| Brand: | Celestron | ||
| Average Rating |
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Celestron NexStar 114GT Specifications **Brightness Rating of 3.5 **Limiting Stellar Magnitude of 12 — **114mm (4.5) Reflector — **1000mm f/9 Focal Length — **Star Pointer Finderscope — **Motorized Altazimuth Mount — **25mm SMA (40x) and 10mm SMA (100x) Eyepieces — **Accessory Tray — **Fully Computerized — **4,000 Object Database — **Assembled Weight: 15.5 lbs. — The NexStar 114 Newtonian reflector has 265 times the light gathering power of the average human eye, revealing fine detail within galaxies and nebulae. This compact design brings objects into view with a 114mm aperture, 1000mm focal length capable of achieving magnifications of 40x and 100x with the included eyepieces. — Its large 4.5 diameter outshines smaller scopes. Polar caps on Mars become visible along with the cloud belts on Jupiter. The rings of Saturn are clearly visible. Most exciting is the wide variety of deep sky objects (stars, clusters, nebulae). Because of their optical design, reflectors are best suited for astronomical use. — All you need to know is the general direction of North, your closest major city (included in the instruction manual), plus the date and time, and you will be observing planets, stars and more within moments. — NexStar computerized telescopes are so straightforward, astronomers at all levels can locate over 4,000 pre-programmed stars, planets, and other celestial objects right out of the box. Plus, fully assembled tripod ad pre-installed electronics make set up quick (taking only seconds) and simple. — All of our NexStar Telescopes come equippped with 2- 1.25 eyepieces and everything you need including the hand controller. — Limited Quantities Available – On Sale Now! more info
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Great Scope
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This telescope is great. I saw Saturn, M42, M31 and others easily. I bought this for my son and he was so exicted. My only complain is the battery pack. Some times it slips out and you have to realign. The computer controlls were great. This is a best buy. I am very happy with this. The accessory tray is a little flimsy though. I highly reccomend this.
Wonderful first telescope
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Nexstar 114 GT was very easy to put together and use. I was viewing the moon and Saturn the first night out. Having the built in motor and star database makes this telescope a breeze to use when trying to locate nearly any object. My one complaint is that the plug for the battery pack occasionally slips out of the telescope. Once that happens, you have to go through the alignment process all over again (which takes about 3-5 minutes).
One Of The Best Telescope
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I own This Telescope, all I do if I want to see a planet, star, moon, etc Just push and select an object you want to see and it will go there automaticly.
This Product is Great!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
When I first bought this product it was when Mars came really close to earth and this was the first time in 72,000 years. I read the News on the Internet so I chose which item to buy and came across this item. It was a good choice and well designed. The ONLY problem is putting it back in the box but that wasn’t too much trouble. This device moves by itself and pinpoints the exact dirrection of the stars. I enjoyed seeing the moon alot and learned new stars. This item also come with a PC CD where I can check out any new stars, comets, meteors ect. I also whent to telescopesforless.com and bought a new eye piece. Clestron.com is the best web site for seeing what’s new. I never experience a telescope like this one. For More info email me at juan13@sbcglobal.net.
Wonderful Telescope for the money
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I recently purchased the Celestron NexStar 114GT in preparation for a college astronomy course and I am sure glad I did! I am still learning how to use it, but so far it is exceeding my expectations. The fact that I can control the scope with the handheld control or my laptop computer is a real plus. If you plan to use your laptop computer with this scope, you will need to purchase an inexpensive serial cable compatible with the NexStar. With this cable you can hook up to the telescope hand control using your serial port or USB port (using a converter, that’s what I do)
I also found an Internet site for people who own any Celestron NexStar telescope. This site is wonderful! It is full of so much information (www.nexstarsite.com) On this site are things like tips for viewing, controller the scope with your PC, updated NexStar Observer List software, and information regarding accessories (including the serial cable above)…plus so much more!
Bottom line…the Celestron NexStar 114GT is an excellent value for the beginner or intermediate observer. I highly recommend it.
One Of The Best Telescope
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I own This Telescope, all I do if I want to see a planet, star, moon, etc Just push and select an object you want to see and it will go there automaticly.
Fine quality, but not the best way to spend your dollars
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This scope is certainly the best of the automated 4-1/2″ scopes, but at the same time, I think spending that much on such a small scope is really not the best way to allocate your telescope dollars. Adding automation to this little scope more than doubles the price of the scope- and if you can afford that much, you’d be far better off with a larger scope.
For the cost of this scope, you can buy an 8″ or 10″ “dobsonian” reflector from Celestron, Meade and other suppliers that has much greater light gathering capacity and much higher resolution. There’s just no comparison between the views you’d get in a little scope like this and those from a larger scope. Automation is better used on much larger scopes where it’s a smaller part of teh purchase price.
A good value for the money.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is my first telescope, although I’ve viewed the night sky with far more expensive scopes. I’m impressed with the capabilities and value (I paid far less than retail at Costco).
I have not had the problem with the scope bumping into the base. However I do think the az/el drive system could be driven a bit better. On the highest rate – 9 – it seems to start up rather jerky, neccessitating a switch to a lower rate for short movements.
The only problem I’ve had is with the various types of alignment. It’s hard to use a magnetic compass near the scope, for the quick alignment procedure. I would attribute this to my lack of experience with the equipment, but it makes it hard to track Mars properly.
Nexstar 114GT
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
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.
Easy to use, and Easy to set-up
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is my first scope! It is easy to set-up, and the controls are a breeze. Once you get it aligned it finds everything for you by the press of a button, which in turn adds to your knowledge of the skys by telling you what your looking at all the time. I do wish it was more powerful, but you can always buy stronger eyepeices. I only paid $302.43 Canadian for this brand new with tax! That’s $196.72 before tax in US dollars. People were complaining about the battery pack falling off, but as long as your paying attention to it, and move the pack when you see the cord being stretched you wont have any troubles.
I recommend you buy the Celestron eyepiece and filter package if you buy this scope.
It’s perfect for a first telescope if you ask me.
Easy to use telescope – very well worth its cost
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m a beginner in astronomy. I bought this telescope after reading reviews about it. First night out, I saw the Moon and later Saturn. The views are spectacular ! I would recommend this telescope to any beginner. I would also recommend a better power source (AC/power-tank) and a slightly higher power eyepiece.
This should read zero stars for their poor customer service
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
First, let me say that the telescope is OK, it’s actually pretty nice for a basic beginners scope. You can see the rings of Saturn fairly well. The drive system is a little shaky, so if you go over a 166X magnification (optional 6mm eyepiece) you need to shut off the tracking to get a good view. But for the money I could live with that. That said, let me tell you about their disappointing customer service. I bought a bunch of Celestron accessories, hard carrying case, a tripod case, a case of eyepieces and filters, and a solar filter to look at the Sun, I spent a little extra money, All Celestron stuff. The second time I used the telescope I hit it on a doorknob and put a little dent in it. Stupid me, it was all my fault. It still works fine, but my poor brand new telescope has a dent in it about the size of a quarter and that sucks. I wanted to fix it, it all disassembles to the bare sheet metal tube in about 10 minutes or so, I tried to work the dent out, but it’s still there. I put it all back together, it still works fine. I thought I would order a new tube no problem. WRONG!!!!!.
I contacted the Celestron website and told them that I dented it and wanted to purchase a replacement tube. Their response was that they would not just sell me the part, I had to send the telescope back to them and they would replace it for me. Now, I didn’t pay quite as much as it is listed on this site, but to send it back and get it fixed would have cost me with shipping 63% of the cost of a brand new unit complete in the box with the tripod and control panel, servo drive and everything. 63%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You do the math! In the real world this thin painted steel tube is maybe worth $20.00, it does have 20 prepunched holes in it and is painted flat black on the inside. I would have even probably paid $50.00 for it because then I wouldn’t have had to look at this little dent every time I used my telescope forever.
Since their email response was a little frustrating, I thought I should call Celestron and talk to someone with some common sense and they’ll realize that it’s not reasonable to make me pay 63% of the price of a new complete package for this piece of sheet metal. I talked to the customer service manager and explained the situation and asked that they sell me a new tube and I’ll assemble it myself, I would gladly purchase a collimation tool also so I could make sure the mirrors were alligned properly. That didn’t seem like an outrageous request.
I was very nice to the gentleman (I wish I could remember his name, I’d post it here). He said they couldn’t sell me the part “because it was fragile and they couldn’t guarantee that it wouldn’t get damaged in shipment”. As God is my witness, that was the Customer Service Manager’s excuse. Evidently it’s OK for me to ship the telescope both ways, but they can’t package the bare tube and ship it to me without damage. At that point I asked him specifically if he was refusing to sell me the tube unless they installed it, and he said “Yes”. I told him I will never do business with them again, and I won’t. I can guarantee you my next telescope will not be a Celestron. I own a small business myself, and deal with the retail public every day. If one of my employees provided this poor of service to one of my customers I would fire them. Their customer service is absolutely unacceptable in my opinion, and if you agree I ask you not to buy any of their equipment. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions at todd_d_glenn@yahoo.com . Feel free to contact Celestron if you feel that their policy is unreasonable at support@celestron.com . If you read this whole thing and finally got to this sentence, thanks for your time.
A Nice telescope for a beginner
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
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.
Celestron Nexstar 114 GT Telescope
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The Celestron Nexstar 114GT Telescope is wonderfully easy to assemble. From the box to fully assembled takes a matter of minutes. I myself am not a great reader of directions and the assembly process does not require a degree in engineering. The alignment process does require a compass for accuracy. A small level would also be useful. Perhaps this could be considered in an updated version with a small compass and level built into the telescope’s framework. The price is competitive and accessories are available for computer aided star alignment. I like it.
Great scope to start a hobby!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had the Nexstar 114 GT for only a couple of weeks, but it’s great! Easy to set-up, easy to align. Has great optics, good definition of objects. This is the first scope I have owned, and it has only made me more interested in astronomy. Like everyone, the first object I viewed was the moon…fantastic! Then on to Jupiter and it’s four moons…awesome. Bottom line, great scope at a decent price.
Great beginner scope
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
When I bought this scope, I had great expectations. For the most part, it delivered, but as I learned more and wanted to see further, I ran into limitations. The box said I could use the inclosed software to control the scope with a laptop. Almost right. You can use the software, but you have to buy the updated Level 2 version … plus all the extra cables …. Also, this thing eats batteries, especially on a cold night. If you’re serious about star-gazing, invest in the cigarette lighter adapter. The manual has a few errors on some of the handset functions and the scope has a bad habit of hitting the tripod while slewing to an object. This is really annoying because you have to re-align every time it happens. I know this sounds like I’m trashing the scope, but, overall, I’m happy with it. Anyone interested in getting into astronomy could learn a lot from this scope.
Good and affordable motorized telescope!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
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!!!
Great Starter Scope
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This scope is one of the best in the under [a high price] catagory. I bought it because it was a complete package (scope, eyepieces, “go to” computer, and full-sized tripod). It performs well and lives up to the hype on the box. The “go to” feature really works – the sought after object is almost always somewhere in the low power field of view. The only flaw is the battery pack, which seems like an afterthought and is always getting tangled. As another reviewer noted, the tube tends to bump the mount when viewing objects overhead, which forces you to realign unnecessarily…
Hand Controller is a joke.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
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.
Excellent deal for power star observation
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
A while ago I purchased the Nexstar 114GT. I was impressed at the amount of features that came with the telescope. Celestial objects catalogs, alignment options, tracking, ability to connect with a PC, tour, etc…
The tripod is of fair quality. It is stable and light. The ‘deluxe’ tray would be better if it had holes for eyepieces. The finder is basic as well. Easy to tune and operate. I am considering upgrading to something better at some point.
By contrast, the tube is made of higher quality, and the optics are good. The 2 eyepieces that comes with the telescope are of entry level, but will provide a very good and clear picture. I was very satisfied with what I was able to see, as well as the quality. Mounting the tube on the arm, and the arm on the tripod is a snap.
The hand control is ok. Once you understand your way around the menus there’s a lot you can do. The auto-align works well, and tracking too. I recommend going on the web, there’s a site dedicated to the 114GT packed with very useful tips to get the most of this telescope. Perusing the manual, no so user friendly, a few times will also help in operating the telescope and get some good results.
Now, about customer service; and this is going to contrast from a previous reviewer’s review. After some time, the azimuth drive started to show signs of weakness: it wasn’t as fast as usual. It thought the telescope did not get mounted properly and I opened the holding arm to see if I could do something. I was able to tighten some of the clutches as they were loose. But a while after that the motor ended up dying. Opened the arm again, tested the drive and came to the conclusion that I had to change it. Having opened the arm several times and messed around with the inner mechanics I thought that Celestron would just cancel the warranty and have me pay for the reparation.
Anywasy, I called Celestron’s customer service and explained my problem. They gave me a Return Authorization number, and I sent them the arm along with the hand control. About a week later, the arm came back with a brand new motor and power connector. In addition they had adjusted the clutches and tested everything. And this cost me a grand total of $0. Thumbs up!
Great Scope
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
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).