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Ranking The Best from 70+ Refractor Telescopes

Rank & ratings last updated on

In my view, a small refractor, particularly on an easy-to-operate alt-azimuth mount, is unmatched in convenience. Even on a chilly night, I can be observing in minutes—if not seconds—since, unlike with my reflector and catadioptric telescopes, I don't need to wait for the optics to cool down to the outside temperature or perform a collimation procedure. I always keep a small refractor by the back door of my house for spur-of-the-moment observing. Even if I leave it unmaintained there, I don't have to worry about the mirror coatings degrading over time.

Finding deep-sky objects is no problem, thanks to the refractor's wide field of view. Refractors' higher visual contrast and tolerance of inexpensive eyepieces, compared to reflector or catadioptric types of telescopes, are just the icing on the cake. I've stumbled upon many deep-sky objects that are so big and low in contrast that they are only visible through my small refractor.

However, refractors are much more expensive than equivalent-aperture reflectors or catadioptrics. Additionally, due to the difficulties and costs of making a large lens and properly mounting such a massive telescope, refractors are rarely found above 6 inches in aperture. Those that do exist tend to be extremely expensive and bulky.

Throughout this list, you'll come across the term 'chromatic aberration,' a key reason I don't recommend many of the cheaper refractors. This optical issue, which produces fuzzy images and purple halos around bright targets, occurs in budget refractors because refractor lenses without extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass or additional elements can't focus all colors to the same point. The problem becomes more pronounced with larger lenses and longer focal ratios.

The three commonly available types of refractors are achromats, ED achromats, and apochromatic (APO) refractors, which you can think of as the low, medium, and high-priced options on the market.

  • If you're a visual observer, achromats might be just what you need. These refractors are less expensive to manufacture and can be purchased for as little as $100. They work acceptably at longer focal ratios and with smaller apertures.
  • If you are an astrophotographer, consider the ED doublets as your entry-level models, with the APOs as the premium models. I know several people who paid five to ten thousand dollars—sometimes more—for apochromatic designs for perfect chromatic and other aberration control from brands like Stellarvue, Astro-Physics, and Takahashi.
  • For the hobbyist on a budget, I believe a long focal ratio achromat, an ED doublet, or an inexpensive apochromatic triplet will more than suffice for visual use and photography with a DSLR or modest CCD camera.
  1. Achromatic refractors have objective lenses based on two elements, typically made of crown and flint glass, and exhibit varying levels of chromatic aberration depending on the aperture and focal ratio.
  2. ED doublets, also known as ED achromats or semi-apochromats, reduce chromatic aberration to an acceptable level (but not nonexistent), although at higher prices. ED doublets use FPL-51, FPL-53, or FCD100 glass in one of the elements of the objective lens to make this possible.
  3. Apochromats use 3 or sometimes more lens elements in their objective lenses, usually with at least 1 ED lens element. In addition to color control, adding more lenses can lead to more pleasing astroimages with less field curvature, lesser edge-of-field aberrations, and other issues that are particularly evident with large CCD imaging chips.

We've written a standalone article on Apochromatic Refractors vs Achromatic Refractors, if you'd like to read more in detail.

2024 August Update: Orion Telescopes & Binoculars's retail website went offline on July 31st and their storefronts are all shut down from mid-July. We're in the process of removing Orion's and Meade's (Orion owns Meade) telescopes from our recommendations and rank lists.

Rank Category: Below $150 Refractor Telescopes

Cheap refractor models have more chromatic aberration, cheaper accessories, cheaper mounts, and lower build quality than a more expensive refractor. Unfortunately, there aren't any refractor telescopes we can confidently recommend below $150, though there are plenty of options available on the market.

Explore Scientific FirstLight 90mm Doublet Refractor Telescope with AZ Mount
Explore Scientific FirstLight 90mm Doublet Refractor with AZ Mount
$129 at ExploreScientific
The FirstLight 90 is relatively simple in its mounting and accessories, as we expected at this price point, but it's super lightweight, easy to use, and delivers a wide field of view for deep-sky viewing. However, with its fast f/5.5 focal ratio, those interested in a scope optimized for lunar and planetary views might want to choose a longer focal ratio refractor to reduce chromatic aberration.
Celestron PowerSeeker 80AZS Scope
Celestron PowerSeeker 80AZS Refractor
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The PowerSeeker 80AZS is almost useless for planetary and lunar observing thanks to its high levels of chromatic aberration, but it makes for a great wide-field instrument for viewing large deep-sky objects. However, it’s dragged down by its low-quality eyepieces and diagonal, and the mount leaves much to be desired.
Rank 3Celestron PowerSeeker 70 EQ3
Rank 4Bresser Callisto 70mm EQ3
Rank 5Abotec 80mm Aperture 500mm 2.7
Rank 6Celestron Travel Scope 802.5
Rank 7National Geographic StarApp70 2.5
Rank 8Gskyer Telescope 70mm2.5
Rank 9Celestron AstroMaster LT 70AZ
2.3
Rank 10Celestron Powerseeker 70AZ2.2
Rank 11National Geographic 70mm AZ2.2
Rank 12Hexeum Telescope 80mm2.2
Rank 13Hexeum Telescope 70mm2.2
Rank 14Honslis Telescope for Kids Adults,70mm Aperture 500mm2.1
Rank 15Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ2
Rank 16Barska Starwatcher 525 Power Telescope2
Rank 17Celestron Travel Scope 70 DX 1.9
Rank 18Celestron Travel Scope 701.9
Rank 19Celestron PowerSeeker 60 EQ
1.9
Rank 20Celestron PowerSeeker 60 AZ1.9
Rank 21Zhumell Z70
1.8
Rank 22Celestron Travel Scope 60 DX1.8
Rank 23Celestron AstroMaster LT 60AZ1.7
Rank 24Zhumell 60 AZ1.6
Rank 25Celestron PowerSeeker 50 AZ1.4
Rank 26iOptron iExplore 70AZ1.4
Rank 27ToyerBee Telescope 70mm1.3
Rank 28Zhumell Z601.3
Rank 29Zhumell Z501.3
Rank 30Celestron Travel Scope 501.3
Rank 31Barska 300 Power Starwatcher1.2
Rank 32Discover with Dr. Cool NASA Lunar Telescope1

Rank Category: $150-$250 Refractor Telescopes

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Refractor Telescope
Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Refractor
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The StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ gets you a lot for your money, bearing in mind that it’s still a mediocre 80mm refractor. While it has decent optics and a fairly acceptable set of accessories, it's mounted on a poorly constructed alt-azimuth fork mount. It’s very easy to aim, thanks to Celestron’s unique StarSense Explorer technology, which uses only a smartphone app and a special phone-mounting adapter to assist us in pointing the telescope at faint deep-sky objects without any additional hardware, alignment, or power. Given its small 80mm aperture and narrow field of view due to the long f/11 focal length, we still question its purpose since there are probably only a dozen practical targets where the StarSense Explorer app might be of any benefit. However, it is nonetheless a pretty good deal for the price and we're impressed with how the StarSense Explorer system actually manages to work.
Explore Scientific FirstLight AR80 White Refractor with Twilight Nano Mount
Explore Scientific FirstLight AR80 with Twilight Nano AZ
$199 at ExploreScientific
The FirstLight AR80 is one of the better cheap 80mm telescopes out there, if a bit lacking in accessories. It’s hard to argue with its good optics, simple and sturdy mount, and almost unmatched convenience as a great “grab n’ go” scope. Its simple and sturdy Twilight Nano altitude-azimuth mount works fine for its intended purpose, though it lacks fine pointing adjustments. The mount is basically maxed out with this 80mm optical tube. Its focal ratio of f/8 means we can get a fairly wide 2.1° field of view with the provided low-magnification 25mm lone eyepiece (which makes it great for viewing large deep-sky objects) and also get good planetary/moon views without too much in the way of chromatic aberration. To get those planetary views, however, you’re going to need additional eyepieces.
Celestron Inspire 80AZ
Rank 3
3.4/5
The Inspire 80AZ has good optics and comes with decent accessories, but we don't see it offering neither a wide field of view nor an equatorial mount with fine adjustments for the price it commands. Also, we feel that the included red dot finder could be confusing to get used to.
Celestron PowerSeeker 80 EQ
Rank 4
3.1/5
We see the PowerSeeker 80EQ as an okay telescope, but its equatorial mount isn't the best and the supplied eyepieces and finderscope are nearly unusable, making it a less-than-decent choice in our eyes. However, we need to mention that it does have adjustable tube rings, which allow us to balance and rotate the tube more freely.
Gskyer Telescope 80mm Refractor
Rank 5
3/5
The Gskyer 80mm refractor package certainly has a lot going for it, but we think the low-quality 45-degree prism diagonal is a major detriment to the value of this scope when a new diagonal costs nearly ¼ as much as the whole thing. The included eyepieces are functional but we see them suffering from narrow fields of view in our usage.
Rank 6Celestron AstroMaster 70EQ
2.9
Rank 7Celestron AstroMaster 90AZ 2.6
Rank 8AstroMaster 80AZS2.6
Rank 9Carson RedPlanet 80mm 2.1
Rank 10SOLOMARK 70mm Aperture and 700mm 2
Rank 11Celestron Ambassador 50 Tabletop1.3

Rank Category: $250-$500 Refractor Telescopes

StarSense Explorer DX 100AZ
Popular Science Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 100AZ Refractor
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The StarSense Explorer DX 100AZ from Celestron's Popular Science series fixes many of the issues of its smaller cousin, the StarSense LT 80AZ telescope, and it’s one of our favorite grab-and-go telescopes.

It has great optics (albeit with slight chromatic aberration expected at the focal ratio of f/6.5), an easy-to-use alt-azimuth mount, a sturdy tripod, and a decent supplied eyepiece and finder. The StarSense Explorer technology, which helps you point the telescope using a smartphone and a phone bracket, is a nice bonus that’s included for essentially no extra cost. We've also noticed that the smartphone mounting bracket on the DX mount is a little better designed than what’s provided with the StarSense LT 80AZ telescope, and so the StarSense Explorer tech works a little more accurately.

Overall, these are all quite a bargain for what we get for the price and the telescope compares favorably in view quality to 114mm reflector telescopes that are similar in price. We believe that this refractor gives the most value for money for visual purposes in this whole list, earning it a higher rating of 4.2 out of 5.

StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ
Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Refractor
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StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ is essentially same as the above-ranked DX 100AZ with the same StarSense Explorer system. The mount, eyepieces, finder and diagonal are all identical in both scopes. While the DX 102AZ technically includes a fairly good 2" metal focuser compared to the DX 100AZ's plastic 1.25" focuser, in our experience, the included mount is not exactly up to the task of handling heavy 2” eyepieces and a beefy diagonal. The DX 102AZ also have an XLT coating and a mere 2mm of aperture hike, both of which have negligible effects. With a price tag big enough to obtain a larger and/or fully computerized instrument, DX 102AZ is not the most economically justifiable scope especially with the DX 100AZ available at a dirt cheap price.
Explore Scientific FirstLight 80mm with EQ3
Rank 3
3.7/5
At first glance, the FirstLight 80mm EQ3 might seem nearly identical to the $199 Twilight Nano-mounted 80mm version, but it’s actually completely different optically, with a focal ratio of f/11.25 and a resulting focal length of 900mm. This focal ratio is long enough to mostly escape the troubles of chromatic aberration and gives the scope higher magnification with any given eyepiece at the expense of a narrower field of view and, of course, a longer tube. Though the included mount is hardly what conforms to the usual standard of an "EQ3" and is not able to carry anything much heavier or longer than the provided 80mm optical tube. However, for an 80mm refractor, it suffices and is pretty easy to use. But the included accessories are somewhat lacking and unlike with Celestron's DX 100AZ and DX102AZ, there is no smartphone app to help us guide the scope.
Celestron Inspire 100AZ
Rank 4
3.5/5
The Inspire 100AZ's optics are essentially the same as those of the Popular Science DX 100AZ, our favorite choice in this price range. But unlike the DX 100AZ or even the DX 102AZ, it has a significantly inferior mount that also lacks fine pointing adjustments. The scope lacks StarSense Explorer tech too. It’s not a terrible scope, but we can tell this instrument was made to satisfy a price point and some marketing requirements.
Celestron Astro Fi 90 AZ GoTo
Rank 5
3.4/5
The Astro-Fi 90mm is one of the few beginner GoTo telescopes that is super easy to use, though the usefulness of GoTo with this telescope is debatable. Like Celestron's other Astro-Fi telescopes, the Astro-Fi 90 is controlled wirelessly via your smartphone or tablet as a replacement for the outdated, clunky calculator-like hand controllers that many GoTo telescopes are still supplied with. The telescope itself is a fairly standard 90mm f/10 refractor with good optics. At this focal ratio, there’s some chromatic aberration, but not enough to be a nuisance. The Astro-Fi 90 is lower on our list due to its small 90mm aperture and long focal length, which limits what we can see to just planets and bright stars, for which the computerized mounting is of questionable usefulness to begin with. If you must have a GoTo scope, we’d recommend something at least 100mm in aperture.
Sky-Watcher StarTravel 80 AZ-GTe GoTo
Rank 6
3.4/5
The lightweight and portable design of the AZ-GTe mount makes for a great pairing with this one of the few wide-field, short-tubed 80mm f/5 refractors still floating around on the market. While we found it borderline unusable for the planets due to its high amount of chromatic aberration, the small size and the sheer convenience of the AZ-GTe mount make it a pretty nice grab-n-go scope. The AZ-GTe mount is not to be confused with the more expensive GTi mount. The GTe can be used manually when turned off and is converted to a smartphone-operated GoTo mount when powered on, but we cannot use the mount manually once it is powered up without ruining the alignment. The included accessories are great, too. However, considering the high price tag and the huge amount of chromatic aberration inherent in a cheap fast focal ratio refractor, we’re not sure who this telescope is intended to appeal to.
Sky-Watcher StarTravel 102 AZ3
Rank 7
3.3/5
The StarTravel 102AZ3's optics quality is great. Its short 500mm focal length and 2" focuser give it a bigger achievable field of view, making the scope great for wide-field deep-sky sweeping. But the scope's fast f/4.9 optics make it unsuitable for lunar and planetary viewing. Its supplied mount and star diagonal are also far from good for the price.
Explore Scientific FirstLight 80 mm Refractor with iEXOS Equatorial GoTo
Rank 8
3.2/5
The FirstLight 80/iExos combo package is just the same telescope and accessories as the $199 AR80/Twilight Nano telescope, also on our list, but with the high-quality equatorial iExos PMC-8 GoTo mount. This package is advertised for astrophotography use, but you should really think of its iExos mount as more of a glorified star tracker, able to hold a DSLR and lens, or maybe a small (<80mm) apochromatic refractor. With the lightweight nature of the iExos mount, the chromatic aberration from the achromatic optics of the telescope itself, and the plastic focuser, the whole package is not going to be good for anything but smartphone astrophotography (which Explore Scientific has thankfully provided a low-quality adapter for). If you think of this package as a camera tracker with a decent 80mm refractor for visual use thrown in, we believe you won’t be disappointed.
Celestron AstroMaster 90EQ
Rank 9
3.2/5
We see AstroMaster 90EQ as a fairly good instrument, and the included mount holds it adequately. But the included accessories are rather poor, and the equatorial mounts in general can be frustrating for beginners.
Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor with EXOS EQ Nano
Rank 10
3.1/5
The 102mm f/9.8 refractor offered by Explore Scientific excels in its optical quality, as we've observed. The Exos Nano EQ-3 mount is adequate, though we think weighing it down somehow might be a good idea. You’ll want to replace the accessories and maybe the focuser too. Think of this one as a blank canvas to turn into a Picasso.
Gskyer 90mm AZ
Rank 11
3/5
As with most of Gskyer’s other refractors, the 90mm refractor package comes with a poor-quality erecting prism instead of a 90-degree star diagonal, the tripod is a simple pan-tilt affair that’s not easy to aim, and the included eyepieces feel like you’re looking through a soda straw. You could certainly do a lot worse for the price, but you can also do a lot better by picking any of the scopes ranked above this one in our list.
Explore Scientific FirstLight AR102 Twilight Nano AZ
Rank 12
3/5
The 102mm f/6.5 FirstLight isn’t terrible optically, but its poor included accessories, mediocre mounting, and high price make it a poor deal compared to the various other 102mm f/6.5 refractors available at often significantly lower prices.
Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ
Rank 13
2.9/5
The AstroMaster 102AZ’s low-quality mounting (basically a glorified photo tripod) makes it difficult to aim or keep steady on a target, and it’s more expensive than better options like Celestron’s own StarSense DX 100AZ.
Celestron 80 LCM GoTo
Rank 14
2.2/5
The 80 LCM has mediocre accessories and a very low quality mount. We would recommend steering clear of this telescope.

Rank Category: $500-$1000 Refractors

Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor Telescope with Twilight I Mount
Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor with Twilight I AZ Mount
$699 at ExploreScientific
A personal favorite of mine and one of my first telescopes, the FirstLight AR102 w/Twilight I is an absolutely fabulous instrument with absolutely flawless construction. Not only does it resemble the beautiful Japanese equatorial-mounted refractors of yore, but it has some of the best stray light control we’ve seen on any sub-$2000 refractor with many well-placed baffles on the interior. It’s one of the best achromats you can buy and an absolute killer on the Moon, planets, and brighter deep-sky objects. With a focal ratio of f/9.8, chromatic aberration is really only present on the Moon, Jupiter, Venus, and stars of first magnitude or brighter, and it doesn’t significantly affect sharpness. Deep-sky views are very high in contrast with pinpoint stars. The Twilight I mount is an extremely high-quality mount and the FirstLight 102 is about the largest refractor telescope we can mount on it without vibration problems (Explore Scientific sells a 127mm on the same mount, but we do not recommend it). The only downside to this scope is the accessories.
Celestron Omni XLT 120 Refractor Telescope
Celestron Omni XLT 120 Refractor
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The Omni XLT 120 is a beefy, high-quality instrument that might intimidate beginners but is certainly worth it with all the elegance of a large equatorially-mounted refractor. While a 120mm (4.7”) telescope sounds small, with a refractor it’s anything but. The XLT 120’s optical tube is a chunky 13 pounds and it’s about 1 meter long. This scope is pushing the limits of the included solidly-made high-quality CG-4 mount somewhat, but works well. With a focal ratio of f/8.33, there is a moderate amount of chromatic aberration but it’s not a show-stopper for planetary and lunar viewing altogether. You’ll also want to shop for at least a few additional eyepieces for this telescope to get the most it has to offer. The Omni XLT 120 is a bit awkward to move around and complicated to assemble, but a 120mm with an equatorial mount that can be motorized later on might be more appealing to you compared to the above-ranked Twilight I alt-azimuth mounted Explore Scientific 102mm.
Celestron Omni XLT 102 Refractor
Rank 3
3.8/5
The Omni XLT 102 is well-made, offers great lunar, planetary, and deep-sky views, and is a younger sibling of the Omni XLT 120. While the equatorial mount and long optical tube are more cumbersome than the shorter, faster altazimuth-mounted refractors available, the Omni beats them at high-power views. The high-quality CG4 equatorial mount is also a lot easier to keep pointed at the Moon and planets—especially if you add an aftermarket motor drive.
Explore Scientific AR127mm Refractor Telescope with Twilight I
Rank 4
3.7/5
The AR127 is a great optical tube and the Twilight I mount offered by Explore Scientific is a decent alt-azimuth mount for refractors. But when the two are combined in a package, the Twilight I mount is a little on the small side to properly accommodate such a massive 127mm doublet refractor OTA and you may not be happy with the level of vibrations, especially with the tripod legs extended.
Sky-Watcher StarTravel 102 AZ-GTe Refractor
Rank 5
3.3/5
The StarTravel 102 AZ-GTe isn’t an ideal lunar and planetary instrument due to the optics’ high chromatic aberration (102mm f/5 optics has even more CA than an 80mm f/5 StarTravel model). You’ll have great views of deep sky objects like open star clusters, nebulae, and the brightest galaxies, but pump the magnification up and you’ll probably be disappointed. But it’s lightweight, portable, and makes a great grab n’ go telescope. It features the advanced AZ-GTe mount, which can be used manually when powered off and functions as an advanced GoTo system controlled by your smartphone or tablet when powered on.
Takahashi Starbase 80 Achromatic Doublet Refractor Alt-Az
Rank 6
3.3/5
The Takahashi Starbase 80 is an extremely high-quality achromatic refractor. It’s great for beginners, and it is probably one of the highest-quality achromats on the market today. However, for a bit more money, you could just get an apochromat, which is more compact and suitable for imaging, though Takahashi’s products in this category are equally extremely expensive for what you get.
Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor with iEXOS-100 PMC-Eight Equatorial Tracker System
Rank 7
3.2/5
The FirstLight 102mm f/6.5 Doublet is not suitable for high magnifications, while its 1.25” focuser limits your ability to achieve a wide field of view and thus the deep sky objects. The iEXOS-100 mount is undersized and fairly impractical for this telescope in any case.
Sky-Watcher StarTravel 120 AZ3
Rank 8
3/5
The StarTravel 120 AZ3 is a great wide-field instrument for observing large deep-sky objects like star clusters, but it’s hobbled by the mediocre included mount and disastrously bad erecting prism. Even without these problems, the scope is borderline unusable for detailed, high-magnification views of the Moon and planets due to its fast f/5 focal ratio.
Celestron Nexstar 102SLT Refractor GoTo
Rank 9
2.7/5
The NexStar 102SLT’s flawed mechanical design with its too-short dew shield and unstable mount make it a barely usable instrument that offers little in the way of convenience or ease of use for beginner or experienced users.

Rank Category: Above $1000 Refractors

Unfortunately, there are no all-in-one telescopes on this list that we can say with confidence are capable of serious deep-sky astrophotography right out of the box.

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Refractor Telescope
Explore Scientific ED102 Triplet w/EXOS2 PMC-Eight Equatorial GoTo Mount
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The Explore Scientific ED102 APO Triplet is a decent scope for visual use or deep-sky astrophotography, with triplet apochromat optics minimizing chromatic aberration. The EXOS-2 PMC-Eight mount is just barely sufficient to carry it for imaging use with an autoguider, though buying a separate optical tube and mount might be a better option if you are looking for a high-quality imaging telescope.
Explore Scientific AR102 Doublet GoTo Combo
Rank 2
3.6/5
The Explore Scientific AR102 is a well-made optical tube and ideal for wide-field viewing, while the more advanced PMC-Eight configuration of the EXOS2GT mount is easier to use for observing or imaging purposes and up to the task of supporting this scope for visual observation. The provided accessories are also decent. However, the achromatic optics of this telescope limit high-power performance due to chromatic aberration, and it is not really designed for imaging.
Celestron Advanced VX Series 6″ Refractor GoTo
Rank 3
3.2/5
Celestron’s 6” Advanced VX refractor is the biggest refractor on our list and also the heaviest at about 75 pounds. A 6” long-focus refractor is something an amateur a mere few decades ago would’ve killed for. However, the 4-foot (1.21 meter) long optical tube must be set on top of the mount with the tripod legs fully extended for maximum comfort while observing, which can be a bit of a pain. The optics suffers from some chromatic aberration and is certainly not the astrophotography-ready platform that marketing material might suggest. The Advanced VX mount is not really capable of accurate enough tracking with a long, heavy telescope like the C6 refractor on top of it to do deep-sky astrophotography, but the 6″ refractor does a pretty good job for lunar and planetary astrophotography with CCD cameras, particularly if used with chromatic aberration-minimizing filters. All in all, it’s a pretty good pick for visual use and semi-permanent setups, but you might want to ponder what it is that’s so appealing about such a rig before purchasing.
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