The PowerSeeker 70EQ telescope from Celestron is an equatorial mount telescope designed to provide clear, up-close views of celestial objects for beginning astronomers. Its low price combined with excellent optics, easy assembly, clear instructions, included eyepieces and other features that make it easy to use even for beginners, make it an excellent choice for anyone wanting to learn more about the nighttime sky or wanting to introduce their children to astronomy.
Product Specs
The PowerSeeker’s features show it to be a solid telescope for casual and beginning astronomers. Despite its low price, the PowerSeeker offers specs that belie this low price and promise clear images and lots of magnification in order to enhance one’s view of the nighttime sky. Following are a few of its most important features:
• Aperture: 2.76 in. (70mm)
• Focal length: 700mm (28 in.)
• Dimensions: 39in. X 13in. X 10in.
• Weight: About 20 lb.
• Focal ratio: 10
• Highest useful magnification: 165x
• Lowest useful magnification: 10x
• Limiting stellar magnitude: 11.7
• Mount: Equatorial
• Optical coatings: Fully coated
Celestron PowerSeeker 70EQ Review
The PowerSeeker from Celestron is designed to offer exceptional optics for a beginner telescope. To this end, the scope has been designed with erect image optics that allow the image to displayed in the upward position, allowing for easier astronomical AND terrestrial viewing. In addition, the PowerSeeker comes with a 3X Barlow lens that triples the magnification of the lenses for a clearer view. Reviewers report that the Barlow, though occasionally difficult to use, works extremely well when properly utilized.
Other features that improve the views possible through the PowerSeeker include fully coated optics, meaning that at least one lens in the telescope has been coated with multiple layers of substances designed to capture and focus the light that goes through the lens. The result is that the light is not as dispersed as it goes through the lens, and therefore provides a sharper image than would otherwise be possible. Reviewers report that the telescope lives up to its claims of solid optics. In fact, most of them find that they are pleasantly surprised by the sharpness and clarity of the images they obtain with this scope, images which include the craters of the moon, Jupiter’s moons, and the rings around Saturn. The addition of two eyepieces to the scope’s package make it even easier to achieve excellent images, without having to purchase extra accessories in order to enjoy strong magnification and clear views of the objects you wish to see.
In addition to stunning images, the PowerSeeker is easy to use, even for beginning astronomers. For instance, the scope comes with an equatorial mount that improves the user’s ability to track and remain focused on the object they wish to view. In addition, the scope is very easy to set up, because it requires no tools and comes with instructions that reviewers report are very clear and easy to follow. As a result, the scope can be set up in a matter of minutes, regardless of whether or not the owner has technical knowledge or prior experience assembling a telescope.
In addition to ease of set up and tracking, this telescope also offers beginners a finder scope and software that simplifies the process of locating celestial objects. For instance, the software provides coordinates for major celestial objects, while the finder scope makes it easier to actually locate and focus on those objects. In general, reviewers find that the many features that enhance the PowerSeeker’s ease of use, combined with its good optics, make it an excellent value.
Finally, the PowerSeeker comes with a camera attachment that allows the user to take photographs of the objects being viewed. Reviewers report that the attachment works well and that they are able to successfully garner photos of the nighttime sky using the telescope and one of their own cameras.
Beginners do not have to sacrifice quality to get an affordable and easy to use telescope. Instead, they can enjoy a scope that is easy to set up, easy to use and that offers incredible views of the nighttime sky through the PowerSeeker from Celestron. This scope’s many features work together to make it a satisfying and fun tool to use to enjoy the nighttime sky without breaking the bank.