Celestron 114LCM Computerized Telescope (Black)

Automatically Locates The Wonders Of The Universe With Its Motorized System On Board Computer! All glass, fully coated optics reveal the depths of our solar system and the wonders of the Universe. Fully adjustable tripod features a convenient accessory tray. Easy to use computerized hand control allows user to locate objects at the touch of a button.

Celestron's computerized 114LCM telescope adds affordable GoTo technology to a compact Newtonian reflector. The complete package has everything you need except the batteries. The box contains high and low power eyepieces, the computer controller, an adjustable tripod, a red dot finder, and even a CD copy of "The SkyX" planetarium program for your computer. p The 114LCM's compact Newtonian optics produce images that are more than three times brighter than a 60mm beginner scope. 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. p Celestron's patented 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 "Enter" button. Then use the computer hand control to center the moon in the eyepiece 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 like the "Two-Star Align" and "SkyAlign" modes because they allow the telescope to point to 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. p The biggest disadvantage of a computerized telescope is battery consumption. Standard AA alkaline batteries only last a few hours, but the 114LCM works very well with an external 12-volt battery such as Celestron's Power Tank. The "Lightweight Computerized Mount" of the 114LCM wobbles noticeably when I touch the focus knob, so I like to keep the tripod legs short and set my Power Tank battery on the accessory tray to keep the system from being top-heavy. –iJeff Phillips/i p BPros:/B ul liEasy computerized tracking system liBright Newtonian optics liIncludes everything but the batteries /ul BCons:/B ul liShort battery life liLight weight tripod /ul