Celestron 21045 114mm Equatorial PowerSeeker Telescope
114mm, 4.5 inch Diameter Newtonian Reflector / 900mm focal length f/8 / 20mm and 4mm eye piece / Barlow lens 3x / Glossy Silver Tube Color Focuser - 1.25 inch Adjustable aluminum tripod with accessory tray The Sky Level 1Product Details
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
I love bargains, so I was eager to try out Celestron's new Powerseeker 114 Newtonian reflector telescope. With its 4.5-inch mirror, Celestron's Powerseeker 114 gathers three times more starlight than popular 60mm refractors. The Powerseeker package includes two eyepieces (K20 and SR4), a plastic 3x barlow, and a lightweight equatorial mount.
Optically, the Powerseeker 114 holds its own when compared with my Celestron Firstscope 114EQ. Using the K20 eyepiece included as standard equipment, about 45x magnification, it's easy to see the Andromeda Galaxy and its smaller satellite galaxy M32. When compared to 60mm refractors, the Powerseeker 114 brings out much more detail in the Orion Nebula, reveals many more stars in Perseus' Double Cluster and even brings out a few individual stars in globular clusters like M13. Saturn looks quite small at 45x with the K20 eyepiece, but using my own 7.5mm eyepiece (120x) I can easily detect the shadow cast by the planet on the rings, and even glimpse the ring's Cassini Division. When the mirrors are properly lined up or "collimated," the images are reasonably sharp up to magnifications of 225x. I find a collimation tool helps get this fine tuning just right.
As good as the optics are, however, the effect of cost-cutting shows up in the mechanical components. The focuser is plastic, the finder scope is plastic, the rings that attach the telescope to the tripod are plastic. Even when the tripod legs are clamped at their shortest setting, the telescope wobbles when I try to focus at higher magnifications. Celestron's instruction manual correctly recommends that most viewing be done in the range of 40x to 130x. So what about that 675x magnification proclaimed on the box? I'd say it's not worth the trouble.
Overall, the Celestron Powerseeker 114 is a budget priced telescope with good optical performance, especially when using the low power K20 eyepiece. If you're willing to spend a little more money, either Orion's SkyQuest XT4.5 or Celestron's Firstscope 114EQ will give you a sturdier mount, an improved finder scope, and better eyepieces. Also, for about the price of the Powerseeker 114, I like the dependable refractor design of Celestron's Firstscope 70EQ. --Jeff Phillips
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From the Manufacturer
Celestron's affordable Powerseeker line of telescopes are perfect for stargazers new to astronomy. Offering exceptional value, these telescopes feature portable yet powerful designs with ample optical performance to excite any newcomer to the world of amateur astronomy. The Powerseeker 114EQ has a Newtonian reflector, offering a larger aperture and greater light gathering power needed to resolve the faint detail of hundreds of deep-sky and other celestial objects. It has a 114mm aperture and 900mm focal length.
The PowerSeeker 114EQ comes with all glass optical components with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brighness and clarity. All PowerSeekers come with a full range of eyepieces plus a 3x Barlow lens, allowing an increase in viewing power hundreds of times greater than that of an unaided eye. It also features sturdy equatorial mounts for tracking the sky.
What's in the Box
Powerseeker 114EQ Telescope, 5x24 finderscope, 3x Barlow Lens (1.25"), 20mm eyepiece, 4mm eyepiece, aluminum tripod with accessory tray
Customer Reviews
its an "alright" telescope
set up of the telescope is a breeze. the instructions were clear and also had pictures for reference. it took me about 10 minutes to get it together. i see people complaining the tripod is "unstable" NOT TRUE! its called tightening it! problem solved.
the finder scope is made of plastic but hey, its not your main scope and look at what you paid for. the entire setup does feel cheap but think of it in terms of value.
the entire weight is manageable, not portable but not very heavy.
the direction adjustment knobs stick out way too far for what it does and it might get in your way if your not careful.
now, lets get too the good stuff. WHAT CAN YOU SEE???
my first target was the moon, it was clear and high detail, not a difficult task. i went onto jupiter, pretty much the brightest thing in the sky, you can barely make out the red and cream swirls it has and you can see bright spots around it which are the 6? moons. you cannot see jupiter up close even with double scopes (x20 normal plus the x3 add-on). the image isnt the clearest but hey, terms of value.
if you are serious about getting into astronomy, move along with a different telescope. if you are looking for something to have some quick fun with friends and family, this is it.
A Good Telescope
Itis a wonderful product with minimum cost. I have tried to and have been able to see some spot in the Moon.
Good product.
A bit heavy and bulky
Celestron 21045 114mm Equatorial PowerSeeker Telescope
On my deck this telescope is somewhat shaky,
In a recent Readers Digest an article explained that ALL Telescopes are shaky to a point unless you set it up an solid ground, that took care of the shaky problem. Its hard to move everyday, with the tripod open its very difficult to get through a standard doorway, alot of work to get the legs folded up for every trip outside. the Optics is great, higher magnification is blurry but ALL telescopes do that...all in all? I say its a great star gazer!
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