists because pressing the phone screen shakes the whole assembly. It is a small part solving a real problem.
The carry bag matters more than it sounds. A 400 mm tube that packs into a bag is a telescope that goes to a dark field, and dark sky beats aperture every single time.
Where it sits
The Gskyer appears in telescopes for kids and microscope or telescope first.
In full
Every pick, and what is wrong with it
Published specifications only, each linked back to the page it came from. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says so — we do not fill blanks in.
1. The product
Gskyer AZ70400 Refractor Telescope
Gskyer · AZ70400 · maker rates it Not published
70 mm of aperture at f/5.7, with two eyepieces, a Barlow and a phone adapter.
- Aperture
- 70 mm
- Focal length
- 400 mm
- Focal ratio
- f/5.7
- Eyepieces
- Two, giving 16x and 40x
Gskyer publishes a 70 mm aperture, 400 mm focal length, an f/5.7 focal ratio, two eyepieces giving 16x and 40x, a 3x Barlow taking the maximum to 120x, a refractor on an altazimuth mount, a 5x24 finder scope, a smartphone adapter, a wireless shutter remote and a carry bag. No stated age is published by the manufacturer.
Seventy millimetres is the specification to judge. Aperture is how much light the instrument gathers, and light is what sets how much you can actually see — magnification only enlarges whatever the aperture has collected.
A short 400 mm tube is easy to carry and set up, which matters more than it sounds: the telescope that gets used is the one that is not an ordeal to bring outside.
Replay signal
- Open-ended or one-shot
- Open-ended, and the carry bag means it goes where the sky is darker
- Does anything run out
- Nothing runs out
- Room to grow
- 16x and 40x are the useful range; the 120x figure is optimistic on 70 mm of aperture
Why we say so: Gskyer publishes 70 mm at 400 mm focal length with 16x and 40x eyepieces. Treat the 120x maximum with caution — 70 mm of aperture cannot resolve detail at that power, so the two supplied eyepieces are the range you will actually use.
What’s wrong with it
The altazimuth mount, not the optics, is what limits a beginner most.
| Aperture | 70 mm |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 400 mm |
| Focal ratio | f/5.7 |
| Eyepieces | Two, giving 16x and 40x |
| Maximum magnification | 120x, with the supplied 3x Barlow |
| Optical design | Refractor on an altazimuth mount |
| Extras | 5x24 finder scope, smartphone adapter, wireless shutter remote, carry bag |
Every figure above is from Gskyer, 70mm astronomical refractor telescope. Blanks are shown as “not published” rather than filled in.
2. The tabletop alternative
Celestron FirstScope Telescope
Celestron · 21024 · maker rates it Not published
76 mm of aperture on a tabletop mount, with nothing to assemble.
- Aperture
- “76mm (2.99″)”
- Focal length
- “300mm (12″)”
- Focal ratio
- “f/3.95”
- Eyepiece 1
- 20mm, 15x magnification
Celestron publishes 76 mm (2.99 in) of aperture, 300 mm focal length, f/3.95, a 20 mm eyepiece giving 15x, a 4 mm eyepiece giving 75x, and a tabletop Dobsonian style stand.
More aperture than the Gskyer, on a mount that cannot wobble. For a seven-year-old, easier to aim. See telescopes for kids.
Replay signal
- Open-ended or one-shot
- Open-ended in the most literal sense: the sky changes every month whether anyone touches it or not
- Does anything run out
- Nothing runs out
- Room to grow
- Standard eyepieces, so it accepts better ones later without replacing the telescope
- Adult required
- Finding the first object usually needs an adult; after that a tabletop Dobsonian is genuinely child-operable
Why we say so: Celestron publishes the 76mm aperture, 300mm focal length, f/3.95 ratio and both eyepiece magnifications. The table-top Dobsonian mount is the published design, and it is why a child can aim this one without a tripod fight.
What’s wrong with it
Needs a table, and publishes no age rating.
| Aperture | “76mm (2.99″)” |
|---|---|
| Focal length | “300mm (12″)” |
| Focal ratio | “f/3.95” |
| Eyepiece 1 | 20mm, 15x magnification |
| Eyepiece 2 | 4mm, 75x magnification |
| Mount | “Dobsonian style stand”, table-top |
| Stated age | Not published — Celestron calls it “an ideal entry level astronomical telescope” |
Every figure above is from Celestron, FirstScope Telescope. Blanks are shown as “not published” rather than filled in.
3. The upgrade
Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ
Celestron · 22461 · maker rates it Not published
130 mm at f/5 with an app that tells you where the telescope is pointing.
- Aperture
- 130 mm (5.1 in)
- Focal length
- 650 mm
- Focal ratio
- f/5
- Optical design
- Newtonian reflector
Celestron publishes 130 mm (5.1 in) of aperture, 650 mm focal length, f/5, a Newtonian reflector on an altazimuth mount with slow-motion controls, and the StarSense app.
Nearly twice the aperture and a genuine solution to the hardest beginner problem — finding anything at all.
Replay signal
- Open-ended or one-shot
- Open-ended — the sky is the consumable and it restocks itself
- Does anything run out
- Nothing runs out
- Room to grow
- Standard eyepieces; 130 mm gathers enough light for planets and brighter deep-sky objects
- Adult required
- Much less than a normal telescope. The published point of StarSense is that the phone does the finding
Why we say so: Celestron publishes 130 mm of aperture at 650 mm focal length, f/5, with a smartphone app that identifies where the telescope is pointing. The app is the specification that matters for a family: not finding anything is what ends most first telescope nights, and this removes that step.
What’s wrong with it
Much larger and heavier to move.
| Aperture | 130 mm (5.1 in) |
|---|---|
| Focal length | 650 mm |
| Focal ratio | f/5 |
| Optical design | Newtonian reflector |
| Finding aid | StarSense smartphone app — the phone identifies the sky and directs you |
| Mount | Altazimuth with slow-motion controls |
| Stated age | Not published |
Every figure above is from Celestron, StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ. Blanks are shown as “not published” rather than filled in.
Skip this one
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Dual LED Student Microscope
National Geographic · Dual LED Student Microscope · maker rates it 8+
The indoor answer when weather, not interest, is the obstacle.
- Magnifications
- 20x and 50x, from two sets of optical glass lenses
- Lighting
- Upper and lower LED
- Accessories
- 50+ pieces, including 10 prepared slides, blank slides and covers, tweezers, eye-dropper and a mini geode
- Weight
- 2.6 lb
National Geographic publishes 20x and 50x, upper and lower LED lighting, 50+ accessories including 10 prepared slides, rated 8+, at 2.6 lb.
Named here because a telescope in a cloudy month gets used twice. A microscope works every evening. See microscope or telescope first.
Replay signal
- Open-ended or one-shot
- Open-ended, and the low magnification is the reason — 20x is where insects and leaves look extraordinary
- Does anything run out
- The 10 prepared slides run out; blank slides and the garden do not
- Room to grow
- Limited on magnification, generous on subject matter
Why we say so: National Geographic publishes 20x and 50x with upper and lower LED lighting. Low magnification plus top lighting is a deliberate design for looking at whole objects rather than slides, which for a child under about ten is a far better first microscope than a 1000x compound scope they cannot focus.
What’s wrong with it
Not a telescope at all.
| Magnifications | 20x and 50x, from two sets of optical glass lenses |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Upper and lower LED |
| Accessories | 50+ pieces, including 10 prepared slides, blank slides and covers, tweezers, eye-dropper and a mini geode |
| Weight | 2.6 lb |
| Stated age | 8+ |
Every figure above is from National Geographic toys, Dual LED Student Microscope. Blanks are shown as “not published” rather than filled in.
We are not putting a buy button on this one. It is easy enough to find if you want it anyway — but we would rather send you to something that gets played with twice.
Questions people actually ask
Frequently asked
Is the Gskyer AZ70400 worth it?
As a first telescope for the Moon and bright planets, yes. Gskyer publishes 70 mm of aperture, 400 mm focal length at f/5.7, 16x and 40x eyepieces and 120x maximum with the 3x Barlow. The altazimuth mount, not the optics, is what limits a beginner most.
What can you actually see with a 70mm telescope?
Craters on the Moon, Jupiter's four bright moons and Saturn's rings as a distinct shape. Galaxies and nebulae appear as faint grey smudges — aperture, not magnification, sets that limit.
What age is the Gskyer telescope for?
Gskyer publishes no stated age, and we do not invent one. Aiming the finder scope in the dark is the real barrier, so plan on an adult for the first few sessions. Telescopes for kids.
Is 120x magnification useful on this telescope?
Occasionally, on the Moon in steady air. A useful rule of thumb is about 2x per millimetre of aperture as a maximum, and most observing happens well below it.
Does the Gskyer telescope come with a phone adapter?
Yes. Gskyer publishes a smartphone adapter and a wireless shutter remote, along with a 5x24 finder scope and a carry bag. Phone photography through the eyepiece works well on the Moon and poorly on anything fainter.
What is the finder scope for?
Getting the target into the main tube. At 16x the eyepiece shows a small patch of sky, and the 5x24 finder's wider field is how you aim. Align it in daylight on a distant fixed object before the first night out.
Sources
Where these figures came from
Every specification on this page traces to one of these. If a manufacturer publishes nothing on a point, the page says so rather than filling the gap.
Read next
Where to go from here
Back to Reviews, or read how we pick.