You can expect nice views of the moon and planets. That's a short focal length scope so you won't get real high magnification. It's made for wide field low magnification images. You will be able to see M42, M45, M44, M31 all real well but no real detail in M42 or M31. About 65 to 70 of the Messier objects are visible with a 70MM. The open clusters and globular clusters are you best objects. Open clusters will look like lots of stars in one spot or just a bright glow with a few star resolving in the forground. Globulars will look like cotten balls. A few galaxies will be visible but not much more that a faint fuzzy spot, very dim. There are lots of double stars splittable in that scope. Those are lots of fun. Your not gonna see any color. Maybe a subtel difference in some of the doubles like Alberio and Gamma Andromeda, but that's all. Good luck with it. A small scope is lots of fun.
That's it;
BOB SAL

• First night out... - ascension - March 29, 2002 - 17:50 UTC