Celestron 31042 AstroMaster 114 EQ Reflector Telescope
by Celestron
List Price:
Our Price: $159.99
You Save: $181.96 (53%)
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CelestronModel: 31042
Product features:
- Model Number: 31042
- Objective Lens: 114 Millimeters
- Weight: 17 Pounds
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Celestron 31042 AstroMaster 114 EQ Reflector Telescope
Customer Review: Very good bang for the buck
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this as my first telescope to explore the sky and I am VERY pleased. It's a high quality scope, and the mount and tripod are the kind you get with higher end models. Mine came with an incorrect piece, I contacted the Celestron, and I had a new piece in 3 days. Very nice service. I to had problems finding stars at first, so I went to an astronomy forum and found out the correct way to do it. From there, I haven't had a problem finding anything.
The 2 main things are 1) calibrate your finder first and 2) use the right eye piece when looking for something (this scope comes with a 10mm and a 20mm, so you would want to use the 20 to find and 10 to magnify once you found what it is your looking for). I have found Astronomy is not a hobby where you can easily learn stuff through trial and error, and most frustration comes when you try just that.
The only thing it's lacking is an eyepiece that goes to it's full magnification. I'm buying a 5mm for this, but if they included that, they would have to up the price. So all in all, this in my opinion is the best bang for the buck telescope out there for beginners on a budget!
Description of Celestron 31042 AstroMaster 114 EQ Reflector Telescope
If you're looking for a dual-purpose telescope appropriate for both terrestrial and celestial viewing, then the AstroMaster Series is for you. Each AstroMaster model is capable of giving correct views of land and sky. The AstroMaster Series produce bright, clear images of the Moon and planets. It is easy to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn with every one of these fine instruments. For views of the brighter deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae, we recommend the larger aperture and light gathering ability of the Newtonian reflectors.The AstroMaster 114 is a modified Newtonian design. Using a short focal length primary mirror and built in corrector lens, the AstroMaster 114 has an effective focal length of 40 inches (1000mm) in a tube only 18 inches long. Both eyepieces provide images that are pleasingly sharp. The 20mm eyepiece (50x magnification) nicely frames the Moon, and daylight images are sharp with plenty of contrast. The 10mm eyepiece (100x magnification) does a nice job zooming in on lunar craters or on the planets. With the 10mm eyepiece or with my own 6mm eyepiece (166x) I can clearly focus in on Saturn?s rings and pick up details like the shadow cast by the rings on the planet.
I also like the solid design of Celestron?s new CG-2 equatorial mount. With the help of Celestron?s fully illustrated quick set-up guide it took only a few minutes to assemble the equatorial mount and clamp the optical tube in place. The whole telescope is compact enough to carry outside in one trip. Aligning the telescope is a simple matter of pointing the equatorial axis at Polaris, the North Star. Then I can track the motion of stars and planets by simply turning one slow motion knob. The AstroMaster 114 EQ seems quite stable on its CG-2 mount, a little wobble while focusing damps out quickly as soon as I let go of the focus knob.
With good optics, a solid mount, two eyepieces, and fully illustrated instructions, the AstroMaster 114 EQ reflector telescope is a very good introductory telescope. The one feature that is not so easy to use is the built in star pointer, which is best suited only for finding bright objects like the Moon and planets. I can overcome the narrow field of view somewhat by using an optional 32mm plossl eyepiece while looking for deep space objects because its wider field of view makes stars and planets easier to locate. --Jeff Phillips
 Shot at 50X with Powershot camera |  Shot at 200X with NexImage camera |
 Shot at 200X with NexImage camera |  Shot at 50X with Powershot camera |
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