Celestron PowerSeeker 80AZS Telescope

What the PowerSeeker 80AZS Is

The PowerSeeker 80 is a short refractor telescope perfect for terrestrial and celestial viewing on the go. The total kit is lightweight and perfect for impromptu observing sessions or for taking wherever you go, and the erect image star diagonal makes the tube ideal as a spotting scope during the day.

It is a manual telescope with no computer: you find objects with the finderscope, a star chart or an app, and move the telescope up and down and left and right to follow them.

Refractor Optics

The 80mm aperture and 400mm focal length (f/5) gather 131x more light than the human eye, with fully coated optics. Its limiting stellar magnitude is 12 and its resolution 1.74 arc seconds (Rayleigh) or 1.45 arc seconds (Dawes); the highest useful magnification is 189x and the lowest 11x.

The short focal length gives low magnifications and wide views with the included eyepieces. The tube is 90mm (3.54") in diameter and weighs 2.3 lbs (1.04 kg).

Mount, Tripod and Setup

Setup is a breeze and will have you observing in no time: even on your first time out you can assemble the telescope and its accessories in just a few minutes. The steel tripod has 1.25" legs and adjusts from 32" to 51" (812.8mm to 1295.4mm); the adjustable legs also let you place the telescope on a raised surface like a picnic table. The mount and tripod weigh 3.6 lbs (1.63 kg).

The quick setup guide's steps: spread the legs fully and push down the center leg brace, extend each leg 6 to 12 inches and lock it, keeping the three the same length, and thread the eyepiece tray into the brace. Insert the slow motion control rod attached to the tube into the hole on the mount, line the tube up and secure it with its two threaded mounting bolts. Fit the finderscope on its posts with the longer lens facing the front, insert the diagonal into the focuser and the 20mm eyepiece into the diagonal, and take off the lens cap.

Eyepieces, Barlow Lens and Finderscope

Two 1.25" eyepieces are included, the 20mm for low power and the 4mm for higher power. Worked from the 400mm focal length, the 20mm gives 20x and the 4mm 100x, and the 3x Barlow lens triples the power of each: 60x with the 20mm and 300x with the 4mm. The highest useful magnification for this 80mm aperture is 189x, so the 4mm with the Barlow goes well past it and will give dim, soft views; the 4mm alone (100x) is the highest combination within it.

For more magnification, put the Barlow in the diagonal in place of the eyepiece, then the eyepiece into the Barlow. The erect image diagonal gives right-side-up viewing that suits land subjects and also works on celestial objects.

Align the 5x24 finderscope in daylight on an easily recognizable object such as a streetlight, a license plate or a sign, as far away as possible and at least a quarter mile off. Center it in the 20mm eyepiece, then, without moving the telescope, turn the three set screws around the finder bracket until its crosshair sits on the same object; the guide suggests loosening one screw half a turn and tightening another by the same amount so the finder stays held. It won't need realigning unless it is bumped, dropped or removed.

What You Can Observe

The PowerSeeker can view the planets, the Moon, star clusters and brighter deep sky objects like the Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy at night. Expect those two as soft glows rather than the detail of photographs.

For your first night, try the Moon: the best time is from two days after New Moon to a few days before Full Moon, when craters and lunar mountain ranges show the most detail. Center it with the 20mm eyepiece and focus with the knobs below the focuser, then try the 4mm for a much larger view; you may need to refocus when you change eyepieces.

Software

Starry Night Basic Edition software and the SkyPortal app are included. Starry Night is a way to learn about the night sky and plan observing sessions, and you don't need it to use the telescope.

Solar Warning

Never look directly at the Sun with the naked eye or with an optic (unless you have the proper solar filter). Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result. Never use your optic to project an image of the Sun onto any surface. Internal heat build-up can damage the optic and any accessories attached to it. Never leave your optic unsupervised. Make sure an adult who is familiar with the correct operating procedures is with your optic at all times, especially when children are present.