Have one, good telescope,but be careful you can bump it off viewed subject easily
From the photo, it appears to be a reflector, not refractor. That’s good, but to get any sense of its value, you need to know the size of the collecting mirror. I don’t see that anywhere in the specs. Anyone know?
Does anyone know what diameter the eyepieces are? I would be interested to pick this up as a second scope so my family can go star gazing with me-- my current one is a 1.25", so I would want to get a second one with the same so I can use the same lenses, filters, etc.
Reflector, 114 millimeters
From the vendor
1 ¼ eyepieces
From the manufacturer’s impossible-to-navigate website:
Celestron 22056-K 114AZ Telescope
ExploraScope Telescope
4.5 Inch Aperture (114mm)
SiO2 reflective Optical Coatings
269x Maximum Magnification
Focal Length: 1000mm, f/9 Focal Ratio
5x24 Finderscope
Aluminum Tripod
Quick and easy no-tool setup
Alt-azimuth mount Mount
Sku: 22056-K
Looks like the National Parks Foundation branded version of:
https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-PowerSeeker-114AZ-Telescope-Black/dp/B004DAKTJA
The specs are identical, I think you’re on to something.
This is not the National Parks scope. That is a refractor, only 60mm, and collapses to a backpack. The tripod on that device is notoriously shakey, too. It has it’s appeal, but, frankly, a good pair of binoculars is more cost effective.
As to this scope, it’s a decent scope, especially at this price, although he mount (AZ) is not great. The optics are decent (I have one of these on a better mount and tripod which I customized.)
Don’t believe the “maximum magnification” spec, that’s not going to happen. Also, the supplied Barlow isn’t very good. With a decent eyepiece, you can get up to 200x magnification with decent seeing on this scope.
Overall, it’s a good starter scope, especially at this price, but I’d want a better mount for it eventually.
I am active in astronomy, have 3 telescopes and 5 sets of binoculars that I use for astronomy. Let me share some insights.
That is a 114 mm reflector telescope. Under ideal conditions you might be able to push it to about 225X. The 675X specification is marketing nonsense. The numbers might add up but you could never use it. The atmosphere would never allow it and the image would be crap. Even with my 203 mm telescope the atmosphere usually limits me to under 250X.
A more realistic range on that scope would be up to about 180X on most bright objects like Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. Saturn would look great in that scope. And the Moon would be a lot of fun.
You can see the rings of Saturn, the bright moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus and lots of star clusters. And all the objects in the Messier list, if you know about that.
The lower the number on the eyepiece the higher the magnification. The 4 mm eyepiece would likely only be useful on the moon and Venus but you could try it on other things. The 3X barlow is miss matched just to generate that 675 number, which is absurd.
It is not a bad beginner scope. The tripod is a little wobbly but manageable. I used to have a Tasco scope on a similar mount.
You would want to add some additional eyepieces. This is normal. I would recommend Plossl type eyepieces of about 15 mm and 10 mm to start. Celestron, Meade, Orion or GSO would be good brands that run between $25 and $40 each.
You should expect to add eyepieces to a telescope. I have 22 eyepieces that I use across my 3 scopes. But you can add them later. You can get started with the ones included.
If you are looking for a VERY low cost entry scope this could get you started. I just wanted to level set expectations for anyone looking to buy it.
Ed
+1 I’m a Meade fan myself.