Celestron 21044 76mm PowerSeeker Telescope
by Celestron
(Click here)
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CelestronModel: 21044
Product features:
- Affordable telescope for beginning astronomer; portable yet powerful
- All-glass optical components with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brighness and clarity
- Newtonian optical design with a 76mm aperture and 700mm focal length
- Altazimuth mount suitable for terrestial viewing as well as astronomical use
- Includes 3x Barlow Lens (1.25"), 20mm eyepiece, 4mm eyepiece, aluminum tripod with accessory tray
- AmazonBasics Universal Camera Case for Digital Cameras HF (Black)
- Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 [OLD VERSION]
- Corel Photo & Video Pro X3 Bundle [Old Version]
- AmazonBasics Camcorder/Camera Bag with Shoulder Strap (Black)
- Celestron Sky Maps (Plastic Comb)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Celestron 21044 76mm PowerSeeker Telescope
Customer Review: Run Away from this Scope!
Summary: 1 Stars
This scope is not a good starter scope for anyone interested in astronomy. Here's why:
1. The objective is too small, only 76 mm, 3.0 inches, so it is too small to bring in the light necessary for even a beginning look at the universe. I suppose it is marginally adequate for the moon, but that is it. The planets will appear as very small disks. One will be able to see Saturn's rings, but the image will be very small. Forget it for deep sky objects, clusters, galaxies, etc.
2. The mount is a cheap one and will frustrate rather than aid the viewing. A better mount is an equatorial mount which makes it much easier to track objects.
3. The 4mm eyepiece is too powerful for this scope. The observer will find it hard to look through (very small eye opening), and will in most cases cause blurred images. The 20 mm eyepiece is the only functional eyepiece. The barlow is a 3x, which again is too powerful for this scope.
Even for the low price, don't be enticed by this scope; it has too many flaws. Save your money for a larger scope with a better mount.
Jim "Konedog" Koenig, astronomy buff
Description of Celestron 21044 76mm PowerSeeker Telescope
The PowerSeekers come in a choice of refractor or reflector, equatorial or altazimuth mount design. The PowerSeekers come with all coated glass optical components with for enhanced image brightness and clarity. The Newtonian reflectors offer larger aperture and greater light gathering power needed to resolve the faint detail of hundreds of deep-sky and other celestial objects.Celestron's value priced PowerSeeker 76 telescope uses a Newtonian optical system to gather up to 60 percent more starlight than popular 60mm starter scopes. The package includes an adjustable Alt-Azimuth tripod, a Kellner type K20 eyepiece, a Ramsden type SR4 eyepiece, a 3x barlow lens, and a 5x24 cross-hair finder scope.
Using mirrors instead of lenses, the Powerseeker's Newtonian reflector design produces images that are noticeably sharper and brighter than 60mm refractors. With the SR4 eyepiece (175x), I can make out all four stars of the famous double-double star E-Lyrae, but a 60mm refractor only shows me two tiny figure-eights. When I look a the Double Cluster in Perseus with the K20 eyepiece on a moonless night, the image is bright enough to show me dozens of individual stars. The reflector design shows pure colors, without the false color or blue fringing I see in low cost refractors. Looking at the double star Gamma Andromeda, for instance, the primary star shines yellow-gold while the secondary is pale blue.
The Powerseeker 76 arrived neatly packaged in a compact box. When I assembled the telescope, though, I got the impression it needed another washer here and there: the tripod legs seemed a little too wide to fit the tripod head, the slow motion control rod seemed a little too tight. The assembled telescope turns out to be quite stable; I like to use it with the legs kept short. Since the eyepiece is near the top of the tube, the eyepiece height is very comfortable for a seated adult. Even at 175x magnification with the SR4 eyepiece, the view is steady enough that I have no trouble focusing.
There's no doubt this is a bargain priced telescope with good optical performance. I'd like it even better if it came with a K10 eyepiece instead of the 3x barlow, and it would be nice to have a better finder scope and a more rugged mount. Orion's Spaceprobe 3 Altaz is a similar telescope with more accessories included. ?Jeff Phillips
Pros:
- Low cost
- Good optics
- Small aperture
- Some parts don't fit well
- Plastic barlow and finder
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