Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ Reflector Telescope - Reason #10 Not to Buy It - Optional Stepper Motor

[@tomtom7963]

Hi Mark ! Thanks a lot for all the 10 videos. I purchased this model about 6-7 years ago, gave it a try and saw nothing but the moon, due to my lack of experience. A few weeks ago I decided to give it a new try, but this time I am researching more about it. I know it’s going to be challenging, but I like challenges and your videos will help me to figure out new ways to enjoy this hobby the best possible way before moving on to a new step. Keep going with your channel 👏👏👏

[@marksastrojourney]

I’m glad you enjoyed the videos! The best result I found (although still not great) was when I put this telescope on my iOptron Gem28 goto mount. I still found the optics quality was lacking and the moon was really the only target I could get a decent image on. Wishing you clear skies! By the way, regarding the channel: what topics would you like to see in my KZbin videos? Hardly anyone gives such feedback and it would be helpful to hear.

[@tomtom7963]

@@marksastrojourney Thanks for your input. Regarding topics for your channel, it would be great to see videos about different stargazing softwares / apps, also how to pick a good place for stargazing, criteria to pick a telescope that meets expectations / budget and so on. A very important one: maintenance. Thanks for asking.

[@marksastrojourney]

Thanks for sharing some good ideas for video topics!

[@mcgrath16511]

Ok I have commented on a couple of your previous videos,, I own this same unit, got it second handed, did the collimation. was not that big of a deal,, stated how i fixed the "wobbly base", it came with upgraded eyepieces,, also had the red dot finder on it,,as for the RA motor, i have had zero issues with mine,, once setup, it locks on! Its not that expensive new, and no matter what telescope you or anyone decides to purchase, you are going to set it up "your way".

[@marksastrojourney]

Since you’ve had such great success with this telescope, perhaps you could publish a KZbin video to share the astrophotography photos you’ve taken with it or your tips and tricks for enjoying the visual astronomy hobby with this unit. That way your voice/experience as a proponent can also be heard by others. Wishing you clear skies!

[@fermoCR]

I have an older version of this telescope (the old gray one) and while it shares the main flaws, I was able to get in in decent shape, however I can definitely see a decline in the quality produced by Celestron for this beginners telescope. I share your pain and while I made it work decently after many upgrades: DONT BUY THIS one. This is a hobby killer. Thank you sir!

[@marksastrojourney]

It’s great to hear the experience of other people who bought this or a similar model! I too tried several upgrades (I alluded to some of those in the 10 videos), but started feeling like I was throwing good money at bad money. Clear skies!

[@fermoCR]

@@marksastrojourney yep definite waste of time. This will only make most beginners quit. I'll take any 8 inch Dob any day of the week as a beginner.

[@AmatureAstronomer]

When I got into this hobby in August 2023, I had a $300 budget. I had ever owned a telescope or a camera, before. I wanted to take celestial photos. I read a of of reviews and watched a lot of videos. Every body and his brother told me to buy a Dobsonian and aperture was king. So, I bought a First Light 10" Dobsonian. I am elderly and feeble and could not drag it into my back garden, so I gave it to a friend.

[@marksastrojourney]

It’s a shame it didn’t work out for you following the suggestions you received. I wonder if you could join a local astronomy club and attend some of their viewing events. They setup the equipment and you wouldn’t have to deal with the physical labor involved and could just enjoy the hobby. I hope you find an alternate way to pursue it! I’ve also heard you can rent time to shared telescopes online, but I haven’t looked into the costs involved.

[@AmatureAstronomer]

@@marksastrojourney I now have 11 optical tubes. Am having a lot of fun. I use my Sky Watcher AZ GTi go to mount, my Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi go to mount or my Celestron CG-4 mount with an added Astro-Gadget go to conversion kit. Am taking a lot of pretty good celestial photos. I have watched your 10 point series and have been really tempted to buy a Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ Reflector Telescope for some time, now. Sounds like a challenge.

[@marksastrojourney]

It's great to hear you worked out some equipment options that are getting you good results and making the hobby enjoyable! Regarding the 127EQ, these are always personal decisions and one chooses what works best for them/their budget. I even tried putting the 127EQ on my goto mount later on instead of the not so great tripod/mount that it came with. However, I was still never very impressed with the image quality. I did read that some other models of Celestron reflector telescopes have a higher quality primary reflector mirror without the aberrations. It might be helpful to look at the other models and verify that the optics are good. In the end, I boxed it up in the original packaging and donated it to the local GoodWill store.

[@oetm6823]

Ooo another question, on this kind of telescopes without polar finder on the mount ( obviously) how you align with polar?????

[@marksastrojourney]

If you’re just doing visual astronomy, you could use a compass to orient the telescope to the north and also make sure the mount is level. However, Polaris is not exactly North dead on. At my house, I align to 353 degrees to get a rough starting alignment. If you had a go to mount, drift alignment would be another option. If you’re tracking a star and you have to adjust both declination and right ascension to keep it in your field of view, the polar alignment is off. However, if you only have to adjust one to keep the star in your field of view as it tracks across the sky, your polar alignment is pretty close.