PowerSeeker 80EQ Refractor Telescope for Moon & Planet Viewing | Large 80mm Refractor, Bright Views of the Best Celestial Objects, Smooth Equatorial Tracking, Stable Tripod, Easy to Use

So I was in the market for an astroscope for my kids. It's been decades since I used to truck my newtonian reflector around and when I dug it out in the garage, I just didn't want to tackle the job of pulling it back from the brink and getting it into shape. I read some fairly pannish reviews of the Celestron basic scopes online, including a fairly pannish review of this one, but I went with it anyway because it seemed that the price couldn't be beaten for an 80mm refractor. I was apprehensive, but I need not have worried. Optics are great, very well aligned, very easy and smooth to focus, with very little in the way of chromatic aberration or visual defects. Got ahold of a variety of Plossl eyepieces from 26mm down to 4.x mm and have now had a chance to use all of them. Found all to be very usable. The tripod is excellent for this price and I'm not going out on a limb to say that if you had to just buy the tripod from a science shop, you'd pay more in a retail store for the tripod alone. It's well made, the fine adjustments work well and are precise and modular, and it's just generally very robust. This is a delightful beginner scope at a very, very affordable price and I really can't find anything to complain about. The reviews for this scope on hobbyist sites specifically mentioned a lackluster tripod, iffy optics, and a lackluster set of eyepieces included. I find all of these complaints to be either verrry nitpicky or just plain wrong. The kids have already spent several evenings breathlessly exploring the surface of the moon in very good detail, and we've taken a few shots through it as well with a camera phone that turned out very nicely. I guess if you're a serious hobbyist that has a $1k+ scope that you take to meet-ups or something then this may seem like an amateur piece. But if you're just a family looking to explore the sky and get excited while doing it, this fits the bill perfectly, and is a significantly better choice (IMO) than the 70mm scopes or scopes with worse tripods that will only save you $30-$50. I'd argue that this scope strikes precisely the right balance between "serious" and "affordable" for any family with a couple curious, science-minded kids ready to pick up a new hobby. Then, if they get really into it, spend 4x-10x as much later, in a few years, when they really outgrow this scope—which won't happen for a while.

I'm giving it five stars because of bang for buck. I bought it after reading Gustav Mahler review and I'm not sure I can add to that review but I will try.First it came very well boxed three times in fact. There was a instruction booklet and for me the assembly was easy. I must say at first un-packing it it did seem intimating but the pictures help (stick to the pictures) because the side RA was turn 180 out to make packing possible. There were nine easy steps. There was a screw driver left over that looked like a part I missed. (Look says screwdriver on it). I didn't need a screw driver. I suggest you do not go any tighter than you need to and that is not tight. Too tight can do damage and many people tend to over do that. Its your baby go easy. Con's - I was not happy with the finder scope. I think that could have been improved. The tripod was OK. It had points on the tips and not rubber feet. I have a Galileo tripod I use for a small 400mm-70mm scope I do bird watching with and I think I like that one better. Pro's - I like the slow motion knobs. I thought I give them a try because too often in my pass I used a short scope with high power lens on a solid base to lessen the shaking due to moving it and near by earth movement, such as trucks going by when out on a patio. Those were better for those earthy harmonics than the long tube type. But with out the slow motion cables I over come the resistance that held the scope at aim and when it broke that hold the scope would over shoot and I would be way off my target. This cable knob type may be the lesser of the two evils and it gives me power like I never had. The lens tray has a lip on it so I can just place my lens in that with there case's on. It came with two CD disks. One instructions that was good but for the Polar alignment I like U-Tube. On that CD I couldn't get into accessory to see what the dove tail fastener was met for. I think its an optional digital camera holder. The second CD ( not II ). Asked for me to download a set up soft ware and I do not down load strange exe. In short, it was like a telescope that cost twice what I paid. That and reviews is what drives Amazon I think... IMPORTANT... This is a heavy scope with lots of cast iron to it. 18 Lps. It is a bad boy so if your female (like me) or not up to moving that weight, it may not be for you. I plan to back-pack the counter weight & my lens if I'm going too far with it. I wouldn't want a scope any more heavy than this. There you have it. Not sure I did better than the Gustav Mahler review. He is right, optics are great. Five stars. I can't believe I got a scope this good for this cost. I have four telescopes now. This one is the power house but I still in-joy the others. They have there place.

After owning the telescope for a few months and getting some adapters for my camera, I can say it works as advertised. As posted above you can get some decent pictures out of it and its fairly easy to use and set up. The tripod that comes with it (the German Equatorial tripod) works well but for me, the extended use has seemed to have loosened up the mount to the point where it doesn't want to stay tight despite how tight I get the thumb screw. A minor annoyance but it doesn't hurt the performance of the scope, I just have to be more aware of the camera I attach to it and move it gingerly otherwise it'll flop to one side or another. The biggest con to this set up really is solely with the tripod, when focusing the telescope the mount and tripod shake a good bit often times making it difficult to focus on an object at night. The telescope also works well in the day, when bird/wildlife watching. It is cumbersome to move around a lot but it's far lighter than some of the more pro set ups so I'll chalk that up as a pro. the eye pieces that come with it work well, but I would recommend buying a variety of sizes and magnification. I would recommend this to someone just getting into astronomy or astrophotography as a light hobby, easy to use, easy to set up and easier on the wallet than some other options out there.

Terrific beginner scope for adults or families that can teach older children it's use. A little more complicated to use the Equatorial mount than a simpler alt-az mount but necessary to learn how to find faint objects using the North Star polar aligned mount and star maps. The 80 mm objective lens is a good size for the money and provides good clear sharp images from stunning views of the moon and some planets to nebulla. If you are a beginner, don't be overwhelmed by the appearance and instructions for polar aligning and use of the mount. It's very much worth the effort to learn. I recommend YOUTUBE videos on use of Equatorial mounts. I found Dean Fuller's video too fast but very good and after just a couple of repeated views was an old hat at using the telescope as this was my first Equatorial mount. The eyepieces are very good and I chose to buy a 2x Barlow lens to replace the supplied 3x Barlow lens. The finder scope is a challenge to align and use as it seems to be too close to the tube and difficult to hold a solid alignment. I bought a better finder scope and it works out much better and holds alignment between uses. An issue occurred with the mount still under warranty and I received dependable, fast, rock solid, exemplary service. I also have another Celestron; an Astromaster 130EQ Reflector with similar excellent image clarity. I managed to observe the Cassini divide in the rings of Saturn and the red spot and bands of Jupiter and four moons during moments of atmospheric stability on a good viewing night with the 80 EQ.

Amazing telescope for the money. I purchased it, not knowing fully what to expect because I am new to astronomy. The pictures that people have posted are totally accurate. I was able to zoom into the moon and see tons of details. On my first attempt I was also able to see Jupitor with slight stripes and it's moons! Super cool stuff. I am still very new to it but I did purchase a lens and filter kit and the lenses that came with the new kit are much nicer than what comes with the scope. However the 20mm lens that comes with the scope is great for the moon and seeing groups of stars. I didn't fully understand how huge this scope is, I actually purchased it to put in my camper, but we will make it work. The stand seems sturdy enough for the scope and has lots of little adjusters that help keep things in the field of view since the stars move across the sky pretty quick. When you are zoomed in it shakes quite a bit so you have to be careful. I don't know much about other stands to know how the others are. Update! So I only had this scope for 2 weeks before deciding I wanted to upgrade. The scope was great, but wanted something smaller that would be better for traveling. Got a SE4, stars and things look the same as they did with the 80EQ but I will say the mount is much better on the SE4. It doesn't wobble as much and is much easier to focus -- but at over 2x's the price the 80EQ is a great value.

I recently purchased this telescope to get a better look at the stars. This was my first telescope so I wasn't sure what to expect. I love this telescope. Before owning this scope I was an avid sky gazer with the naked eye and wanted a telescope to get a better view. Since day one of recieving this scope I have lost sleep viewing the stars all night. So far I've been able to view the crescent phase of venus, the white bright star vega, the orangish red capella, Jupiter with its 4 moons (you can faintly make out Jupiters bands with a good eye), a brilliant sirius, the reddish betelguese, the pleades, the orion nebula, spica, rigel, procyon, pollux,etc. The scopes tripod is very sturdy in my opinion. Once you understand how to use the equitorial mount to lock in what your viewing, the viewing becomes even better. The 20mm eye piece is awesome. Great crisp images that bring out the color & luminosity of stars. The 4mm eye piece is ok and is great to get a more magnified view of things like Jupiters band or the craters on the moon. The 2x barlow lens is useless. This is a great scope for the money and I plan on using this for many years to come before moving on to a more advance (expensive) telescope.

As far as the telescope is concerned, it is fantastic, well built and great quality. The finder scope is cheap and doesn't stay accurate at all, had to buy an additional finder scope. Now for the mount... This mount is utter trash, I suppose you get what you pay for in this case. When I got mine, the RA didn't budge, it took a whole lot of WD40 to get it to work, then the Dec froze up randomly too and is still in the process of being fixed. The locks also don't do their job (locking). I suppose for an entry level telescope it is adequate but if you're looking for something reliable and hassle free. Don't get an EQ-2 mount.

This is a perfect scope for the price range! The whole assembly is moderately heavy. The tripod legs are not very rigid but if you tighten the top screws it will help alot. My first order had to be replaced due to several metal shavings on the back side of the objective lens. I was impressed at first untill i saw the shavings, but i must say my replacement has cured the negativity i had towards the product. The eq mount is solid and tracks very good at 180x magnification. The replacement came quickly and seems to not have any major issues. Rest assured Amazon Customer service has you covered if you have problems. Other than the metal shavings causing distortion in my original order; the replacement seems to be great. Do yourself a favor if you order this and purchase the astromaster accessory kit. The astromaster kit works with this scope and is well worth $50. I also suggest getting a sighting compass (brunton9077) it will really help with polar alignment. This product is capable of showing jupiter quite well and several nebula. Although nothing like the photos most of us see on tv you will still be stunned by the beauty it can reveal. I would not recommend this for anyone under 13 years old. Don't be shy about an eq mounted telesope, the standard manual has enough info to get you accustomed to it. You also get wonderful software with this and it very well could replace the need of buying star charts. The included eye pieces and accessories are of medium low quality but are fine for planet viewing. The 4mm alone is more than enough for this scope @ 225x it will give good veiws of planet and nebulas. Also the astromaster kit comes with color filters that really help contrast the cloud bands of jupiter and the outer rings of saturn. This product would make a teen or adult an awsome holiday present.

With this one you can get nice views of moon. I didn’t try to look farther. Hope Saturn will look fine

Excelente para principiantes, facil de montar y usar.

Recomendo

Compré siendo principiante en la astronomía. Vivo en una zona concurrida, con contaminación lumínica y de aire. Esto no detuvo al telescopio pues logré ver sin mucho problema Venus, muy brillante. Jupiter, Saturno y Marte igual bien con sus colores. Para observar la Luna también resultó genial. El lente que trae de 20mm es de muy buena calidad y en verdad los planetas se ven geniales. El lente de 4mm ya no tanto, recomiendo comprar uno mejor. La montura ecuatorial es perfecta y resistente

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