Discount Telescopes and Telescope Accessories

Celestron Accessory Kit

This set makes a great addition to telescopes like Celestron's Firstscope 114EQ or Firstscope 80EQ. A telescope's magnifying power is equal to the focal length of the telescope divided by the eyepiece focal length, which is usually printed right on the eyepiece. Since the Firstscope 114EQ has a focal length of 900mm, the 32mm plossl eyepiece gives a magnification of 28x and almost 2 degress true field of view. This wide field of view is ideal for viewing star clusters like the Pleiades or checking out the Andromeda Galaxy. On a dark, moonless night, when I use the 9mm plossl (100x magnification) to view globular clusters like M13 and M5, the Firstscope 114EQ shows me many individual stars. And when the night air is still and clear I use the 6mm eyepiece (150x magnification) to pick out planetary details like the Cassini Division in Saturn's rings, or even Jupiter's great red spot.

The Celestron eyepiece kit also includes six colored filters and a neutral-colored Moon filter. The Orange and Red filters are handy for bringing out surface detail on Mars, and the Light Blue and Light Green filters can help a small telescope pick out Jupiter's famous red spot. The Moon filter works like a pair of sunglasses to reduce the blinding glare of the Moon. The Yellow and Green filters are sometimes helpful on the moon as well because they overcome the blue glow of "chromatic aberration," the false color that often troubles low-cost refractors.

Overall, the Celestron Eyepiece kit is simply a great value. These eyepieces deliver crisp views in any telescope that accepts 1.25-inch eyepieces, from a Firstscope 60 AZ to a Nexstar 8GPS. --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Good anti-reflection multicoatings
• Crisp, high-contrast views

• Minimal eye relief on 4mm and 6mm plossls

Celestron 44104 500x Power Advanced Biological Microscope

An intermediate level biological microscope with advanced features. The electric illuminator provides direct control of light. The Abbe condenser and Iris diaphragm are supplied to concentrate and adjust the illumination. A mechanical stage is standard equipment with knobs controlling both axes for easy centering of specimen slides.

Microscope Head : Monocular, Adjustable 0° to 60°
Head Rotatable : No °
Objective Nosepiece : Triple
Objective Lense Sizes : 4x, 10x, 40x
DIN : 185 mm (7.28 in)
Eyepiece 1 : 10x
Eyepiece 1 Field of View : 12 °
Eyepiece 1 Magnification (Power) : 40x, 100x, 400x
Eyepiece 2 : 12.5x Eyepiece 2
Field of View : 10 mm (0.39 in)
Eyepiece 2 Magnification : 50x, 125x, 500x
Condenser Lens : Abbe N.A. 1.25
Diaphragm : Iris
Illumination : 50 mm (2") Mirror and Tungsten Electrical
Stage : Mechanical, 115 mm x 125 mm (4.5" x 4.9")
Focus System : Coarse and Fine
Filter(s) : Blue Filter
Weight : 5.9 lb (2.68 kg)

Celestron 21045 114mm Equatorial PowerSeeker Telescope

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

Pros:

• Low cost
• Good optics
• Serviceable K20 eyepiece

• Wobbly mount
• Difficult to collimate
• Plastic finder and focuser

Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Dobsonian Reflector Telescope

Your money buys you a lot in this case. Included are a good-quality 4.5" f/8 primary mirror, two eyepieces, a finder, and a CD-ROM with a stripped-down version of The Sky, a software guide to the sky. The scope comes in two cartons. One contains the optical tube, and the other is a flat-packed box containing the base, which you assemble yourself. Orion includes all the hardware and tools you need, and the instructions are well written. Allocate about 30 minutes to assemble and align everything.

There are a couple of cost-cutting measures. The primary mirror is spherical, not parabolic (this is not likely to affect the views, however). Also, the focuser is plastic. While I’ve never seen one break, plastic focusers are by nature less robust than metal ones. Finally (and this may be the most serious concern of all), the scope is a little short for an adult. The eyepiece is only 3 feet off the ground, which may force you to stoop over (hint: try sitting on a short chair or stool while observing). On the other hand, the height is ideal for a child, and as a result, I heartily recommend this telescope for children.

Under the stars, the XT4.5 exhibits excellent performance. Once properly collimated (aligned), the optics give clear, sharp, contrasty views. I’ve spent enjoyable nights using these telescopes, both as a teaching tool and by myself. Jupiter’s cloud band and four moons are no problem to see, nor are Saturn’s rings. The Orion Nebula is a glowing fan of green gas, with a quartet of tiny stars at its core. Under dark skies (and with some diligence) the XT4.5 can even pull in some of the fainter deep sky objects, like the brighter galaxies in the Virgo Cluster.

Despite the fact that I have a garage full of expensive telescopes, I never feel compromised with any of Orion’s XT scopes. As recently as a few years ago, the old adage regarding telescopes was that you must spend at least $300 to avoid buying junk. While this is still mostly true, Orion’s little XT4.5 breaks the price barrier in a big way. As long as you can deal with the short eyepiece height, it’s a great starter scope.

Pros:

• Very good optical and mechanical performance
• Fully accessorized
• Great value

• Short eyepiece height
• Plastic focuser

Celestron NexStar 114 SLT Computerized Telescope

The NexStar 114 SLT's compact Newtonian optics produce images that are three times brighter than 60mm beginner scopes. With this telescope it's easy to see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's cloud belts. When the night air is still and clear I've been able to see the Cassini division in Saturn's rings and even spot the shadow of Jupiter's moons crossing the planets cloud tops! Deep space objects like star clusters and galaxies also show up nicely. The Ring Nebula M57, for instance, shows up as a pale smoke ring, and globular cluster M13 begins to reveal its individual stars.

Celestron's computerized SkyAlign system is remarkably quick and easy to use. If you can see the moon, you can align this telescope! When you turn on the telescope, select "Solar System Align" on the hand control, enter the date and time, point the telescope at the moon, and press the "Align" button. That's all it takes; the computerized tracking system takes over and begins tracking, quietly, and accurately. Experienced users will love the "Auto Two-Star Align" and "SkyAlign" modes because they allow the telescope to point accurately at over 4,000 objects in the NexStar database. The accurate tracking allowed me to use a Celestron NexImage to take some nice close-up pictures of the moon and planets.

The biggest drawback to a computerized telescope is its battery consumption. The standard AA batteries only last a few hours, but the NexStar 114 SLT works very well with an external 12-volt battery such as Celestron's Power Tank. The other drawback comes from the NexStar 114 SLT's compact optical design. This telescope uses a short-focal-length mirror combined with a corrector lens to simulate a traditional long tube reflector. This works pretty well at moderate magnification levels, but the mirrors may need to be fine-tuned, or "collimated," to get the best high power images. I find Celestron's Collimation Eyepiece helps me get this fine tuning just right, but the reward is sharp images, even when I use the high power 9mm eyepiece with a barlow lens for a magnification over 200x. --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Easy computerized GoTo system
• Good (but not great) optics
• Includes everything but the batteries

• Short battery life
• Optics may need occasional fine tuning

Celestron 21041 60mm PowerSeeker Telescope

The Powerseeker 60 comes disassembled in a compact box, but it won't take long to put everything together. Go ahead and try it out in the daytime, that's the best time to align the finder scope while looking at a distant tree or telephone pole.

My first view of Saturn's rings and star cluster M13 in Hercules came with a 60mm telescope, and I enjoy celestial viewing with the Powerseeker 60 to this day. The secret is to use the low power K20 eyepiece and only extend the tripod legs half-way. This gives me sharp and steady views, whether I'm looking at nearby hills, craters on the Moon, the Double Cluster in Perseus, or even the Andromeda Galaxy!

With a 1.25" focuser and diagonal mirror, it's easy to add better eyepieces. The Kellner type K20 eyepiece yields a 1.1 degree true field of view, better than the Huygens or H-type eyepieces still found in many beginner scopes. Adding an optional Celestron 25mm E-Lux eyepiece is better still. With nearly 2 degrees true field of view, the 25mm E-lux makes it much easier to find objects, either on land or in deep space. The SR4 eyepiece is less impressive; it's like peeking through a pin-hole. Adding the 3x barlow to the SR4 to get that 525x proclaimed on the box is peeking through a dim, fuzzy pin-hole.

I'm surprised that a telescope this inexpensive can be this good. It's good enough to show me Saturn's rings at night or a Steller's Jay at 100 yards during the day. In my opinion, the Powerseeker 60 would be an even better bargain if it came with a K10 eyepiece in place of the 3x barlow and the SR4 eyepiece. Also take a look at Celestron's Firstscope 60AZ; it's only a little more expensive, but it includes two useable eyepieces, a red-dot finder, and planetarium software for your computer. –Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Low cost
• Decent optics
• Accepts 1.25" eyepieces

• Too small for serious astronomy
• Only one good eyepiece

Celestron Firstscope 76EQ 76mm Reflector Telescope

The FirstScope 76 is a fine instrument for the beginning observer. It offers many of the advantages of the Newtonian design at a 3" aperture. The superb optics of this telescope offer dazzling images of the moon; Saturn and its rings; Jupiter, with its belts and moons; and hundreds of deep-sky objects, including galaxies, nebulae and star clusters. The optical tube is glossy black. This model uses the German equatorial mount with setting circles and slow motion controls on both the right ascension (R.A.) and declination (DEC.) axes. These features make it easier to locate and track objects.

While observing, you'll notice that as the earth rotates on its axis, stationary stars appear to move across the sky. Thus, due to the earth's rotation, the object you're viewing will drift out of view in both axes, over time. A telescope on an equatorial mount can be aimed at a celestial object and guided with the slow motion controls to follow the object across the sky and keep it in the field of view of your telescope.

FirstScope 76 EQ Specifications:

• 76mm (3") Reflector
• 700mm Focal Length, f/9
• Equatorial Mount with Setting Circles and Slow Motion Adjustment Cables
• Sturdy Adjustable Aluminum Tripod with Accessory Tray
• Telescope Weight: 15 lb.

• 1-1/4" 20mm (35x), 10mm (70x) Eyepieces
• Star Pointer Finderscope
• Equatorial Mount
• The Sky L1 CD ROM

Moon viewing 101

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