T he five-inch-diameter reflector is frequently considered an ideal choice of astronomical telescope for the serious beginner, occupying a sweet spot of good light-gathering power with reasonable economy. The Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ is aimed firmly at this market and is the biggest and most powerful telescope in the PowerSeeker range. It comes complete with a German equatorial mount to facilitate easy tracking of objects across the night sky when properly set up and aligned and a decent aluminium tripod that provides a steady base. The standard kit includes a 20mm erecting eyepiece, a 4mm highpower eyepiece and a 3x Barlow lens.
On the face of it, this is an attractive package at an attractive price from a trusted astronomy brand, offering everything you might need to start making some worthwhile nighttime observations of the stars, planets and nebulae. However, our tests revealed that this instrument does have some shortcomings that you should consider before purchasing – specifically the optical
