Black Friday is on the horizon, but you don’t have to wait a month to grab a sweet deal. If you’re thinking of picking up stargazing for the first time, or on the hunt for an early Christmas gift for a junior astronomer, then this Celestron 114LCM telescope deal is well worth jumping on.
The 114LCM is already an affordable, beginner-friendly telescope, and right now you can save 26% of the MSRP (that’s $439.95) at Amazon, bringing it down to just $324.65 — a better price than last year’s Black Friday discount of $387.
Celestron, a renowned telescope brand based in California, has been making telescopes since the 1960s, and although we haven’t reviewed this particular model, they regularly dominate our guide to the best telescopes, including the best telescope overall — the Celestron NexStar 8SE.
For those new to telescopes, the Celestron 114LCM is a Newtonian reflecting telescope. Invented by the English scientist Sir Isaac Newton, this type of telescope uses a concave primary mirror and a flat diagonal secondary mirror. It’s a fairly simple design that has made Newtonian models popular with amateur telescope enthusiasts.
The simplicity of design is paired with high-tech features that make the 114LCM extremely user-friendly for those starting their astronomy journey. Highlights include the computerized GoTo mount, which automatically locates celestial objects, while Sky Tour software generates a list of the best visible objects based on your location.
The Celestron 114LCM also includes a free download of the Celestron SkyPortal app — one of the top-rated astronomy software programs. SkyPortal simulates the night sky from any location on Earth and provides audio descriptions of popular celestial objects on your iOS or Android device.
Key features: Looks great, fairly-portable, impressive auto-tracking.
Price history: This is the cheapest we’ve seen, and beats last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday price of $387.
Price comparison: The Celestron 114LCM is currently selling for $388.98 at Walmart so this Amazon deal is a significant saving.
Buy it if: You want a telescope that does lots of the work for you, with clever ‘smart’ features. It’s easy to set up which means more time enjoying the night skies.
Don’t buy it if: You have previous experience and are looking for a more advanced model.