Celestron Firstscope 114EQ 114mm Reflector Telescope
by Celestron
(Click here)
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CelestronProduct features:
- Manual slow-motion controls
- Newtonian reflector optics
- 900mm focal length
- Comes with adjustable aluminum tripod
- 227.5x maximum magnification
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Celestron Firstscope 114EQ 114mm Reflector Telescope
Customer Review: good beginner scope
Summary: 4 Stars
I originally bought this scope to give me something to watch the sky with while building my 14 inch scope hehe. I think it's a fantastic scope for the price if you know what your expectations are. It's a great scope for a beginner, because it's light , easy to transport and set-up which means that you'll use it often. What's the point of getting a monster scope if it'll end up sitting in the closet because it's just too painfull to have to lug it outside and set it up. With that scope you'll see all the planets and all the messier objects and it'll keep you busy for years. Don't expect to see Hubble type pictures though. All you 'll see is faint fuzzy glows. But that's the case with all small scopes.Optics: the optics are good. Star images are clean with no major defects. Collimation is easy and the primary stays well collimated through all the abuse you can think of. You'll have to adjust the secondary often though due to the single-stalk spider. The focuser is nice and stable and the knobs are big enough to give you good control. The supplied eyepieces are ok. Not spectacular. I recommend you get the accessory kit at the same time, becuase it's discounted when you get it with the scope. It contains 5 eyepieces plus a barlow and all the planetary filters, which is a real bargain
Mount: the mount is good and very stable. The fine controls barely induce any vibration even at high magnification. The mechanism for the declination control is a little flimsy, since it consist of a screw pushing against a metal block. The setting circles are useful to get the scope pointed approximatively in the right direction, but you still have to exactly align the scope by eye with your target. Don't expect to be able to dial in the coordinates of an object and voila. The only part where you get a lot of vibrations is if you touch the focuser. That can make focusing at high magnifications a little tricky, but even the worst vibrations die down after a few seconds. The only thing I have issue with is the azimuth adjustemnt of the polar axis. The lock screw will move the axis just slightly when you tighten it, so that to get good polar alignment you have to overshoot a little to compensate for the shift caused by tightening the lock screw. Let me point out that this is a minor annoyance only and that overall this is a great mount for that price
Performance: So how good is this scope? I put it to the test in my back-yard in light polluted Los Angeles. Here's a sample: during this year's opposition (2003) I was able to easily make out the polar caps of mars and glimpse some surface feature (300x). I've split close double stars (2 arcseconds separation), and the ring nebula (M57) is definitively a ring. Stars have colors. Based on performance, this scope will keep you happy.
who is this scope for?: this scope is ideal for a beginner who isn't sure about astronomy and wants to get a scope to check out whether or not he/she would like the hobby without breaking the bank. The main problem used to be that beginners would want to get cheap scopes so as to not have a very expensive coat rack but would end up getting such low quality that their dissapointing experiences would turn them away from the hobby. This scope is definitively an exception since it has superb quality for the price.
Description of Celestron Firstscope 114EQ 114mm Reflector Telescope
The Celestron Firstscope 114 EQ is a Newtonian reflector telescope packaged with two eyepieces and a sturdy equatorial mount. Invented by Sir Isaac Newton, reflector telescopes provide more light gathering power per dollar than any other telescope design. The Firstscope 114 EQ, with 114mm (4.5 inches) of aperture, provides images that are twice as bright as 80mm telescopes, and more than three times brighter than 60mm beginner scopes.
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| The Firstscope 114 EQ features a classic Newtonian reflector design. |
The Firstscope 114 EQ, like any Newtonian reflector, is a telescope that rewards patience. The mirrors in the Firstscope 114 EQ may need to be aligned or "collimated" from time to time--I find the Celestron Collimation Eyepiece helps get this fine-tuning just right--but the reward is sharp images of the planets even when using the 4mm eyepiece in Celestron's optional accessory kit for a magnification of 225x. The CG3 equatorial mount can be equipped with an optional #93515 motor drive to track the planets at high power, although I find that manual tracking with the standard slow motion controls works pretty well up to magnifications of 120x or so. You'll want some star charts to help find your way around the sky, I like the monthly star charts in Night Sky magazine because they help to find the planets as well as stars and galaxies. --Jeff Phillips
Pros:
- Reflector design good value
- Pleasing detail on brighter star clusters and galaxies
- Optics may need occasional fine-tuning
- Terrestrial images appear upside-down
The Firstscope 114 EQ is a high quality, economical telescope with superb optical systems housed in a glossy black metal tube. The equatorial mounts are quite stable, with setting circles and slow motion controls on both axes for easy, smooth tracking. Strict adherence to Celestron's tough quality standards for manufacturing, assembly and testing ensures that each telescope performs well.
The 114mm (4.5 inch) Newtonian equatorial telescope is the most popular size telescope for the more serious beginning or intermediate level astronomy enthusiast, and for good reason. The large light gathering power of this 4.5 inch telescope makes it ideal for deep-sky observation of galaxies, star clusters and nebulae, as well as lunar and planetary observing. This makes for a very useful and versatile instrument that can take an observer from the very first time looking through a telescope's eyepiece, through years of observing interesting subjects near and far in the night sky.
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Firstscope 114 EQ Specifications:
- 114mm (4.5") Aperture
- Focal Length of 900mm
- Focal Ratio of f/8
- Weighs: 19 Lbs.
- Two 1.25 inch Eyepieces: 20mm MA Eyepiece (45x), 10mm MA Eyepiece (90x)
- 1.25 inch Focuser with .96 inch Adapter
- Star Pointer Finderscope
- Sturdy, Adjustable Aluminum Tripod with Accessory Tray
Moon viewing 101
The moon is often one of the first celestial objects a beginner will look at through his or her telescope. Here are a couple hints for you once you get your hands on your new 114 EQ.
Often, it is tempting to look at the Moon when it is full. At this time, the face we see is fully illuminated and its light can be overpowering. In addition, little or no contrast can be seen during this phase. One of the best times to observe the Moon is during its partial phases (around the time of first or third quarter). Long shadows reveal a great amount of detail on the lunar surface. At low power you will be able to see most of the lunar disk at one time. The optional Reducer/Corrector lens allows for breath-taking views of the entire lunar disk when used with a low power eyepiece. Change to higher power (magnification) to focus in on a smaller area. Choose the lunar tracking rate from the NexStar's MENU tracking rate options to keep the moon centered in the eyepiece even at high magnifications.
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