Celestron 80AZS PowerSeeker Telescope

We tend to go out to visit places in our country and abroad, but with this minimum budget telescope we get a chance to go out to look far out the celestial bodies like planets, moons, stars and even galaxies (in pure dark area away from city lights). It gives a satisfaction to realize the fact (from imagination) that we're part of the solar system its its been running seamlessly for millions of years. If you look at planets, you'll also realize that we're so small and our problems we think we have in life is nothing when compared to whole universe. This is a best telescope, I have seen moon, Jupiter, Saturn (including rings), Venus, Mars. Very easy to use this telescope for spotting a planet (finderscope) and focusing. The only discomfort I've observed is that when ... MoreWe tend to go out to visit places in our country and abroad, but with this minimum budget telescope we get a chance to go out to look far out the celestial bodies like planets, moons, stars and even galaxies (in pure dark area away from city lights). It gives a satisfaction to realize the fact (from imagination) that we're part of the solar system its its been running seamlessly for millions of years. If you look at planets, you'll also realize that we're so small and our problems we think we have in life is nothing when compared to whole universe. This is a best telescope, I have seen moon, Jupiter, Saturn (including rings), Venus, Mars. Very easy to use this telescope for spotting a planet (finderscope) and focusing. The only discomfort I've observed is that when the object keep moving, the slow motion adjustable rod which is used to navigate the object up/down. this is not smooth as like focusing. But manageable. Also moving the object left/right is also not that smooth/minute. Rotating the Altazimuth mount is smooth, but not that minute to navigate the object left to right. Once you practice it for 3 to 4 times, you'll be used to it, so it is not at all a showstopper. It's hard to take a photo of what you see in viewfinder using mobile phone. Luckily with few tricks, got a snap of moon and planet Jupiter, please refer uploaded here.

I bought this telescope in order to see the moon, I have heard that other people with better skills have managed to see other planets but I have no way to confirm it, what I can say is that if you bought this telescope with the same objective as the mine, this is a good option, it is easy to manipulate, to use the devices it has you do not need much experience, in addition to assembling it was not difficult at all, with respect to the different lenses it has, it has four in total, one of 20 mm, which is what I recommend using since the clarity that can be achieved with that lens is the best, then there is the 4 mm, which I do not recommend very much since with this one things look more blurry compared to the 4 mm lens. 20 mm, and the last one is a lens that allows ... MoreI bought this telescope in order to see the moon, I have heard that other people with better skills have managed to see other planets but I have no way to confirm it, what I can say is that if you bought this telescope with the same objective as the mine, this is a good option, it is easy to manipulate, to use the devices it has you do not need much experience, in addition to assembling it was not difficult at all, with respect to the different lenses it has, it has four in total, one of 20 mm, which is what I recommend using since the clarity that can be achieved with that lens is the best, then there is the 4 mm, which I do not recommend very much since with this one things look more blurry compared to the 4 mm lens. 20 mm, and the last one is a lens that allows you to see things multiplied by On the contrary, it sounds strange, but telescopes work like this, to see the moon this is not a problem but if you want to see something on the surface the telescope has another lens that is at 90° in which you can put three of the lenses that I mentioned a moment ago, and observe things as we see them with our eyes. I know this was a very long review but I tried to cover all aspects of the telescope. I forgot something, I took the reference photo with the 20mm lens and it has a little editing but it's not very different from how it looks when you look at it, in fact it looks much better.

This is my first time using a telescope. I got the Powerseeker 80az refractor. It was easy to put together and use. It’s very lightweight. The eyepieces are pretty cheap but I’m going to upgrade them and the Mount doesn’t hold in place great especially if you are trying to take pictures. This would be an easy one for any person just starting out and for children interested in astronomy. Overall I really like it to learn on. I took these pictures of the moon and they have been edited for definition and clarity but I think they turned out pretty well.

I was disappointed at first, after viewing terrestrial objects (looks blurry). I was looking at an antenna on top of mountain and it looked really bad. Not clear at all. But decided to look at the moon before returning it. The moon looks amazing! I can see the craters! Just go on internet and look for a moon phase calendar website to see when moon will be rising (in my city, moon rose 20 min after moon rise time because there's mountains). I don't use finderscope because for one thing, it's hard to calibrate it for it to be accurate. When I want to see the moon, I just point telescope towards moon by getting behind telescope, looking up the tube and pointing it at moon. It's tricky to focus without GEM (German Equatorial Mount) but for someone looking for an ... MoreI was disappointed at first, after viewing terrestrial objects (looks blurry). I was looking at an antenna on top of mountain and it looked really bad. Not clear at all. But decided to look at the moon before returning it. The moon looks amazing! I can see the craters! Just go on internet and look for a moon phase calendar website to see when moon will be rising (in my city, moon rose 20 min after moon rise time because there's mountains). I don't use finderscope because for one thing, it's hard to calibrate it for it to be accurate. When I want to see the moon, I just point telescope towards moon by getting behind telescope, looking up the tube and pointing it at moon. It's tricky to focus without GEM (German Equatorial Mount) but for someone looking for an inexpensive telescope for basic moon viewing, this Celestron PowerSeeker 50AZ Telescope is perfect. Nothing fancy but better than say, a $30 telescope they sell at certain grocery stores in my opinion. The moon looks good at night only, I looked at it in the daytime and it didn't look good. This telescope is not good for terrestrial, or daytime viewing. It's September, the end of Summer 2022. Here in California, there's a bright star that appears in the eastern horizon 2 hours after sunset. It's Jupiter. There's 4 small stars surrounding it, those are 4 of Jupiters moons. After reading that you can see Jupiter and it's moons right now with a small telescope, I tried it and found it to be true! People that leave bad reviews for this telescope, most likely don't know how to use it properly.

August 2022: I arrived at this sub-$100 scope from the Astrobiscuit video on YouTube. Surprised to hear that this narrow refractor out guns some larger reflectors in the same price range. My telescope budget was limited so I opted for this one based on the low price and glowing review by Astrobiscuit where he captures Jupiter, Ganymede, IO, Callisto, and Europa. It’s $70, so don’t expect a rugged tripod or any useable accessories (seriously, the 4mm eyepiece and 3X Barlow are essentially useless). The tripod is fairly flimsy but even so, I was able to align the spotter scope during the daylight my first day with the scope. You have to make subtle movements (it helps to keep the lateral rotation nut completely loose, and learn to use the vertical adjustment knob ... MoreAugust 2022: I arrived at this sub-$100 scope from the Astrobiscuit video on YouTube. Surprised to hear that this narrow refractor out guns some larger reflectors in the same price range. My telescope budget was limited so I opted for this one based on the low price and glowing review by Astrobiscuit where he captures Jupiter, Ganymede, IO, Callisto, and Europa. It’s $70, so don’t expect a rugged tripod or any useable accessories (seriously, the 4mm eyepiece and 3X Barlow are essentially useless). The tripod is fairly flimsy but even so, I was able to align the spotter scope during the daylight my first day with the scope. You have to make subtle movements (it helps to keep the lateral rotation nut completely loose, and learn to use the vertical adjustment knob rather than moving the entire scope for up/down).Jupiter was going to visible in the valley where I live from about 1:30am to 5:00am tonight, so I went outside and located the giant planet. It was cloudy (actually good seeing conditions if you can get a break in the clouds) and I had very limited windows of time between passing clouds. Just as Jupiter was passing through a narrow gap between my roof, a tree, and a heavy cloud, I was able to line up on him, focus, let the vibration die out, and BOOM! There, clear as day, was Jupiter and the Galilean moons. I could even make out the colorful bands on the giant gas planet. I was completely shaken up. Pictures are one thing; but viewing an object that is over 300 MILLION miles away from earth (over 4x further from us than we are from the SUN) AND being able to see its colored bands absolutely blew me away. Bottom line: this telescope is absolutely useable for viewing larger planets, the moon, and (so I’ve heard) Andromeda. I’m sold. I will be upgrading the eyepieces and getting a better Barlow lens. I probably won’t even bother with the mount or spotting scope until I upgrade to a bigger telescope. But if you want to see something out of this world in real life without breaking the bank, buy this telescope.

The telescope itself is good for its size. The sullied 20mm eyepiece is great and delivers crisp sharp images. Beautiful. The 4mm eyepiece provides 185x magnification to a telescope with a theoretical maximum magnification of 120x. Meaning that is impossible to get a sharp focus. It's still okish for seeing the moon, but that's it. You can use the provided 3x barlow with the 20mm eyepiece, but you'll have to fit it before the diagonal, which makes it less practical. The tripod and mount is wobbly making hard to use high magnification. Overall is good for the price, specially for setting the moon, but you'll have to buy a good 8mm or 6.5mm eyepiece to take advantage of greater magnification.

I don't know why some people describe this telescope as a good introductory scope. It is very flimsy and will not last. For over 300 dollars Can (shipping/taxes included) I would expect a better quality telescope. Everything about it is inferior. I have an old 4 inch tasco reflector and it is 40 years old and is made of metal. This one is All plastic. Product quality sure went down hill for these kinds of products.

This is a great telescope for a beginner. Without trying too hard I was able to see Jupiter and its moons(they appeared to be small dots) and the rings around Saturn. You will really get nice views of the moon that you just can't see with the naked eye. The best time to view the moon is when it is not full as the craters are more pronounced then. The telescope is incredibly easy to point as long as you have a reference point to begin with. I usually use a tree or high building then line an object in the sky based on the direction from the building or the tree. Stars appear as tiny dots but that is OK as stars are incredibily far away and this telescope is relatively cheap. It is very difficult for me to use the 4mm eye piece. The Barlow works but I don't really like ... MoreThis is a great telescope for a beginner. Without trying too hard I was able to see Jupiter and its moons(they appeared to be small dots) and the rings around Saturn. You will really get nice views of the moon that you just can't see with the naked eye. The best time to view the moon is when it is not full as the craters are more pronounced then. The telescope is incredibly easy to point as long as you have a reference point to begin with. I usually use a tree or high building then line an object in the sky based on the direction from the building or the tree. Stars appear as tiny dots but that is OK as stars are incredibily far away and this telescope is relatively cheap. It is very difficult for me to use the 4mm eye piece. The Barlow works but I don't really like how objects are displayed through it sometimes. The Barlow works best when viewing bright objects. Terrestrial objects are easy to locate and you can view objects that are many miles away. I never needed the finder scope much so I just took it off. My only problem with the telescope and the reason for 4 stars is that after locating an object and locking down all the bolts and screws, any slight touch of the telescope will cause the image to bounce around for a few seconds. This makes viewing difficult with small children. But all in all I highly recommend this telescope for beginners and casual astronomers such as myelf and my 5 year old daughter.

Happy Newbie

Ashamed to admit it, but up until recent I have never taken a glance at the moon or night sky with anything other than my subpar eyes; however, that all changed once I glared upon the waxing gibbous with a pair of 10x50 binoculars. From that first glance I knew I needed to buy a decent entry-level telescope. Enter the Celestron Powerseeker 80azs...Pros: wide diameter objective lens with clear optics; tripod and alt-az yoke mount are decently stable; easy to assemble; lightweight and portable; affordable (permitted me the additional funds for more eyepieces); Yoke mount is metal constructionCons: included finder scope is pretty terrible, but was replaced on the cheap with a $20 red dot finder; the alt-az mount only has up/down slow motion controls; included 3x ... MoreAshamed to admit it, but up until recent I have never taken a glance at the moon or night sky with anything other than my subpar eyes; however, that all changed once I glared upon the waxing gibbous with a pair of 10x50 binoculars. From that first glance I knew I needed to buy a decent entry-level telescope. Enter the Celestron Powerseeker 80azs...Pros: wide diameter objective lens with clear optics; tripod and alt-az yoke mount are decently stable; easy to assemble; lightweight and portable; affordable (permitted me the additional funds for more eyepieces); Yoke mount is metal constructionCons: included finder scope is pretty terrible, but was replaced on the cheap with a $20 red dot finder; the alt-az mount only has up/down slow motion controls; included 3x Barlow is overkill and doesn't function well within this scope's limitsI have been in possession of my 80azs for a little over two weeks now and I must say that overall I am rather impressed with the value of the telescope and it's included accessories. They are by no means "professional-grade", but they are certainly not "hobby killers" as most astronomy forums tote about telescopes in this price range. The important factor is to not over exaggerate this scope's intended use. My intended use is primarily for observing the lunar surface, star clusters, distant views of Jupiter and Saturn, and terrestrial viewing. Overall I'm a happy newbie and look forward to getting out under the stars more often