Celestron NexStar 114 SLT Computerized Telescope
by Celestron
(Click here)
Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: CelestronModel: 31143
Product features:
- Computerized hand control with 4,000-object database
- SkyAlign allows you to align on any three bright celestial objects
- Motorized Altazimuth mount
- f9 focal ratio
- 1000mm focal length
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Digital camera reviews of Celestron NexStar 114 SLT Computerized Telescope
Digital camera Review: Awesome!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had always been interested in astronomy, but had never used a GOOD telescope. That all changed when I opened this up attached the tube to the tripod and headed outside! Setup takes just minutes and the alignment process is foolproof. I've used both Jupiter and the moon for alignment. The telescope gets pretty close to the objects you tell it to go to. I did find however that when it moves to certain objects it seems to take the long way most of the time and tangles the power cord and hand held cord around the base.
So far looking at Jupiter is extraordinary! I have seen the cloud bands and up to four of its moons with just the 25mm lens and a Barlow 2X. The moon? Don't get me started clear as day and all of those wonderful craters seen to pop out at you! Wonderful. Still trying to get myself out at 2:30 am to see Mars and Venus. Maybe tonight! Looking at stars with this telescope seems to make them look brighter and looking at archturus (I think that's what its called) seems to yield a wonderful array of flashing colors
I highly recommend getting Celestron's accessory kit with this telescope. With it comes lenses from 25mm to 4mm. The 4mm is great and makes Jupiter very big in the eyepiece, but the built in focusing knob in the eye piece becomes nearly impossible to use. I have yet to use any of the filters that come with the kit but I have read great things on what they do.
There have been some complaints about the batteries going dead too fast. There is an AC adapter available from some other sellers on amazon, or if you have a lot of electronics lying around the house like I do I bet that here is a 12 volt adapter lying around just screaming USE ME! USE ME! and that will work fine.
The only con I have -if it can be considered a con ;)- is the other night when i was really putting it through its paces a horrible stink came from the lateral drive box while it was moving to a new location. It did go away after a few minutes so maybe it was the gear lube heating up? Anyway it's still working perfectly and seems to be well built.
I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to start star gazing.
Summary of Celestron NexStar 114 SLT Computerized Telescope
The Celestron(r) Nexstar 114SLT telescope comes with a fully-computerized hand control and a database of over 4,000 celestial objects. With its pre-assembled, adjustable steel tripod, it can be up and ready to use in a matter of minutes. SkyAlign alignment technology and the included StarPointer Finderscope with a red LED make aligning a breeze. You use it to view the details of the lunar surface or the rings of Saturn.Celestron's computerized NexStar 114 SLT adds affordable GoTo technology to a compact Newtonian reflector telescope. The complete package has everything you need to get started except the batteries. The box contains high and low power eyepieces (9mm and 25mm), the computer controller, an adjustable tripod, a red dot finder, and even a planetarium program for your personal computer.
The NexStar 114 SLT's compact Newtonian optics produce images that are three times brighter than 60mm beginner scopes. With this telescope it's easy to see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's cloud belts. When the night air is still and clear I've been able to see the Cassini division in Saturn's rings and even spot the shadow of Jupiter's moons crossing the planets cloud tops! Deep space objects like star clusters and galaxies also show up nicely. The Ring Nebula M57, for instance, shows up as a pale smoke ring, and globular cluster M13 begins to reveal its individual stars.
Celestron's computerized SkyAlign system is remarkably quick and easy to use. If you can see the moon, you can align this telescope! When you turn on the telescope, select "Solar System Align" on the hand control, enter the date and time, point the telescope at the moon, and press the "Align" button. That's all it takes; the computerized tracking system takes over and begins tracking, quietly, and accurately. Experienced users will love the "Auto Two-Star Align" and "SkyAlign" modes because they allow the telescope to point accurately at over 4,000 objects in the NexStar database. The accurate tracking allowed me to use a Celestron NexImage to take some nice close-up pictures of the moon and planets.
The biggest drawback to a computerized telescope is its battery consumption. The standard AA batteries only last a few hours, but the NexStar 114 SLT works very well with an external 12-volt battery such as Celestron's Power Tank. The other drawback comes from the NexStar 114 SLT's compact optical design. This telescope uses a short-focal-length mirror combined with a corrector lens to simulate a traditional long tube reflector. This works pretty well at moderate magnification levels, but the mirrors may need to be fine-tuned, or "collimated," to get the best high power images. I find Celestron's Collimation Eyepiece helps me get this fine tuning just right, but the reward is sharp images, even when I use the high power 9mm eyepiece with a barlow lens for a magnification over 200x. --Jeff Phillips
Pros:
- Easy computerized GoTo system
- Good (but not great) optics
- Includes everything but the batteries
- Short battery life
- Optics may need occasional fine tuning
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