Improvement is something we aim to do in our next article on building telescope. We intend to provide an improved article on building telescope in the near future.

Another Great building telescope Article


Featured building telescope Items
4-1/2 to16-1/4in. Magnetic Pocket Size Pickup Tool

4-1/2 to16-1/4in. Magnetic Pocket Size Pickup Tool

GP (Guaranteed Parts) 41-5337 Tilt/Telescope Relay

GP (Guaranteed Parts) 41-5337 Tilt/Telescope Relay

Meade Electronic Eyepiece

Meade Electronic Eyepiece
This electronic eyepiece can be used with virtually any telescope to show you real-time live black and white images of the Moon, planets, stars, and daytime terrestrial objects on your television screen. Just connect the supplied cable to the yellow-colored Video-in port of your TV set, VCR, or camcorder. The Electronic Eyepiece has a 320 x 240 pixel CMOS monochrome imaging sensor. Barrels are included to allow you to fit the eyepiece into either 0.965" or 1.25" focuser sleeves. The eyepiece includes a 6 ft. cable and is powered by a (user-supplied) 9-volt battery that fits neatly inside the eyepiece housing. A built-in control permits contrast adjustment of the image. The Electronic Eyepiece is perhaps the largest-selling product of its type ever developed. Tens of thousands of Meade #902 Electronic Eyepieces are now in use in telescopes ranging from 60mm refractors to 12" Schmidt-Cassegrains

Air Kicks Jr -- Medium

Air Kicks Jr -- Medium
Like a walk on the moon, Air Kicks seem to defy gravity with every fun-filled step. Just strap them on right OVER your athletic shoes! Now start bouncing in place, or bound across the yard like a gazelle. New Kickaroos the same basic technology as Air Kicks, except they employ lighter materials, such as Velcro straps, for a lower entry level cost for young children. Both models feature a high-traction tread that's safe to use on any surface, indoor or out, and won't mar floors! Heavy-duty, interchangeable rubber T-Springs transforms downward energy into bouncing motions gentle on joints and bones. Not only do kids (and adults) love the cushiony motion, it's also easy to burn calories, build coordination and strengthen leg muscles! Fits Shoes Youth 4-7. Wt. Range 77-154 lbs. Ages 6 to Adult.

Bushnell Legend 10 x 50mm Magnum-Powered Binoculars

Bushnell Legend 10 x 50mm Magnum-Powered Binoculars
Legend magnum-powered viewing binoculars feature BaK-4 Porro prisms, fully coated optics for maximum light transmission for optimum brightness, heavy-duty weather-proof construction and pop-up eyecups for quick adjustment and optimum eye relief. Large center knob for precise focusing (even when wearing gloves). Textured non-glare, non-slip rubber armor absorbs shock. Includes neck strap and carrying case. Limited lifetime warranty.

Celestron 21045 114mm Equatorial PowerSeeker Telescope

Celestron 21045 114mm Equatorial PowerSeeker Telescope
I love bargains, so I was eager to try out Celestron's new Powerseeker 114 Newtonian reflector telescope. With its 4.5-inch mirror, Celestron's Powerseeker 114 gathers three times more starlight than popular 60mm refractors. The Powerseeker package includes two eyepieces (K20 and SR4), a plastic 3x barlow, and a lightweight equatorial mount.

Optically, the Powerseeker 114 holds its own when compared with my Celestron Firstscope 114EQ. Using the K20 eyepiece included as standard equipment, about 45x magnification, it's easy to see the Andromeda Galaxy and its smaller satellite galaxy M32. When compared to 60mm refractors, the Powerseeker 114 brings out much more detail in the Orion Nebula, reveals many more stars in Perseus' Double Cluster and even brings out a few individual stars in globular clusters like M13. Saturn looks quite small at 45x with the K20 eyepiece, but using my own 7.5mm eyepiece (120x) I can easily detect the shadow cast by the planet on the rings, and even glimpse the ring's Cassini Division. When the mirrors are properly lined up or "collimated," the images are reasonably sharp up to magnifications of 225x. I find a collimation tool helps get this fine tuning just right.

As good as the optics are, however, the effect of cost-cutting shows up in the mechanical components. The focuser is plastic, the finder scope is plastic, the rings that attach the telescope to the tripod are plastic. Even when the tripod legs are clamped at their shortest setting, the telescope wobbles when I try to focus at higher magnifications. Celestron's instruction manual correctly recommends that most viewing be done in the range of 40x to 130x. So what about that 675x magnification proclaimed on the box? I'd say it's not worth the trouble.

Overall, the Celestron Powerseeker 114 is a budget priced telescope with good optical performance, especially when using the low power K20 eyepiece. If you're willing to spend a little more money, either Orion's SkyQuest XT4.5 or Celestron's Firstscope 114EQ will give you a sturdier mount, an improved finder scope, and better eyepieces. Also, for about the price of the Powerseeker 114, I like the dependable refractor design of Celestron's Firstscope 70EQ. --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Low cost
• Good optics
• Serviceable K20 eyepiece

Cons:

• Wobbly mount
• Difficult to collimate
• Plastic finder and focuser

Third Wave

Third Wave

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