f/7.9 Equatorial Newtonian, Viewfinder 3×60, Eyepiece 26mm Plossl, German equatorial mount.

These celestron telescopes are great starter scopes. They great planetary telescope’s that will also perform quite well with some deep sky objects.

The telescope I was using had good optics with only slight over correction. You should add a barlow lens as this celestron will take high magnification. The views of Jupiter were very good. There was good definition to the gas giant, you can see the cloud bands and the great red spot if you catch it at the right time.

All of Jupiter’s moons are clearly visible as are the shadows on Jupiter as the moons orbit the planet. Saturn shows up as a large pastel-colored planet. The Cassini division is clearly visible and I could see Saturn’s four moons on one side of the rings.

On deep sky objects it is quite good but don’t expect to much, a 6″ and 8″ Dobsonian will perform much better on deep sky objects. M81 and M82 were quite good as was M101.

These celestron telescopes are for the serious astronomer, they are sturdy and weigh around 30lbs. Unfortunately the tripod is flimsy and shakes easily.

When you can afford it I would recommend you invest in a sturdy tripod. There has been a price reduction to around $449. It may be hard to find them as they have been replaced by the C114HD.

 Celestron Telescopes Recommendation

You wont be disappointed in the performance of these celestron telescopes. I can highly recommend this telescope for the beginner. Last time I checked they were at Adorama.