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Achromatic Refractors

An achromatic refractor is the telescope most of us started with, and for good reason. Two lenses, a sealed tube, no mirrors to align and almost no cool-down time. You carry it out, point it at the Moon and it works. Our achromats come from Celestron, Explore Scientific and SVBONY, from 50 mm travel scopes to the 152 mm AR152.

The one thing to know before you buy is colour. An achromat brings red and green light to the same focus but leaves blue slightly off, so bright targets like Jupiter, Venus or the lunar limb show a faint violet halo. Most observers stop noticing it after a few nights. If it would bother you, we will say so and point you to an apochromatic refractor instead.

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CA$2,640.00 - CA$2,640.00
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CA$2,640.00 - CA$2,640.00
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Celestron Advanced VX 6" Refractor Telescope

150mm (6") Refractor with Fully Multi-Coated Optics 1200mm Focal Length at an f/8 Focal Ratio Advanced VX Computerized GoTo Equatorial Mount 30 lb...

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CA$2,640.00 - CA$2,640.00
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CA$500.00 - CA$500.00
CA$500.00
CA$500.00 - CA$500.00
CA$500.00

Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ Telescope

102mm (4") refractor optical tube 660mm focal length at f/6.5 Manual alt-azimuth mount with pan handle Includes 33x and 66x magnification eyepiece...

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CA$500.00 - CA$500.00
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CA$278.00 - CA$278.00
CA$278.00
CA$278.00 - CA$278.00
CA$278.00

Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ Telescope

70mm (2.76") Refractor Telescope 900mm Focal Length, f/13 Focal Ratio Manual Alt-Azimuth Mount with Pan Handle Control Adjustable Steel Tripod wit...

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CA$278.00 - CA$278.00
CA$278.00
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CA$459.00 - CA$459.00
CA$459.00
CA$459.00 - CA$459.00
CA$459.00

Celestron AstroMaster 90AZ Telescope

90mm (3.54") Refractor Optical Design 1000mm Focal Length (f/11) Manual Alt-Azimuth Mount with Pan Handle 1.25" Adjustable Steel Tripod Includes 2...

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CA$459.00 - CA$459.00
CA$459.00
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CA$500.00 - CA$500.00
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CA$500.00 - CA$500.00
CA$500.00

Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ Telescope

90mm (3.54") Refractor Optical Tube 1000mm Focal Length (f/11) CG-3 Equatorial Mount with Slow-Motion Controls Includes 20mm (50x) and 10mm (100x)...

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CA$500.00 - CA$500.00
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CA$500.00
CA$236.00 - CA$236.00
CA$236.00
CA$236.00 - CA$236.00
CA$236.00

Celestron AstroMaster LT 70AZ Telescope

70mm (2.76") refractor optical design 700mm focal length at an f/10 focal ratio Includes 35x and 70x magnification eyepieces Lightweight manual al...

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CA$236.00 - CA$236.00
CA$236.00
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CA$236.00
CA$528.00 - CA$528.00
CA$528.00
CA$528.00 - CA$528.00
CA$528.00

Celestron Inspire 100AZ Refractor Telescope

100mm (3.94") refractor optical tube 660mm focal length at a f/6.5 focal ratio Lightweight manual Alt-Azimuth mount StarPointer™ Pro red dot finde...

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CA$528.00 - CA$528.00
CA$528.00
CA$528.00 - CA$528.00
CA$528.00
CA$973.00 - CA$973.00
CA$973.00
CA$973.00 - CA$973.00
CA$973.00

Celestron Omni XLT 102 Telescope

102mm (4.02") Refractor Optical Tube 1000mm Focal Length at f/9.8 StarBright XLT Optical Coatings Omni CG-4 German Equatorial Mount 1.75" Stainles...

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CA$973.00 - CA$973.00
CA$973.00
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CA$973.00
CA$1,181.00 - CA$1,181.00
CA$1,181.00
CA$1,181.00 - CA$1,181.00
CA$1,181.00

Celestron Omni XLT 120 Telescope

120mm (4.72") Refractor Optical Design 1000mm Focal Length at f/8.33 StarBright XLT Optical Coatings Omni CG-4 German Equatorial Mount 1.75" Stain...

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CA$1,181.00 - CA$1,181.00
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CA$90.00 - CA$90.00
CA$90.00
CA$90.00 - CA$90.00
CA$90.00

Celestron PowerSeeker 50AZ Telescope

50mm refractor with fully coated glass optics 600mm focal length and f/12 focal ratio Manual alt-azimuth mount and adjustable steel tripod Include...

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CA$90.00 - CA$90.00
CA$90.00
CA$90.00 - CA$90.00
CA$90.00
CA$139.00 - CA$139.00
CA$139.00
CA$139.00 - CA$139.00
CA$139.00

Celestron PowerSeeker 60AZ Telescope

60mm (2.36") refractor optical tube 700mm focal length with an f/12 focal ratio Manual alt-azimuth mount with altitude slow motion rod Full-height...

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CA$139.00 - CA$139.00
CA$139.00
CA$139.00 - CA$139.00
CA$139.00
CA$185.00 - CA$185.00
CA$185.00
CA$185.00 - CA$185.00
CA$185.00

Celestron PowerSeeker 60EQ Telescope

60mm (2.36") Refractor Telescope 900mm Focal Length, f/15 Focal Ratio Manual German Equatorial Mount with Slow-Motion Controls Highest Useful Magn...

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CA$185.00 - CA$185.00
CA$185.00
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CA$185.00
CA$264.00 - CA$264.00
CA$264.00
CA$264.00 - CA$264.00
CA$264.00

Celestron PowerSeeker 80AZS Telescope

80mm (3.15") Refractor Optical Design 400mm Focal Length (f/5) Manual Alt-Azimuth Mount Total Kit Weight: 5.9 lbs (2.68 kg) Includes 20mm & 4m...

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CA$264.00 - CA$264.00
CA$264.00
CA$264.00 - CA$264.00
CA$264.00
CA$292.00 - CA$292.00
CA$292.00
CA$292.00 - CA$292.00
CA$292.00

Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ Telescope

80mm (3.15") Refractor Optical Tube 900mm Focal Length at f/11 Focal Ratio Manual German Equatorial Mount with Slow-Motion Controls Includes 20mm ...

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CA$292.00 - CA$292.00
CA$292.00
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CA$292.00
CA$681.00 - CA$681.00
CA$681.00
CA$681.00 - CA$681.00
CA$681.00

Celestron StarSense Explorer™ DX 102AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Refractor Telescope

102mm (4.01") Refractor Optical Tube 660mm Focal Length (f/6.5) Patented StarSense Sky Recognition App Fully XLT Coated Glass Optics Lightweight 1...

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CA$681.00 - CA$681.00
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CA$347.00 - CA$347.00
CA$347.00
CA$347.00 - CA$347.00
CA$347.00

Celestron StarSense Explorer™ LT 80AZ Smartphone App-Enabled Refractor Telescope

80mm (3.1") Refractor Telescope StarSense Explorer App for Smartphone-Guided Navigation 900mm Focal Length (f/11) Manual Alt-Azimuth Mount Total K...

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CA$347.00 - CA$347.00
CA$347.00
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CA$347.00
CA$111.00 - CA$111.00
CA$111.00
CA$111.00 - CA$111.00
CA$111.00

Celestron Travel Scope™ 50 Portable Telescope

50mm (2") refractor for crisp views of the Moon, planets, and terrestrial objects Complete kit weighs only 2.2 lbs for ultimate portability Includ...

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CA$111.00 - CA$111.00
CA$111.00
CA$111.00 - CA$111.00
CA$111.00
CA$181.00 - CA$181.00
CA$181.00
CA$181.00 - CA$181.00
CA$181.00

Celestron Travel Scope™ 70 DX Portable Telescope

70mm (2.8") Refractor Optical Tube 400mm Focal Length with f/5.7 Focal Ratio Total Kit Weight of Just 3.3 lbs Includes Smartphone Adapter and Blue...

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CA$181.00 - CA$181.00
CA$181.00
CA$181.00 - CA$181.00
CA$181.00
CA$167.00 - CA$167.00
CA$167.00
CA$167.00 - CA$167.00
CA$167.00

Celestron Travel Scope™ 70 Portable Telescope

70mm (2.8") Refractor Optical Design 400mm Focal Length (f/5.7) Total Kit Weight of Just 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg) Includes 20x and 40x Eyepieces Custom Ba...

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CA$167.00 - CA$167.00
CA$167.00
CA$167.00 - CA$167.00
CA$167.00
CA$208.00 - CA$208.00
CA$208.00
CA$208.00 - CA$208.00
CA$208.00

Celestron Travel Scope™ 80 Portable Telescope w/ Smartphone Adapter

80mm refractor telescope with coated glass optics Lightweight frame and manual Alt-Azimuth mount weighing only 4.2 lbs total Includes two eyepiece...

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CA$208.00 - CA$208.00
CA$208.00
CA$208.00 - CA$208.00
CA$208.00
Daystar 80mm f/6 Achromatic Refractor
CA$699.00 - CA$699.00
CA$699.00
CA$699.00 - CA$699.00
CA$699.00

Daystar 80mm f/6 Achromatic Refractor

80mm Aperture f/6 Focal Ratio 480mm Focal Length Achromatic 2-Element Objective 2" Crayford / Rack and Pinion Hybrid Focuser Includes Aluminum Car...

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CA$699.00 - CA$699.00
CA$699.00
CA$699.00 - CA$699.00
CA$699.00
CA$629.99 - CA$629.99
CA$629.99
CA$629.99 - CA$629.99
CA$629.99

Explore Scientific AR102 Doublet Refractor

102mm (4-inch) Aperture f/6.5 Focal Ratio 11.5 lbs Optical Tube Weight Two-Speed 2" Crayford Focuser Includes 2" Dielectric Diagonal & 8x50 Fi...

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CA$629.99 - CA$629.99
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CA$629.99 - CA$629.99
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CA$1,049.99 - CA$1,049.99
CA$1,049.99
CA$1,049.99 - CA$1,049.99
CA$1,049.99

Explore Scientific AR127 Doublet Refractor

127mm Achromatic Doublet Refractor Air-Spaced Crown-and-Flint Optics Dual-Speed Focuser for Fine Adjustment Dielectric-Coated Diagonal Included Cr...

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CA$1,049.99 - CA$1,049.99
CA$1,049.99
CA$1,049.99 - CA$1,049.99
CA$1,049.99
CA$1,189.99 - CA$1,189.99
CA$1,189.99
CA$1,189.99 - CA$1,189.99
CA$1,189.99

Explore Scientific AR152 Doublet Refractor

152mm (6-inch) Aperture f/6.5 Focal Ratio Air-Spaced Doublet Achromatic Optics 2" Dual-Speed Focuser 2" Diagonal with 99% Dielectric Coatings 8x50...

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CA$1,189.99 - CA$1,189.99
CA$1,189.99
CA$1,189.99 - CA$1,189.99
CA$1,189.99

Choosing an Achromat: Aperture and Focal Ratio

Focal ratio decides how much false colour you see and what the telescope does best.

  • Short tubes around f/5 to f/6.5: Wide, low-power fields for star clusters, the Milky Way and scanning. More colour on bright objects, very portable.
  • Long tubes at f/8 and slower: Less false colour and higher magnification with simple eyepieces. Better on the Moon, planets and double stars.
  • 60 to 80 mm: Travel and first telescopes. Light enough for a child to carry and set up.
  • 90 to 120 mm: The sweet spot for a serious visual refractor. Shows Saturn's rings, cloud belts on Jupiter and hundreds of deep-sky objects.
  • 127 to 152 mm: Large rich-field instruments that need a solid mount. The AR127 and AR152 are often bought as a second, wide-field telescope.
  • Kit or tube only: Celestron and Explore Scientific kits include a mount and tripod. SVBONY SV48P and the AR series are optical tubes for an existing mount.

What We Look at Before Recommending One

Most disappointment with a first refractor comes from the mount, not the lens. These are the points we check with you.

  • Mount stiffness: A 102 mm tube on a light photo-style tripod shakes for seconds after each focus touch. We tell you when the included mount is fine and when an alt-azimuth mount upgrade is worth it.
  • Focal length and eyepieces: A 900 mm tube with a 25 mm eyepiece gives 36x. We plan one low-power and one high-power eyepiece so you cover the Moon, planets and clusters without a drawer of extras.
  • Diagonal quality: Kit diagonals are often the weakest optic in the path. A good dielectric diagonal brightens the view more than people expect.
  • Where it will be used: Balcony, backyard or cottage: weight and set-up time decide how often the telescope comes out.

Achromatic Refractors: Frequently Asked Questions

Is an achromat good for astrophotography?

For the Moon and bright planets, yes. For deep-sky imaging the blue halo around stars becomes obvious, so we recommend an ED or apochromatic refractor for that work.

Do achromatic refractors need collimation?

Practically never. The lenses are fixed in their cell at the factory. That is one of the main reasons refractors are recommended to beginners.

Can a filter remove the violet fringe?

A minus-violet or contrast filter reduces it noticeably on bright planets, at the cost of a slight colour tint. It helps, but it does not turn an achromat into an apo.

Achromat or small Newtonian for a beginner?

A Newtonian gives more aperture for the money. An achromat is lower maintenance and cools faster. If the telescope will mostly live in a closet and come out on short notice, the refractor usually gets used more.

Not sure which size to choose?

Tell us where you observe and what you want to see, and we will recommend a tube and mount that fit. Ships from Canada.