Telescopes

Re: Celestron Powerseeker 114 Reflector Telescope, waste of money or decent for beginner?

bavlondon — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:18:44 GMT

I thought 675 was too good to be true.

I probabaly would have gone out and got that had you not said anything now so thanks.

Im going to read up on other peoples first buys and make my decision from there but i think im leanign now towards the dobs. Lets see aye

Re: Celestron Powerseeker 114 Reflector Telescope, waste of money or decent for beginner?

tkerr — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 23:19:45 GMT

bavlondon wrote:
Iand the C6N. Am i right in thinking the bigger the aperature the better picture i will get? And is it really that quick to et up a dobs? How quick roughly does it take to set up and are they heavy
Thank you for taking the time to help me with these questions.

I keep my telescopes in a shed around the back side of my house about 60 feet away from where I set them up. It takes me two trips to bring my Dob out and a few seconds to assemble the two parts.

First I bring the Dob Base out and set it on my little table/stand. Then I bring out the telescope OTA and place place it on the Dob base and attach the two springs and Voilà!! thats it, I'm ready, Total time it takes to set up the Dob is only a few minutes. Most of which was the walk back and forth to the shed.

When I set up my other telescope, It takes a few more trips back and forth to the shed and more time to set up. First I have to carry out the tripod and set it in place facing the right direction. I carry out the counter weights at the same time. Then I have to carry out the box containing the EQ mount and secure it to the tripod and secure the counter weight bar and weights to the mount. Then I go back and get the telescope(s) and secure it to the EQ mount. Then I have to balance it properly. Once it is dark I have to make sure it is polar aligned, at least a rough alignment. Then I run throght the set up routine and star alignment.

Even taking some short cuts on some of the setup of my goto telescope. Buy the time I get everything out and setup, it will have taken me a minimum of a half hour. This is why I am more likely to take the dob out if I am only going to have a few hours in one night to observer. Because in the end when you're done for the night, you have to put it all back up again.

Regardless of what telescope you go with, you need to set your telescope and equipment up early enough to allow it plenty time to equalize to the outdoor temperature. But since I keep mine in a shed that is not insulated and is shaded, my cool down time is pretty fast even in the summer months.

Have A Nice __________

Re: Celestron Powerseeker 114 Reflector Telescope, waste of money or decent for beginner?

tkerr — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:43:28 GMT

bavlondon wrote:
Also im just comparing some specs and it says the highest magnification for this model is 375 where as the Celestron Frist scope has 675. Does this mean that this dobs isnt as good as the Celestron first scope?

Where did you find those numbers?

The Orion XT6 has an advertised theoretical maximum useful magnification of 354x. Click>> HERE

The Celestron PowerSeeker 114 EQ has an advertised theoretical maximum useful magnification of 225x, Click>> HERE

The advertised theoretical maximum useful magnification for the C6-N is 354x. Click>> HERE

Most often the advertised magnification for a telescope is on the liberal side of the equation. That only takes into account if the sky conditions were perfectly clear dry and stable at all levels throughout the atmosphere. Unfortunately that isn't going to happen, If it does it will be a rare event.

A common advertised maximum magnification figure is usually 60x per inch of aperture. If it is advertised any more than that, they are filling you full of BS. Unfortunately there are misleading advertisements. Often they use the figure that a combination of the eyepieces and barlow that would be include with the telescope. They will advertise what the most powerful combination would give with a telescope of that particular focal length.

Telescope focal length divided by eyepiece focal length = magnification. Couple that eyepiece with a 2x barlow and that doubles that magnification. However, this does not mean that telescope can actually reach that amount of magnification. Push the magnification to those limits beyond the actual abilities of the aperture and you will only see a dark distorted blur.

As a general rule of thumb it is more like 50x per inch of aperture / 2x per millimeter of aperture. That would be a good clear stable night. Some companies are starting to get a little more realistic.

On average a more realistic figure is 35x to 40x when we are out observing. Sometimes its even worse.

Beware of false or misleading advertisements.

This is what I found on the eBay link you provided above.

225x maximum magnification (without Barlow lens)
675x magnification (with Barlow lens)

900mm focal length

Finder Scope

Lightweight aluminum tripod

Mount type: German Equatorial.

Interchangeable eyepieces (20mm and 4mm)

Sky for Celestron astronomy software

Accessory tray

114mm lens size

Newtonian design

That 675x magnification with barlow will not be acheived, That is a misleading advertising ploy. This is just another example of the BS you will find on places like eBay. In reality you would be lucky if you could ever use the 4mm eyepiece that would give you 225x magnification.

When I see BS like that I wonder if the person selling it know his head from the hole in his I think you get the point.

Have A Nice _________

Re: Celestron Powerseeker 114 Reflector Telescope, waste of money or decent for beginner?

bavlondon — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:06:35 GMT

Also im just comparing some specs and it says the highest magnification for this model is 375 where as the Celestron Frist scope has 675. Does this mean that this dobs isnt as good as the Celestron first scope?

Re: Celestron Powerseeker 114 Reflector Telescope, waste of money or decent for beginner?

bavlondon — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:02:34 GMT

I see i never knew that. Shows how much i know hehe

My price limit is £250 but id like to spend less if i could.

What would you go for between this dobs

http://www.scsastro.co.uk/it030020.htm

and the C6N. Am i right in thinking the bigger the aperature the better picture i will get? And is it really that quick to et up a dobs? How quick roughly does it take to set up and are they heavy?

Thank you for taking the time to help me with these questions.

Re: Celestron Powerseeker 114 Reflector Telescope, waste of money or decent for beginner?

tkerr — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 21:22:17 GMT

bavlondon wrote:
Thanks for the reply. Im still interested in the C6N but i think im going to continue looking around and get soem info of here as you suggested.
Thanks..

Oh and the reason i was put of by the Dobs were the nature of there size. Also there not very mobile.
I may yet change my mind.

What do you mean by the Nature of their size?

I'll guarantee that a 8" or 10" dob is more mobile and less work than a C6-N or almost any telescope of siimlar aperture on an EQ mount.

A Dob only has 2 detachable components(the Base and the OTA) making mobility and setup very easy. A telescope such as the C6-N will Have the OTA, The mount, counter weights, and tripod. Over all size and space uses would be equal to or even a little more than a 10" Dob.

A dob can be picked up and moved and immediately used throughout the night if needed to gain a better vantage point of the sky. You can't just pick up a telescope on an EQ mount and set it where you like and instantly start using it again.

Have A Nice _________

Re: Celestron Powerseeker 114 Reflector Telescope, waste of money or decent for beginner?

bavlondon — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:25:39 GMT

Thanks for the reply. Im still interested in the C6N but i think im going to continue looking around and get soem info of here as you suggested.

Thanks..

Oh and the reason i was put of by the Dobs were the nature of there size. Also there not very mobile.

I may yet change my mind.

Re: Celestron Powerseeker 114 Reflector Telescope, waste of money or decent for beginner?

tkerr — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 21:42:31 GMT

bavlondon wrote:
Hi there i was thinking of getting the above telescope:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Celestron-Powerseeker-114-Reflector-Telescope_W0QQitemZ140093970523QQihZ004QQcategoryZ3636QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Id like yout thoughts on it. Im only a beginner so dont want to spend too much money. I am interestedin seeing planets as well as perhaps some deep sky objects.
Will this be suitable for me or is this a "cheap rubbish" model. I dont mean to label it that way but ive heard some reviews saying this isnt that good even for a beginner.

IMHO, in the first place there are much better places to buy a telescope from. If you want to get a well known brand name telescope, (Which is what you want) get it from an authorized dealer. And keep away from those first scope series telescopes.

Secondly The size of the telescope is good enough to get you started. The mirrors/optics are fine for a telescope of that size and class. It will allow you to see the moon and the larger planets and a number of deep sky objects. The quality of eyepieces that will come with that particular telescope won't be the best. A good eyepiece will make a huge difference.

That mount is garbage in my opinion. It is a cheap lightweight unstable mount. A bad wobbly mount can ruin a good night with a telescope. Even for a beginner I would not recommend any telescope on a mount like that. Like I already said, stay away from those first scope series telescopes. They are cheap and wobbly, nothing more than a headache. Those are considered cheap department store ripoffs.

do a little more research and buy form authorized dealers. Ebay isn't a place I would buy a telescope from.

Here are Celestrons Authorized Dealers.

http://www.celestron.com/c2/dealers.php

I don't see eBay on their list. Buying from unathorized dealers can be a problem with the waranty if you should ever need it..

Here is there UK dealers web site

http://www.celestron.uk.com/

There are a few things you need to consider before you purchase any telescope equipment. There are certain things that can help us help you.

However, I can tell you the most common and most unanimous recommendation for a beginner is going to be a Dobsonian. This will get you more telescope for you money. Investing your money where it will be a greater benefit for observing the night sky. Aperture! Think Dob

Whatever happened to you previous choice of a C6-N ?

This current choice is a huge step backwards compared to the C6-N

To help better prepair you for this hobby and buying a telescope, I have placed a lot of information you will want to know into a couple posts here at astronomy.com. Please take the time to read them.
I suggest you bookmark them and visit them periodically. I make periodic updates and additions to them as I see fit.

Thing you want to know before getting started with amateur astronomy and buying a telescopes.
http://www.astronomy.com/ASY/CS/forums/291288/ShowPost.aspx

You will also find more information in the above links "Intro to astronomy" and "Exploring further"

Have A Nice _________

Celestron Powerseeker 114 Reflector Telescope, waste of money or decent for beginner?

bavlondon — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 21:15:33 GMT

Hi there i was thinking of getting the above telescope:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Celestron-Powerseeker-114-Reflector-Telescope_W0QQitemZ140093970523QQihZ004QQcategoryZ3636QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Id like yout thoughts on it. Im only a beginner so dont want to spend too much money. I am interestedin seeing planets as well as perhaps some deep sky objects.

Will this be suitable for me or is this a "cheap rubbish" model. I dont mean to label it that way but ive heard some reviews saying this isnt that good even for a beginner.