PowerSeeker 114EQ Telescope - Manual German Equatorial Telescope for Beginners - Compact and Portable - BONUS Astronomy Software Package - 114mm Aperture

Whether youre an amateur astronomer or becoming more comfortable with using a telescope, youll love the technology and user-friendly features packed into s PowerSeeker Newtonian Reflector telescope. The PowerSeeker 114EQ is a powerful yet easy-to-use telescope. Our PowerSeeker Series telescopes for astronomy beginners have been designed with a combination of value, quality, power, and user-friendly features. They are built to enhance the experience for beginners but are also exceptional for mid-level experienced astronomers. This 114EQ telescope features powerful magnification and easy-to-use controls that allow users to obtain crisp views of the Moon, the rings of Saturn, and Jupiters Galilean moons.

The telescopes sturdy and durable German Equatorial mount and slow-motion rod deliver smooth and accurate pointing. Move the slow-motion altitude rod in an up/down fashion to pinpoint and track your object. The 3x Barlow lens is added to triple the magnification power of the included 20mm and 4mm eyepieces. Weve included an accessory tray to store accessories conveniently and a free download of our BONUS Starry Night Basic Edition astronomy software with information on 36, 000 celestial objects, printable sky maps, and more. The software can be used on your Mac, PC or laptop.

Its the best way to learn about the night sky and plan your next observing session. Additional accessories include a tripod. You can purchase this telescope with confidence from the worlds #1 telescope brand, based in California since 1960. Youll also receive a 2-year warranty and unlimited access to technical support from our team of US-based experts. Tom Johnson founded in 1960 after building a telescope to share the night sky with his sons. Since then, has established itself as the worlds #1 telescope brand. telescopes are used by scientists in world-class research observatories and even aboard the International Space Station.

I love bargains, so I was eager to try out 's new Powerseeker 114 Newtonian reflector telescope. With its 4.5 -inch mirror, '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 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 7.5 mm 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. '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 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 XT 4.5 or 's Firstscope 114EQ will give you a sturdier mount, an improved finder scope, and better eyepieces.

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