Celestron Nexstar 114GT 114mm Go-To Reflector Telescope
(21 Celestron Nexstar 114GT Reviews)
List Price: $598.00
Your Price:
$259.95
-- saving you 57 percent
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Your Shopping Cart is empty.
(21 Celestron Nexstar 114GT Reviews)
List Price: $598.00
Your Price:
$259.95
-- saving you 57 percent
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Model: 114-GT
Manufacturer: Celestron
Model SKU: B00004ZD38
Hand Controller is a joke.
by Joyce Staubs
,
2009-08-15
I've owned this telescope for years, and for most of those years its been sitting in my closet collecting dust because it simply refuses to align. I've done everything to align this thing, and finally after years of this abuse, I've given up and called Tech Support which is another joke. They refuse to help me not simply because its out of warranty(no problem for me, I expected to have to pay), but because apparently they dont know exactly what the problem is.
Great Scope
by David
from New Mexico,
2007-12-17
I have been an amateur astronomer for 30 years - my first scope being a Criterion RV6. I bought this scope two years ago mainly due to the GoTo tracking and the Celestron name. Despite knowing the location of a few hundred objects, this telescope has opened the sky for me. I take it camping and throw it in the car whenever I think I might find clear dark skies.
The hand controller is packed with information about each of the objects in its inventory. The info scrolls across the LCD once the object is located.
The GoTo feature is a MUST for beginner astronomers. As a first timer, you will NOT be able to locate even a fraction of the objects with a Dobsonian (as suggested in an earlier review). Your frustration will kill your enthusiasm - but this scope will keep you interested and happy for a long time.
I would suggest purchasing the Celestron 9 piece eyepiece set for $100 (a great deal) and the AC adapter (the drive eats batteries).
Nexstar 114GT
by K. Kennard
from Georgia,
2007-02-18
I have owned this telescope for a few years now. It is very nice and probably the most used between all the telescopes I own. At 114mm it is just the right size for ease of use and yet still collects enough starlight to go quite far into deep sky objects. The Go-to feature is very nice however can probably be difficult to use for first time users. It will take some getting used to... aligning the scope, setting it level.. etc etc. When using the scope I actually usually prefer to just control it manually, I find that searching for the objects oneself is half the fun of astronomy. Many objects are easily attainable with this scope... the planets especially highlighting Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter you can see the main moons as well as cloud detail in the bands including the GRS. Saturn is visible with its brightest moons and a fairly trained eye should be able to pick out the cassini division in the rings. As far as deepsky objects, all the bright ones such as M13, M27, M31, M42, M45, M57, etc are easily visible with some detail. This telescope is not limited to just the messier catalog, it can go deep! I would strongly recommend this telescope to anyone interested in astronomy.
A Nice telescope for a beginner
by Chess Player trying to improve
,
2006-07-20
I bought this telescope about 2 or 3 years ago. I am not disappointed with it. For a decent price, you get a 4.5 inch reflector telescope with 2 eyepieces(10 mm for 100x and 25mm for 40x)and the nexstar tracking system. Set up was easy, and the optics were good. I have seen other reviews say that you can get a 6 or 8 inch dobsonian for the price of this. While this is true, I needed the tracking system, because I live in a light polluted area where "star hopping" just isn't going to work. The tripod is steady and is adjustable. The optics are good and clear.
This isn't to say I don't have any complaints. One is the battery pack. The batteries slip out, and mine broke so I couldn't power the scope. I had to use a backup car battery jumpstarter to power it. Also, if you don't have a power source, there is no way to move it. It doesn't allow you to move it manually, only electronically. Finally, the accessories tray was very flimsy.
But despite all this, I was satsified. I also recommend getting the celestron accessory kit.
Good and affordable motorized telescope!
by Tiziana Rubatto
from Moss Beach, CA, USA,
2004-08-28
I bought the Nestar 114GT as my first telescope and I'm really having a great time!
Affordable for a motorized telescope and pretty powerful.
Easy to set up, light, easy to transport.
You can easily spot all the planets, even Pluto!!(.. if the sky is clear and your eyes are good), for the rings... well, that's different...you'll need a more powerful scope.
The cons:
- the manual: even if the scope is easy to set up and it's kind of "self-explanatory", I noticed that the manual is poor and not very helpful... you learn day by day.
- the motorized arm: when sleughin to stars or planets, sometimes it "skips" a gear or two so that the alignment is not perfect. I don't know if this happens with every scope or just with mine.
Some advice: don't expect the scope to do everything for you. You still need to know which star you're looking at and where to find it. The computerized alignment is not always perfect and you might ended up looking at Arcturus while thinking of Polaris.
Buy accessories! The scope comes with two eye-pieces: a 10mm and a 15mm. They are good, but if you want to check some detail you need more powerful eye-pieces. I bought the set that contains planet filters (great for Moon-viewing!) and eye-pieces (with a good 2x Barlow lens). This set is sold at Amazon as well.
If you like to see the Sun and its sun-spot, then you can buy a solar filter and you'll be stocked!!!
And don't forget the AC adapter!!!