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Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ Telescope ($10 Scope)
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Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ Telescope ($10 Scope)
My name is Alejandro Hernandez. I’m 40 years old. I’m a husband and father of three, a full-time editor, a part-time musician, and an avid amateur astronomer.
Here is my review of the Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ, my first scope.
I got it used at a thrift store for $10. It was missing some parts (diagonal, finder scope, eyepieces, and eyepiece tray), but I got it to work (more info at the bottom of this article).
Now, let’s dive in.
Optics
This scope is a 70 mm refractor with a focal length of 700 mm and a focal ratio of f/10. At first, I wasn’t sure what all these numbers meant, but as time went on, I started learning and knowing the scope.
I think this telescope has decent optics. Contrast is very good for planets, and with the 700 mm focal length, you can see more than just a dot in the FOV. The moon is also a good target with this scope. Again, contrast is good, and views are clear and crisp.
Aperture is on the small side of things. Being a 70 mm scope there is not much light-gathering power, but it’s usable. I used it, a lot.
Hardware
The tube and tripod are very lightweight. Being an alt-azimuth mount, it’s easy and intuitive to handle. It’s not intimidating, and you can get it going quickly. The bad news is that it’s wobbly, but if you’re very enthusiastic and patient as I was/still am, it’ll be fine.
The focuser works. It’s not the best but it gets the job done. Once you focus, you’ll have to wait a few seconds for the vibrations to stop completely. Depending on the magnification you’re using, this can vary between 2–3 seconds to more than 5 seconds.
Comparing this scope with another one of the same family, the Celestron PowerSeeker 80AZS, which I also own (can do a full review of that one, too), I like the views from the 80 mm short tube better, even though the shorter focal length means less magnification. I use the 80 mm more for open clusters and wide views.
Back to this one. This scope showed me and my family (wife and kids) the bands of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn for the first time. It made us go “WOW!” And for that, I will always be grateful.
PROS: Optics are decent. It’s lightweight and portable.
CONS: Mount is shaky/wobbly. Not a lot of aperture.
Here is a little background on this scope.
During the pandemic, I saw in the news that a comet was approaching. It was comet NEOWISE. I got a pair of binoculars to try to see it (Celestron’s 7x50 binoculars). Of course I didn’t, but I got the bug, big time.
As time went by, I found myself learning a lot about the night sky with those binoculars. Then, one day, while searching online, I found a telescope for $10 at a local thrift store. I had to get it, so I did.
It was this scope. It was in good shape with no visible/significant damage; only a small dent in the tube but nothing that affected performance. I took it home and my wife gave it a deep clean. I posted it on a very helpful Facebook group where someone reached out to me telling me what I needed to get it going. The scope was missing a diagonal, finder scope, eyepieces, and eyepiece tray for the tripod. This person was kind enough to send me a homemade star diagonal and an eyepiece of very nice quality, I must say, for which I am very grateful.
I used this telescope a lot. A LOT! I took it out to the backyard every single clear night I could. This telescope showed me the planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). It showed me M13, M57, M45 (a closer look than with the binos), M7, M8, M20, and the moon in close detail. It also showed me a power line in great detail; the distant object I used to align the finder scope with the main scope.
I no longer have this scope. I donated it to my astronomy club, hoping it will wow someone else the same way it did with me and my family.
Bottom line is I had fun and learned a lot with this scope. I’ve read mixed reviews about this line from Celestron, and this was my experience as a total beginner.
That is all for now. I hope this has been helpful.
Clear skies!
- Jon Isaacs, Bob Campbell, jgraham and 35 others like this
38 Comments
Great review
Some people call this kind of scopes "hobby killers", thats ridiculous. if a scope like this is the pure reason that could make you stay away form the hobby, then astonomy isnt for you, thats it.
Good point. After all, we all started with our eyes first. Even now, the naked eye view is a treat under really dark skies….
I have a little Vixen 70mm that I was given. It is the model that brags in advertising as having "all glass optics". At F12.9 it gives surprisingly good views of the moon with its new diagonal and decent ep. My plan is to mount it on the 5" frac for star parties and let people compare.
Great review.
I have an early 1960s Carton 60mm f/15. I obtained a 1.25" adapter that replaced the .96 back that screwed onto the drawtube. Its performance with a premium 1.25 diagonal and eyepieces is excellent.
I concur. Galileo would have been thrilled with even the cheapest "department store" scope available today.
Sure. If you are really interested in astronomy, even naked eye views are gonna be enjoyable, binoculars or a scope is a plus (not necesary fancy ones)
Yea, as i understand even today's departament store telescopes are better than some of the dacades ago entry level scopes
I am gratified that I'm not alone in appreciating small scopes often consigned to 'hobby killer' status. However as they are commonly offered by the manufactures they are indeed hobby killlers. Celestron, Meade, etc...why to you do this?
It should be noted many agree the Achilles heel of such scopes is usually in the eyepieces, diagonal and to a lesser degree the tripods. Once good but cheap Plossl eyepieces and a good but cheap diagonal (and a .965" to 1/25" adapter or hybrid diagonal for scopes with a .965" visual back) replace the originals and the rickedyness of the tripod is adapted to they usually put up a fine view.
Tom
Alejandro,
Great review! I really enjoyed reading this. My second telescope is very similar to this one, with a smaller aperture and shaky mount (Meade Polaris 90mm F/10). But it gets a lot of use and is a joy to use despite having a few problems to boot. Unlike my Newtonian reflector, I can carry my small refractor with one hand.
Tony
I have to disagree. My first scope was a 60 mm, probably F/11 with one 2 element eyepiece, no finder, lashed to a $5 a worn out, department store tripod. The total investment was $10 at two garage sales. Fortunately, the internet was still in the future so no one could tell me I had a "hobby killer."
By comparison, the Powerseeker 70 reviewed here, a scope I owned, is a Cadillac. Almost 20 years ago, I purchased Telstar by Meade 60 mm F/11 to review it. It was published in Uncle Rods Skywatch on line magazine (Spring 2005) and later the Amateur Astronomy magazine. It was title "Fifty Dollars at Walmart."
Like the Powerseeker 70, it was compromised in many ways but for someone with an beginner's mind, a cup half full attitude, it can be the spark that lights a passion the way my vastly inferior 60 mm did for me nearly 40 years ago.
The obstacles an amateur astronomer faces are major. One might imagine spending a pleasant, warm evening in the back wandering from one stunning view to the next... That's the dream, the reality is very different. Wind and cold, hit and humid, mosquitoes, sleepless nights, clouds, it takes persistence and perseverance.
If that first glimpse of Saturn or M42 in a Powerseeker 70 doesn't do it for you, it's probably not the hobby for you. These days, I'm in my 70s. I have much better equipment but the difficulties are much greater. Instead of M42 inch a 60 mm, I'm hunting down barely perceptible galaxies in my 16 inch and 22 inch, sometimes in 25 mph winds a few degrees above freezing.
"Blessed are those with few expectations for they are seldom disappointed." Tony Hillerman
Jon
Thanks everyone! I really enjoyed this telescope, which was my first, and reading all the comments and feedback made me remember how much I liked it and used it, mainly because of its portability and quick set up (just carry the whole thing to the backyard and sit down to start observing). Well, the interwebs gods brought this model back to me, as I just found another PowerSeeker 70AZ for sale nearby for $20, so I got it. This time with all accessories included. It got first light last night in the backyard. I pointed it at a couple of double stars, Algieba and Mizar, as well as the Stargate asterism in Corvus. Great views!
Thanks for reading my review and for sharing your comments and experiences.
Clear skies.
Alejandro
I also picked up one of these, in the box with all the parts, seemingly unused, for $20. Mine has a red-dot finder which I prefer. I like it for grab and go, and find that with an Orion 7-21 zoom it gives me a lot of utility in a very small and light package that is easy to toss in the back seat. Can't compare it to my 10" dob but that isn't the point. I take it places, so the comparison is more appropriate to either binoculars or nothing. One important thing for me is the fine adjustment on the altitude. It makes a huge difference compared to just a tensioning clutch adjustment and helps a lot with getting it pointed where you want it, especially with the lightweight tripod and mount. This scope has allowed me provide that first "OMG" moment of seeing Saturn's rings for a lot of my friends, very satisfying.
Thank you Alejandro, I have this scope on an EQ mount which is wobbly. It's a great scope for planetary observing which I can still do despite a bad back, thanks to this scope.
Thank you, Jon Isaacs for inspiring me to have a local carpenter or handyman build a wooden tripod for it.
Inspiring story, thanks! I like to remember how happy Galileo and his contemporaries would have been to view the heavens with an instrument like this $10 refractor.
For what it's worth, I like to share Dave Trott's web page about improving such scopes, and also the Astronomy Magazine article that he cites (and wrote):
https://davetrott.co...heap-telescope/
Thanks to Alejandro for the inspiration and the rest of the community for the stimulating followup.
Clear skies - JR