The Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ is an affordable telescope that uses an AZ mount to allow you to shift focus as you like. The telescope is very well-designed for an entry product. Kids and adults who just want to experience astronomy in a simple way will enjoy using it.
The small and portable design of this telescope also comes with great convenience. The scope features the Sky X Astronomy software, and it has a focal length of 900mm f/8, so expect to see clear and bright images of the objects in the sky.
Check out our Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ review for more information below.
What Is the Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ Telescope?
The Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ telescope is loved for its simplicity. It has a compact design, and can be assembled in under 10 minutes. The tripod is made of aluminum, which makes the whole device very lightweight and steady. All its parts are tightly fitting, which reduces wiggling when in use.
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Although the telescope is made with a spherical mirror, the optics are very close to those of parabola mirrors. This is because it has a 900mm f/8 focal length. The glass mirrors have high transmission coatings that help make the images clear and bright.
The scope also has Barlow lenses that triple the magnifying power of the eyepieces.
For ease of focus, the telescope is made with an Alt-AZ mount. This is a simple mount that can be moved up, down, and also sideways. Vertical panning can be done with the fine controls.
Product Information
| Dimensions | Weight | Batteries | Aperture | Focal Length | Software |
| 39 x 16.6 x 7.5 inches | 16 lbs. | N/A | 114mm | 900mm f/8 | N/A |
Pros & Cons to Using the Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ Telescope
Pros
- Has good optics. You can clearly spot planets and even their moons.
- Is compact and portable.
- Uses an Alt-AZ mount and fine controls to make focusing easier.
- Comes with a red dot finder and 5 eyepieces.
- Assembly is simple and the user manual is clearly written.
- Offers greatest bang for your buck.
- Comes with a 2-year warranty.
Cons
- Has a spherical mirror. The manufacturer makes up for this with the f/8 focal length and 3X Barrow lenses. Its final image is, therefore, quite clear and bright.
- Has a thin mount, which makes the device wobble when in use.
- The focuser is made of plastic.
- It has a very small field of view, and this means you will struggle to locate planets and moons.
Where to Find the Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ Telescope
The Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ telescope is available on many websites, such as Amazon or eBay. A new Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ telescope costs around $130.
It’s quite cheap for a telescope of this caliber. You can also purchase a used Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ telescope for less. Prices are around $75 for used Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ telescopes.
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Telescope Performance
This telescope is specifically designed for amateur astronomy and astrophotography. With this telescope, you can spot Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus, as well as their moons. Uranus can be seen as only a small disk, but you will have to know where to look in order to locate it.
Since it is an affordable telescope, it has a spherical mirror instead of a parabolic one. Regardless, the images are very clear. This is mostly because of the f/8 focal length and Barrow lenses. These lenses increase the magnifying power of the eyepieces by a factor of three.
You can shift the telescope up, down, and sideways to get perfect focus.
If you are using this telescope for amateur observation of the sky, it will be almost flawless in performance. With this telescope, you can observe the Moon clearly in low power. High power makes the image blurry and unclear.
Extra Info
Maintenance Advice
This telescope is not perfect, but you can lengthen its life and maintain its performance by taking certain measures. First, you should never touch the lenses of this telescope. This is because the acids in your fingers will attack the coating.
When cleaning the optics, never blow air in, since you might leave saliva on the lenses. Instead, suck air out as much as you can. This will clean it while preventing the discoloration of your lenses. You can also use a camel’s hair brush to gently dust it.
In case of tightly held dust, you can use cleaning solutions. A common cleaning solution for telescope optics is methanol. It can be easily purchased from camera shops and hardware stores.
Proper cleaning of your optics will also require you to have soft cleaning cloths or wipes. It is important to ensure that they are grit-free.
If you need to clean the inside of your telescope, it is best to call a repairer. You are very likely to damage the entire telescope if you decide to take it apart. In the same vein, you shouldn’t leave dirt on the device for long, since it can end up permanently damaging your lenses.
Telescope Accessories
The Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ telescope comes with several accessories. Along with your Celestron PowerSeeker telescope, you will receive a red dot finder and 5 eyepieces. In addition, it is compatible with the CelestronNexImage Solar System Imager, X-Cell LX 2.3 mm eyepiece, Celestron Omni 2X Barlow lens, and Celestron 1.25 moon filter.
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Warranty and Guarantee Information
The Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ telescope comes with a 2-year warranty.
Our Recommendation
This telescope provides excellent performance for its price range, and is great for beginners. It even comes with a clearly written manual that can help amateurs observe the sky. With it, you can watch the planets and their moons clearly. The images produced are very fine and bright. It is made of aluminum and is, therefore, quite light. The telescope is also compact and easy to carry around.
However, being one of the most affordable telescopes on the market, you can’t expect it to be perfect. The stand is quite thin and the weight of the telescope is not well distributed. Observing the planets, moons, and moving objects is harder because of this reason.
In conclusion, we would recommend this telescope to beginners and kids. What do you think of the Celestron PowerSeeker 114 AZ telescope? Leave us a comment below.
Recommended Read: Celestron PowerSeeker 50 AZ Refractor Telescope Review
I got one of these only mine is the national park foundation 114az, same as the one pictured. mine has the worst lenses that came with it, even with the highest number lens with the widest field of view I still could not see the moon clearly. I could only see a white blur, when I switched to the 4mm lens and the 2x barlow then it cleared up a little. I would not recommend this telescope!