Review: Hands-on with the Celestron Astromaster 114 EQ

Astronomy is one of the best hobbies and, for some, it is a rewarding job. The most important tool you should purchase if you want to study the stars and planets is a telescope. While some might think that a telescope is a big investment, it is not true. There are a lot of telescopes for beginners and intermediate users which come with great prices and amazing specs and features.

In this article, we are going to review the Celestron Astromaster 114 EQ. This amazing telescope is designed for beginners and for intermediate users. We will give you information about the features and telescope performance. However, if you are looking for more information on this telescope, you can find an in-depth review here.

General info

The Celestron Astromaster 114 EQ is one of the best choices for beginners who want to find out more about stars and planets. One of the best things about this telescope is that it comes with an affordable price. Also, it has many features which come in handy for beginners. This is a reflector (reflecting) telescope which means that it uses a mirror to form the image.

Specs and Features

Because it is simple to assemble and use, this device is perfect for a first telescope. In order to make it resistant and durable, the manufacturers used aluminum and steel as main materials. It weighs about 17 pounds and its sizes are 32.2 X 17 X 11 inches. It comes with a German Equatorial mount.

When it comes to the aperture, this telescope is a great device. Because of its 100-150 mm aperture, the telescope offers clear, sharp images. The focal ratio of the Celestron 144EQ is 8.77. In order to make this telescope even easier to use, a pre-assembled tripod with 1.25-inch steel legs is included in the package.

This telescope also comes with 2 eyepieces. The 20 mm offers 50 x magnification and the 10 mm eyepiece offers 100x magnification. Because of these eyepieces, the Celestron Astromaster 114 EQ stands out. Its software is also user-friendly which makes it easier for intermediate or beginners to use it.

Telescope Performance

The performance of the Celestron 114 EQ is great compared to other models in its price range. Apart from being easy to assemble, the telescope is also simple to use, because of its software. The outstanding brightness is a great plus for this device. Many users mentioned that a distant object can be seen without any problems and that it has a great image quality.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the star finder feature, the Celestron has a minor problem. This feature is not as good as expected and it only complicates the process. Also, you will need to refocus the telescope every time you move it just a little bit. This is why a tripod is a necessary tool.

For those who also want to take photos, they will be pleased to know that the telescope comes with a camera mount. However, they will need to use both the tripod and a remote (not included) to take crisp images. Without these two, the images will be unclear and shaken.

Another great thing about this device is that you can also use it for watching objects on land. If you are interested in observing landscapes which are far away or to document the life of wild animals without getting in contact with them, this telescope comes in handy.

While this telescope is portable, many customers complained about the device being bulky which makes it hard to transport. Also, some of its components are made of plastic which makes them easy to break. You should know that Celestron has a good variety of pieces in case you need to change some of them.

Telescope Maintenance

Since it is a reflector telescope, it is not high-maintenance. However, you need to make sure that you keep it in good shape so that it can be used for a long period of time. The most important thing is to always keep the cap on the lens to avoid scratches or dirt on the lens. If you need to clean the lens use a microfiber cloth and remove the dust.

It is also important to store the device in a dry room away from the rays of Sun. In case the telescope has dirt or scratches you can’t fix, it is better to take it to a professional who will know how to fix it. If you follow the maintenance instruction, your Celestron is going to be functional for a long time.

These are the most important things you should know about the Celestron Astromaster EQ114. This beginners’ telescope is both affordable and easy to use. Also, its lenses are the ones which make the device stand out from the crowd. Remember that this is a good telescope for intermediate users too. However, for professionals, there are more advanced models.