Celestron Astromaster 114eq vs Celestron PowerSeeker 60AZ

[mjch96]

I am a beginner at stargazing, and am planning to buy my first telescope after two months of observing with binoculars. I found am astronony shop near me that sells celestron telescopes and have narrowed it down to those two.

Astromaster seems better but is more expensive, so i need your advice, is the asteomaster worth the money?

Those are some of the specifications:

Astromaster: 240$

Optical Design Newtonian Reflector Aperture (mm) 114 mm (4.49 in) Focal Length 1000 mm (39 in) Focal Ratio 8.77 Focal Length of Eyepiece 1 (mm) 20 mm (0.79 in) Magnification of Eyepiece 1 50 x Focal Length of Eyepiece 2 (mm) 10 mm (0.39 in) Magnification of Eyepiece 2 100 x Finderscope Built-on StarPointer Mount Type CG-2 Equatorial Tripod 1.25" steel tube legs Highest Useful Magnification 269 x Lowest Useful Magnification 16 x Limiting Stellar Magnitude 12.8 Resolution (Rayleigh) 1.22 arc seconds Resolution (Dawes) 1.02 arc seconds Light Gathering Power (Compared to human eye) 265 x Apparent Field of View 1 ° Linear Field of View (@1000 yds) 53 ft (16 m) Optical Coatings Aluminum Optical Tube Length 18 in (457 mm)

Powerseeker: 85$

 

Optical Design Refractor Aperture (mm) 60 mm (2.36 in) Focal Length 700 mm (28 in) Focal Ratio 12 Focal Length of Eyepiece 1 (mm) 20 mm (0.79 in) Magnification of Eyepiece 1 35 x Focal Length of Eyepiece 2 (mm) 4 mm (0.16 in) Magnification of Eyepiece 2 175 x Barlow Lens 3 x Finderscope 5x24 Star Diagonal 1.25" Erect Image Diagonal Mount Type Altazimuth Accessory Tray No-Tool Tray with Eyepiece holder Tripod Aluminum Highest Useful Magnification 142 x Lowest Useful Magnification 8.57 x Limiting Stellar Magnitude 11.4 Resolution (Rayleigh) 2.32 arc seconds Resolution (Dawes) 1.93 arc seconds Light Gathering Power (Compared to human eye) 73 x Apparent Field of View 1.2 ° Linear Field of View (@1000 yds) 61 ft (19 m) Optical Coatings Fully-Coated Optical Tube Length 28 in (711 mm) Total Telescope Kit Weight 7 lbs (3.18 kg)

[Jepjep]

I'll go with the astromaster because it is more powerful than the 60AZ but let's wait for other to reply

[thekio]

imo the money ud spend on the 114mm, u could get the same scope as me if u shop around abit, i was goin to get the astromaster 114, but decided to put an extra bit of money into it & opted for a 130mm skywatcher eq2, i read countless reviews & came to the assumtion that itd be better value on my budget to get the 130mm SW explorer, i found it for like £25 more expensive than the 114mm & from what ive experienced, its a well built scope that performs well overall..but it depends on how n what ull use it for...if u want to take it out & about fairly easily, go for smaller, if like me its kept in the same place, go for bigger lol...but out of the 2 u specified, idve gone with the 114, based on apature & focal length, but again imo the 114 & my 130 are very similar, in terms of build quality, but more apature is always a gd thing & a focal of 900mm its sort of in the middle of both of ur suggestions...114mm ftw but would defo recommend the 130mm for that little bit extra, ive not been disappointed yet

[Putaendo Patrick]

First, a question that may be very stupid! Do you live in Lebanon, the country, or in Lebanon, a city in the USA? If the former, I imagine the offer of telescopes is more limited and more expensive. If the latter, I think you could find better telescopes and deals.

As a general rule, aperture (the diameter of the tube) is important in a good telescope. It allows better views and magnifications. Thus, the 114mm Astromaster has almost double the aperture of the 60mm Powerseeker - and this is a significant diference!

At US$240, the Astromaster is expensive. For example, here's the same telescope for $194:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/485278-REG/Celestron_31042_AstroMaster_114_EQ_4_4_114mm.html

And for $230, the same company offers the 130mm Astromaster - essentially the same telescope, but with a bigger 130mm aperture, so better!

There is one detail, however, in many of Celestron's Astromaster and Powerseeker reflector telescopes (these use mirrors not a lenses). They are short length telescope tubes which use an internal magnifier to achieve a longer focal length - a feature known as the Jones-Bird design. Some astronomers dislike this feature, although many beginners aren't worried in the least!

Another minus for reasonably inexpensive telescopes mounted on tripods, is that these are not very stable. Ideally you want a rock solid platform for your scope, and these tend to shake quite a bit!

If you can stretch to about $270 - 300, then there is another option which most astronomers would consider to be the best value for your money. This is a 150mm reflector on a Dobsonian mount - these are very simple to set up and use. The aperture gives much better performance, and is a serious telescope which can provide many years of entertainment!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1141699-REG/sky_watcher_s11600_6_traditional_dobsonian.html

[happy-kat]

Firstly how long is the tube on the 114?

You write it has a focal length of 1000mm but is the tube only around 400mm long?

If so it is a Jones-Bird design mentioned above.

[Cornelius Varley]

Firstly how long is the tube on the 114?

You write it has a focal length of 1000mm but is the tube only around 400mm long?

If so it is a Jones-Bird design mentioned above.

The Astromaster is a Bird-Jones.

[capncurt86]

I'm new here too. I'm not sure if you are dead set on purchasing from a local store vs online, because online you deff find better pricing. I am looking at a bunch from $100 to $150 and may be looking closer to $200. I found the Celestron Astromaster 114eq for $159 and 130eq for $199. The 130 I'm pretty sure is not a bird jones design. I also found the Celestron Astromaster 80eq and 90eq refractors for $115 and $199 respectively.

I'm still trying to figure out which is the best, so I have no opinion, but there are other options in that price range to consider.

[mjch96]

First, a question that may be very stupid! Do you live in Lebanon, the country, or in Lebanon, a city in the USA? If the former, I imagine the offer of telescopes is more limited and more expensive. If the latter, I think you could find better telescopes and deals.

Sadly, I live in lebanon the country and like you memtioned my choice is very limited. Till now i have found only one astronomy shop that i can reach and it only sells celstron telescopes. Thanks for the suggestions though i will look them out.

[mjch96]

I'm new here too. I'm not sure if you are dead set on purchasing from a local store vs online, because online you deff find better pricing. I am looking at a bunch from $100 to $150 and may be looking closer to $200. I found the Celestron Astromaster 114eq for $159 and 130eq for $199. The 130 I'm pretty sure is not a bird jones design. I also found the Celestron Astromaster 80eq and 90eq refractors for $115 and $199 respectively.

I'm still trying to figure out which is the best, so I have no opinion, but there are other options in that price range to consider.

Buying online is not easy for me since most websites don't ship to lebanon (the country) or ship for a very high price. If you have the name of a website that you know ships there i'll be glad to have it.

[Putaendo Patrick]

You might contact the Lebanese Astronomy Group, if they are still active:

https://sites.google.com/site/lebaneseastronomygroup/home

Some of their members may be able to suggest other options for buying or importing telescopes in Lebanon.