Although Celestron offers a wide range of telescopes and related equipment, there are a few that garner a substantial amount of interest from astronomy lovers. They also produce features and technology that are suitable for many different needs, which gives them the ability to tap into a broad demographic of stargazers.
For this guide here today, I’m going to focus on a specific telescope that has created a lot of buzz around what it has to offer.
This Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ review will provide everything you need to know about the telescope, including the pros, cons, and important features.
Important Specifications
Quick Verdict
If you are a beginner or looking for a cost-effective entry level telescope, you are going to struggle to find one better than this Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ (particularly at this price point).
The cons do not really cause much of an issue for most new astronomers, and it can offer long-term use with proper care.
Overall, the telescope is a good buy that’ll cover the basic needs of stargazing.
What I Like About The Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ
There’s plenty to appreciate about this telescope regardless of your level of expertise with stargazing. The Powerseeker 80EQ is a great entry-level telescope. It may not be the perfect choice for everyone, but it offers a decent focal ratio and mount and comes at a highly cost-efficient price.
To get a better idea of the telescope’s quality, I’m going to provide more detail on the benefits mentioned above.
Focal Ratio
A lower focal ratio may offer a wider field of view, but most people prefer high focal ratios as they allow you to see specific objects with much greater magnification and detail.
This telescope comes with an f/11 focal ratio, which is impressive considering the cost.
You may not see a significant variety of objects in your view, but once you track down what you’re looking for, the clarity and detail will more than satisfy.
The focal ratio goes hand in hand with magnification capabilities, and this telescope comes with an impressive level of magnification, considering its build quality.
When you take into account that many more expensive telescopes come with a lower focal ratio, it makes the Powerseeker 80EQ all the more worth it.
Mount
For novice users, it may not seem like the most important feature of a telescope, but it can actually improve your viewing experience.
This telescope comes with a German EQ mount which provides the stability you need for the equipment as a whole.
You also have the choice of upgrading the mount to be capable of motorized control.
However, the way it comes is more than enough for most people, as it delivers the quality needed for accurate tracking of celestial objects.
It’s important to note that you’ll need to use the slow-motion control rod for the best tracking, but the amount of effort required on your part is rather minimal.
Although this mount may not be the best choice for astrophotography, finding and viewing objects in the night sky is pretty easy.
Overall, the German EQ mount provides a surprising quality and does a great job of working with the other included components.
Cost
You can find many Celestron telescopes across different e-commerce websites, which means you may find the Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ at varying price ranges.
Nevertheless, if you look at the company’s official website, the telescope retails for just under $200, which is very cheap for a telescope of this quality.
Celestron is known to produce quality telescopes, and the price point on this particular model is hard to pass up.
This is another factor that makes the telescope an excellent choice for novice users, as it allows you to step into your first telescope without breaking the bank. Casual stargazers may not be too interested in spending hundreds of dollars on telescope equipment.
This telescope offers a great blend of cost and quality that’s more than understandable for most people.
You’ll be able to see many objects in outer space with surprising detail, and you won’t have to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars to do it.
What I Don’t Like About the Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ
Even with a decent list of benefits, the Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ isn’t perfect by any means. For the most part, the accessories are where this telescope lacks the most. From low-quality eyepieces, finder, and cheaper build quality overall, it’s a good idea to get a look at both the pros and cons to whether it’s worth the buy or not.
Accessories
It’s not that the accessories don’t bring any kind of value to the table, but they aren’t necessarily impressive either.
The telescope comes with accessories such as a 20mm and 4mm eyepiece, finderscope, 3x Barlow lens, and a few other items.
You won’t have any trouble making use of these accessories, but their craftsmanship and quality could be a bit better.
Why this needs to be considered is that the accessories could cause some trouble down the line due to reliability.
You may want to upgrade individual parts, which will incur additional costs, or they may break on you entirely because of the materials they’re made out of.
They’re more than satisfactory for many casual users, but they likely won’t meet everyone’s expectations.
Portability
I’ll start off by saying that most telescopes are rather portable, but the Powerseeker 80EQ isn’t one of them.
It comes with a fairly stationary build, and although it isn’t difficult to break down or set up, some users don’t find it to be very portable. This isn’t the biggest deal breaker for most people, but it’s something to consider.
The telescope may require a bit more work with set-up, but it doesn’t come with a design that can be easily “backpacked” from one location to the next.
If you don’t plan on moving the telescope too often, this won’t be too much of a downside, but if you expect to take your viewing sessions on the go, you might see this feature may somewhat hinder your experience.
What Can You See With The Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ?
You can expect to see plenty of celestial objects on any given evening. Considering the features this telescope comes with; it’s primarily meant for viewing planets, moons, and brighter objects such as stars.
A few objects you can expect to see with this telescope include:
- Our moon
- Mercury
- Venus
- Jupiter and its cloud belts
- Saturn and its rings
- Other distant objects with less detail, such as Uranus and Neptune
Most of what plays into the telescope’s capabilities are features such as the eyepieces and finderscope.
These are two pain points that many people have complaints about, but most of this pertains to more distant objects.
Regardless of their capabilities, you should also be able to view various galaxies, globular star clusters, planetary nebulae, and more.
Always remember that you’re bound to encounter some blur regarding many of these objects, but it’s still a much closer look than you’ll ever get with the naked eye.
When you take a look at the build quality, features, and price of this telescope, you should approach it with realistic expectations, as it’s bound to come with a few limitations.
Who Is The Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ Best For?
It’s pretty evident that if you’re a novice user or are simply looking for a cost-efficient telescope, the Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ is a stellar choice. The cons aren’t really too much of a problem for most people, and it can offer long-term use with proper care. It’s also a great choice for those who aren’t too interested in astrophotography. Overall, the telescope is a good buy that’ll cover the basic needs of stargazing.
Even if the cons can pose some issues here and there, the blend of cost and quality makes it more than worth it in most people’s eyes.
If you don’t plan on being very mobile with it, the telescope’s stationary design will fit nicely in a home, as it won’t take up too much space either.
When shopping for a new telescope, it can be hard to justify the higher price tags on the market. The Powerseeker 80EQ helps you skip over the hurdle by providing comprehensive, entry-level features that are entirely worth the cost.
- PERFECT ENTRY-LEVEL TELESCOPE: The Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ is an easy-to-use and powerful telescope. This 80mm refractor telescope offers enough light gathering ability to see planets, the Moon's craters, distant stars, the Orion Nebula, and more.
- MANUAL GERMAN EQUATORIAL MOUNT: With its slow-motion altitude rod, the German Equatorial mount allows you to navigate the sky with ease. Find celestial objects quickly and follow them smoothly & accurately as they appear to drift across the night sky.
- COMPACT AND PORTABLE: The ideal telescope for adults and kids to use together, the PowerSeeker is compact, lightweight, and portable. Take it to your favorite campsite, a dark sky observing site, or simply the backyard.
- MULTIPLE ACCESSORIES: The Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ Telescope comes with 2 quality eyepieces (20mm and 4mm) plus a 3x Barlow lens to triple the power of each. You'll also receive a FREE download of one of the top-rated astronomy software programs.
- UNBEATABLE WARRANTY & SUPPORT: Buy with confidence from Celestron, a leading telescope brand in California since 1960. Your purchase includes a 2-Year US Warranty and unlimited support from our team of US-based experts.
Who Is The Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ Not Good For?
A good way to discern if this telescope isn’t right for you is by reviewing your overall expectations. If you’re looking for automated tracking features, better material quality, and portability, this telescope may not be for you. It also isn’t the best option for those who are looking for pristine viewing quality and capabilities that are beneficial for astrophotography.
No one will argue with the price tag, but you’re bound to encounter some sacrifices when it comes to a telescope with such a low cost.
Most of the telescope accessories don’t have the greatest quality, which means they could incur replacement costs down the road.
The Powerseeker 80EQ is also a manual telescope, which means it’ll take quite a bit of work to find and track specific objects in the night sky.
It’s definitely a great option for entry-level users, but if you’re looking for an upgrade or high-quality features and capabilities, there are better choices than the Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ.
One such example, would be the Celestron Nexstar 6SE, or if you can afford it, the 8SE.
Hey, my name is Jeremy. I’m a passionate and seasoned astronomer who loves nothing more than observing the night sky. I also love researching, learning, and writing all things Space and the Universe. I created Astronomy Scope to share my knowledge, experience, suggestions, and recommendations of what I have learned along the way while helping anyone to get into and maximize their enjoyment of the hobby.
