If your new to astronomy you’ll find the included SkyX – First Light Edition software to be very helpful and enjoy the entire learning process more. It contains a 10,000 object database with printable sky maps and 75 enhances images. Pros of the Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ: Saturn and Jupiter are clearly identifiable and a joy to watch, as is the Orion nebula and Andromeda galaxy. From there it is a mixed bag with objects such as the Pleadies being easy to see and pretty spectacular, The Lagoon and Eagle nebulae are quite pleasing but require a bit more effort, while the Ring and Dumbbell nebulae are virtually impossible to get any enjoyment out of with the Celestron Powerseeker 70AZ beyond finding them.

Regardless of which one you choose, either telescope is bound to offer a substantial quality that far outweighs the price tag. Celestron AstroMaster 70az vs PowerSeeker 70az: Key Similarities PERFECT BEGINNERS TELESCOPE: The Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ is an easy-to-use and powerful telescope. The PowerSeeker series is designed to give the first-time telescope user the perfect combination of quality, value, features, and power. While it may have some limitations when it comes to deep space observations, it’s easy assembly and natural-looking views make it worth considering for those starting out in astronomy. This particular feature may not be a deal breaker for most people, but it’s important to know whether a telescope features a mirror or lens optical design. What Can You See With The Celestron AstroMaster 70az?

What We Don’t Like

It always comes down to exactly what you’re looking for in the depths of outer space, and knowing this will help you hone in on the perfect telescope. Cost Remove the plastic connection strip and try again to turn on your finderscope. Make sure to rotate the “ON” knob at least 30° and give the red dot 1 second to appear. We will present our detailed analysis of the Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ in this section. This model is a refracting telescope. A refractor uses the lens to gather light from the subject or object you will observe. You can calculate the magnification level by dividing the telescope’s focal length by the eyepiece you are using. Keep in mind that in most cases, a refracting telescope should be able to produce a clear, steady image even under conditions that are not ideal. The included diagonal is an Amici design, shaped like a handle after Celestron noticed that people tend to grab the diagonal as such during product testing. It works fine and presents correct left-right and up-down images for terrestrial viewing. However, this is not really useful for astronomical viewing and the Amici prism absorbs light, making for a dimmer image at the eyepiece. The diagonal is intended for terrestrial viewing, and it does its job. It lowers the image quality quite a bit for astronomy.

The Celestron Astromaster 70az telescope comes with two eyepieces: a 20mm eyepiece and a 10mm eyepiece. These are Kellner eyepieces, which provide clear and sharp views of celestial objects. The eyepieces provide magnifications of 45x and 90x, respectively. What is the field of view of the Celestron Astromaster 70az telescope? At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope. We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. You are probably wondering why I like the Celestron Powerseeker 70AZ when I use terms like barely adequate and useless when I describe the accessories. Good question. Overall, it provides more than enough for entry-level stargazers, as the solar system has plenty of amazing objects to observe. What Can You See With The Celestron PowerSeeker 70az? The PowerSeeker 70AZ mount is an alt-azimuth fork design that works well for both terrestrial and astronomical purposes. There are no slow-motion controls, but the mount’s tension can be adjusted via small knobs, which works well enough. The aluminum tripod legs are small and thin, but just adequate enough to support the whole scope. Overall, the mount is not my favorite, but it works well enough. Should I buy a Used Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ?

The Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ’s mount is certainly not worthy of much in the way of praise, but it is not useless either. To get a clear and crisp view of planets and the moon, you’ll need to use the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ telescope’s achromatic optics with its natural-looking images. The telescope has a focal length of f/13, which is ideal for viewing these celestial bodies. The box contains the optical tube, finderscope, 2 eyepieces (20mm, 4mm), 3x barlow lens, aluminium tripod with accessory tray, and the SkyX astronomy software. Any 1.25" eyepiece supplied with PowerSeeker and AstroMaster telescope kits or any eyepieces with a 34mm outside diameter Although it is quite durable, it includes a standard two-year warranty to protect it against defects or problems.

Never use your optic to project an image of the Sun onto any surface. Internal heat build-up can damage the optic and any accessories attached to it. However, if this isn’t too much of an issue for you, the 20mm eyepiece is an option on either telescope. Optical Design Whether you’re trying to see groups of celestial objects or specific details, you’ll want to always review the focal length of a telescope before you buy it. Magnification With the AstroMaster 70az, you get a focal length of 900mm, and the PowerSeeker 70az offers a focal length of 700mm. I am not really a fan of the finder but it serves it’s purpose fairly well. Like all finders, be sure you set it up during the day using a far away object such as the top of a telephone pole, water tower antenna, etc. Once it is adjusted it is acceptable. Of course, no telescope in this price range has a good finder because that would take money away from making the actual telescope better and we do not want that. You can do without a finder, but a terrible quality main telescope will just make the whole thing a waste of money, and the Celestron Powerseeker 70AZ is certainly not a waste. Final thoughtsIn comparison to other telescopes like the Celestron Powerseeker 80eq, the Celestron Powerseeker 70AZ has a longer focal length making it a better choice for close ups of the moon and viewing planets. The Celestron Astromaster 70az telescope has a focal length of 900mm. This gives the telescope a focal ratio of f/12.7, which makes it ideal for observing bright objects like planets and the moon. With a long focal length, the telescope can also provide good views of deep-sky objects like galaxies and nebulae. What is the aperture of the Celestron Astromaster 70az telescope? So now let’s switch to astronomy; you buy them a great book on astronomy and a cool map showing where some amazing objects are, then you give them a telescope that even when used by a professional could not identify a car across a football field much less the planet Jupiter in the night sky. It wobbles, it’s blurry, and it is extremely hard to navigate. What do you think their reaction would be? We’ve covered some of the main features of the Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ already, but this section will highlight the main benefits we saw when we tested the scope. I don’t really penalize the Celestron Powerseeker 70AZ for doing what everyone else does, particularly since the quality of the scope is high enough for the price that I could simply throw away the 4mm eyepiece and barlow.

The PowerSeeker can capture most objects in our solar system as well. Its main difference here is that it comes with better magnification. Unless it’s extremely cheap and you’re willing to deal with its shortcomings, a used Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ is probably a waste of your time and money. Aftermarket Accessory RecommendationsWho wants to play a game where you never even have a chance of winning no matter how hard you practice and try? No one, that’s who. It is not technically a portable telescope, but the Celestron 70AZ is light enough that you should have no trouble transporting it when necessary. If you’re a beginner astronomer looking for an affordable telescope that provides clear views of the moon and planets, the Celestron Astromaster 70 AZ could be worth considering as it offers easy assembly and mobility. Comparing the Celestron Powerseeker 70AZ to something like a Celestron Powerseeker 127eq reflector telescope it does not require near the cool down time (the 127eq has two mirrors which need to acclimate to the outside temperature before use or extremely blurry images could result) and requires no maintenance or adjustments such as the collimation required by the 127eq. The 127eq also requires learning how to use an equatorial telescope mount whereas the alt/az mount on the 70AZ is pretty much intuitive even to children with no experience. This makes the Celestron Powerseeker 70AZ a better choice for kids and first time telescope users. Using the scope The PowerSeeker 80 is a short refractor telescope perfect for terrestrial and celestial viewing on the go. The PowerSeeker can view the planets, moon, star clusters and brighter deep sky objects like the Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy at night and with the erect image star diagonal makes the optical tube ideal for using as a spotting scope during the day.