Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ Reflector Telescope - Reason #1 Not to Buy It - Not a True Newtonian

[@krazyhorse448]

I'm a little skeptical here, I have one and have had it for about a year and never had to collimate. I know when it comes I can do it but this little thing is my first go to for travel or little hands looking for the first time because if they mess something up it's not a great loss. If I start seeing triangles I know I have to collimate, maybe I've just been lucky. Even with a 4mm eye piece "I think max is 3.97 so 4mm" I see no aberrations. for the price it's a very good scope, It's no match to a 8" Dob but that's 4 times the price and is a lot easier to travel with and set up is seconds. I liked the vid and cheers

[@marksastrojourney]

It’s good to hear you’re having a good experience with the telescope. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same experience as you. Maybe you could post a video of your experience so viewers can hear from someone with a more positive experience - unsure if you create YT videos - but if you do it might benefit others. I’m wishing you clear skies!

[@krazyhorse448]

I'm old but I got some great shots of the Pleiades. Wish I knew how to WeChat this here and when I figure out how to do this I'll post. @@marksastrojourney Clear sky's to you too

[@krazyhorse448]

I had some fun last night, I'm a tard at best at phones. What I saw wasn't even close to what the s23 saw. I saw so much more!

[@marksastrojourney]

You could create a brief video and publish it on KZbin

[@jacekniec762]

it is very good telescope Galileo wish to have it.

[@AstroDenny]

I've looked through a few of these over the years- They've always been okay, optically speaking. Especially for the cost. I always found the eye pieces that ship with them to be the limiting factor.

[@marksastrojourney]

Thanks for sharing your experience with these Dennis!

[@martinpawlik340]

Hey Mark, couple of thoughts to your video. First of all, how do you come to the conclusion that this isn’t a newton reflector? Just because of the lens element? The focal length of your scope is 1000mm. The length of the tube is roughly 500mm. So in fact, this is a barlow lens that doubles the focal length. This is done to make the scope more compact than it would be if it was actually 1000mm long. The mount it is put on, would also not hold it very well it it were 1000mm long. You can’t see the difference between a parabolic and a spherical mirror just by looking at it. Second, according to celestron, the lens element also serves the purpose of erecting the image. So that it’s not upside down as it would be for normal astronomical telescope. Having said that, I do believe that this is a cheaply made, entry level scope. If there is one advice to give, it would be to buy a decent, not at all expensive dobsonian telescope for about 300 - 400 $ and you’re set. I would also advise, not to start out with this particular scope. But not entirely for the same reasons you give in this video.

[@marksastrojourney]

Hi Martin, I respect your opinions. However, from my understanding and what I've read this telescope is a Jones-Bird-Newtonian, not a pure Newtonian. Here's one reference that talks about the difference and there are probably others on the same topic: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtonian_telescope. You have to scroll down a little to see the details about Jones-Bird-Newtonian. I personally found this telescope was okay for viewing the moon, but not much else really.

[@jimjames4172]

Mark is correct that this telescope is not a true newtonian because of the addition of the third element. In this case, the barlow lens is used as a form of a corrector, as spherical abberation is less of a problem the slower (larger f number) telescope, as a long focal length sphere can approximate a long focal length parabola quite well. The addition of a third element makes it a bird-jones style instrument, not a true newtonian.

[@marksastrojourney]

Hi Jim, thanks for joining the conversation. It's always good to see various people weigh in on topics like this. Clear skies!

[@A0111.]

The lens inside a focuser doesn't erect the image, it's just a barlow lens. Celestron supplies this scope with 20mm erecting eyepiece that turns views right way up.

[@scasey1960]

Hey! I just bought this telescope! You have to consider price to value.

[@marksastrojourney]

Hi there, I agree that each person has to weigh the cost for what you’re getting and make a personal decision. For me this telescope led to a lot of frustration and I wanted to share my experience. I wish you the best!

[@atldon]

I made the mistake and purchased this telescope. I got rid of it and ended up purchasing a Orion Observer 130eq. The plossl eyepieces are useful, the eq mount is more sturdy and it’s easy to collimate

[@marksastrojourney]

I’m happy to hear you found a better setup and it’s working well for you! Clear skies!

[@cocotower]

I received one as a free gift from the company I retired from. Now I won't be as surprised when it arrives? Come on, guys. Does the thing see stuff in space?? Can you see Jupiter, Mars, Saturn to any degree better than your naked eye or a cheap $30 telescope? I just had a long-time astronomer friend who has supplied many images to the national news media, tell me that this is a Great beginner's telescope. He did not say it was a piece of crap or a deception. If you're expecting a certain type of mechanism or science inside the telescope then you shouldn't be buying a beginner's telescope... you're Clearly A Pro, right?

[@marksastrojourney]

I would say that mostly you will find viewing the moon to be the most enjoyable target with this telescope. The planets appear very small through an eyepiece and due to the poor optics on this telescope will be pretty blurry. The images people produce of the planets are typically based upon many very short exposures (fractions of a second) captured as video with an astro camera and then stacked/combined together. It's better to lower your expectations up front when it comes to viewing the planets through a telescope eyepiece.

[@themediaarchiver2097]

Mark you are very kind for sharing this information. Thank you. Knowing what you know now could you recommend a telescope in the $150-$199 range for a beginner?

[@marksastrojourney]

My first suggestion would be to save up around $500 so you can buy something you won’t be dissatisfied with in a short time. However, if you are truly limited to this price range, you might consider something like this one: Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Refractor Telescope. The issue with the budget telescopes/mounts is that you won’t have any tracking. If you could save up about $500, you could improve your experience with this: ZWO Seestar S50 All-in-One Smart Telescope.

[@Albert_Fetscher]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. 🙂

[@marksastrojourney]

Of course!!

[@PdxtoKabul]

I just bought from Amazon and I have to return it back. Arrived for me today. I was so excited but I couldn’t see anything….

[@marksastrojourney]

I hope you have a better experience with your next telescope!

[@christas6774]

I like watching videos like this because i do a lot of astro parties and so many new comers ask me about a good bigger scope. Im glad this is one i will not recommend.

[@marksastrojourney]

Amen to that!

[@jackfrost4033]

Is it a newton with spherical mirror and a Barlow ?

[@marksastrojourney]

based upon the published definition of a Newtonian, it would be a hybrid

[@jesuschrist2284]

Seen a lot of warning similar to this. Us noobs really appreciate them, and for your loss ;(

[@marksastrojourney]

I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@AmatureAstronomer]

You are correct. Buy a refractor. I bought a Celestron Omni 150 xlt. Great Newtonian reflector with a parabolic mirror. Too heavy for the likes of me.

[@marksastrojourney]

Thanks for sharing

[@PratyushKumarMishra-kr4gp]

@AmatureAstronomy But refractor has lenses resulting in red and blue outlines which lowers the quality 😢

[@and3583]

I got caught out with one of these, very disappointed with it. I bought a better scope a few weeks later & could've bought an even better one if I hadn't wasted money on this one. I didn't think Celestron would sell such junk!

[@marksastrojourney]

Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s helpful for anyone else thinking about buying one. Clear skies!