Selling Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ, struggling to find suitable replacement - Forums

Topic starter

20 days ago

I bought the Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ as my very first telescope to take my initial steps into the observation world, but now I am putting it up for sale.

The optical system does its job reasonably well, but to be completely honest, the setup hassle and weight of the equatorial (EQ) mount, along with the constant collimation headaches of the Newtonian system, eventually wore me out. Since I prefer enjoying observations rather than constantly dealing with mechanical adjustments, I wanted to switch to the Celestron AstroMaster 102AZ; however, unfortunately, it is completely impossible to find this model in my country. I could only find the AstroMaster LT 70AZ model on the market, but I'm afraid it won't satisfy me coming from a 127EQ.

Actually, I had in mind to get a hybrid telescope combining reflector and refractor advantages, but finding such specialized models here is practically impossible, which leaves you totally clueless about what to do next. My mind is completely mixed up right now, and I honestly don't know what to do or which path to take under these conditions. If anyone here knows this market, I'd love to hear your advice and thoughts!

Clear skies to everyone! 🌌

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Tony Gondola

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20 days ago

Where are you? The Jones-Bird design of the 127 isn’t know to be particularly good. Since you’re talking visual I’d get or make a traditional 6” F/8 Dob. I would avoid Celestron products in general at the lower end of the price scale.

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krm14

Topic starter

20 days ago

Thanks for the advice Tony! The 6" Dobsonian sounds like a dream setup for visual astronomy, but here in Turkey, finding or affording one is a real challenge. Premium models or proper Dobs are either extremely expensive due to import/shipping costs, or simply out of stock most of the time. That’s why we get stuck choosing between limited budget options like Celestron's lower-end lineup!

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Tony Gondola

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20 days ago

I wonder if there are any active telescope makers in Turkey that you can get in touch with. Something like this can be an excellent first time project. Far into the past this was common in the US when telescopes really were not something you could buy off the shelf so if you wanted one, you had to make one.

https://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/490/index.html

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krm14

Topic starter

20 days ago

Building one from scratch sounds a bit too hardcore for me right now! Since I want to spend my time actually observing rather than manufacturing optics, buying a ready-to-use telescope is definitely a much better option for my sanity.

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Tony Gondola

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20 days ago

Well I’m sure you can find something. Looking around for used gear might be helpful too.

krm14

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19 days ago

Or I could make do with the 127EQ for now and get a Seestar S50 later on. Is the Seestar S50 a good choice? I usually focus on deep-sky objects. I know the S50 isn’t suitable for planets.

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Tony Gondola

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19 days ago

I’m not a fan of smart telescopes. That said, if you want to get in photography with a low budget, that will get you there. it would provide a good opportunity to start learning the processing end.

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