What is the highest magnification I should use?
Less than the highest setting, on most nights. Every telescope has a limit set by its aperture and by how steady the air is, and going beyond it does not reveal more detail: it enlarges a blurred image into a bigger, dimmer, harder-to-focus one. Start with the lower-power eyepiece, find and centre the object, then add the higher-power eyepiece or the 3x Barlow and stop when the image stops improving. A beginner who spends the first night at maximum magnification may conclude the telescope is faulty, and it is not.
Why does everything look like a grey smudge instead of the photographs?
Because the famous photographs are not what an eye sees through any telescope. Astronomical images are long exposures built up from many frames, while your eye takes in light for a fraction of a second and sees little colour in the dark. Galaxies and nebulae appear as faint grey smudges through a telescope of this size, and a planetary nebula can look like little more than a hazy bluish star. The Moon and planets are where a 70mm scope really delivers.
The image wobbles every time I touch it. Is the tripod faulty?
Almost certainly not. It is a light, portable tripod, and at magnification a small shake at the eyepiece becomes a large shake in the image and takes a moment to settle. Two simple remedies help: set it on grass or earth rather than a hard deck, and hang a weight such as a bag of books from the centre of the tripod. Working at lower magnification, and using the wireless remote for photos, also reduces the problem.
Can I look at the Sun with it?
Never, and never allow a child to. A telescope concentrates sunlight, and looking at the Sun through it causes immediate and permanent eye damage, faster than the reflex to look away. Safe solar viewing needs a proper full-aperture solar filter fitted over the front of the telescope, bought from a reputable astronomy supplier. Keep the dust caps on when it is not in use and do not leave children alone with it in daylight.
Why does the object drift out of view so fast?
The Earth is turning, and the higher the magnification, the faster the sky appears to move. At low power an object stays in view for a comfortable while; at high power it crosses the field quickly and you will be nudging the telescope constantly. That is normal on an altazimuth mount, not a fault, and it is one more reason to observe at the lowest magnification that shows what you want.
Can I take photographs through it?
Of the Moon, yes, and the phone adapter works better than you might expect, with the wireless remote keeping the phone from shaking. Of fainter objects, not really: the mount cannot follow the sky, so long exposures are out of reach, and results on planets are limited. Treat the adapter as a lunar photography kit and a fun way to share what you see, rather than a full astrophotography setup.
