The PowerSeeker 50A altazimuth refractor is a very, very economical introduction to casual astronomy and nature study for the beginning astronomer, but one that can supply good images of nature, the Moon, the planets, and some of the brighter deep space objects.
We can't claim that the 50mm altazimuth PowerSeeker 50A is a serious telescope for the serious amateur, but it is an exceptionally inexpensive starter scope for the young budding astronomer or naturalist. Its refractor optics and simplified mount make it an easy-to-use instrument for a youngster to begin his or her explorations of the Moon and planets in the night sky and the nature that surrounds us here on Earth.
The PowerSeeker 50A has all-glass optical components, with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity. Unlike a reflector-type scope, which needs occasional recollimation (aligning) of the optics to perform well, the PowerSeeker 50A's refractor optics are permanently aligned for the sharpest images.
The mount is a simple altazimuth that you push by hand to move up and down, right and left, to find and track objects across the sky and daytime landscape. It has no slow motion controls, but is totally manual in operation. Once you have scanned your way across the face of the Moon, and marveled at Saturn's rings and Jupiter's four Galilean moons, you can use the PowerSeeker 50A to look at things closer to home. The altazimuth mount will let you easily track objects on the ground and allow you to get a closer look at nature and your surroundings.
The PowerSeeker 50 has a light grasp 51 times that of the sharpest eye. Combine that light grasp with its three eyepieces (20, 12, and 4mm) and 3x Barlow lens, and you have the ability to see many, many celestial that are simply invisible to the unaided eye. The supplied 1.5x image erecting eyepiece gives you terrestrial images with all three eyepieces that are upright and right-reading (printing can be read normally and is not reversed as it is during astronomical observing). The PowerSeeker 50A is well equipped to open up a whole new world to the beginning astronomer, at a price that is well within reach and reason.
This Telescope's Optical System . . .
Refractor optical tube: 50mm (2") aperture air-spaced two-element crown and flint glass achromatic lens. 600mm focal length f/12 all-glass optics. No plastic lenses.
Coated optics: The objective lens has antireflection coatings on all surfaces for high light transmission and good contrast.
Dew shield: A dew shield (an extension of the optical tube that's threaded onto the front of the objective lens) slows the formation of dew on the lens in cold weather. This extends your undisturbed observing time.
Rack and pinion focuser: The 0.965" focuser has dual focusing knobs for precise image control with either hand. The large focus knobs are easy to operate, even while wearing gloves or mittens in cold weather.
Star diagonal: The 90° viewing angle 0.965" star diagonal (eyepiece holder) allows comfortable viewing when looking overhead at the sky. It provides erect mirror image views (objects are reversed left for right). This is not a problem when observing the stars and planets, but may be disconcerting during terrestrial observing, as printing (license plates, the names on boats, etc.) will be backwards. That is why the 1.5x image erecting eyepiece discussed below is also supplied to give you correctly oriented images and more comfortable extended terrestrial observing.
Three eyepieces: You get a high power .965" 4mm (150x) eyepiece, a medium power 0.965" 12mm (50x), and a low power 0.965" 20mm (30x) with a 1.37° field of view (almost three times the diameter of the full Moon). All eyepieces have antireflection coatings on their lens surfaces for sharp images and good contrast.
Barlow lens: A 0.965" 3x Barlow lens is included that triples the magnification of the supplied eyepieces to 90x, 150x, and 450x. The 450x magnification of the 4mm eyepiece/Barlow combination is realistically far beyond the scope's usable magnification capability, however. Do not count on using that optical combination very often, if at all.
Image-erecting eyepiece: You get a 1.5x 0.965" image-erecting eyepiece adapter for terrestrial observing. This auxiliary lens fits between the telescope and the 20mm eyepiece for straight-through viewing at 45x. It can also be used with the 12mm eyepiece to give you 75x. Images are upright and correctly oriented (printing reads correctly).
Finderscope: A low power 5x24mm finderscope attaches to the side of the optical tube. The straight-through viewing refractor finderscope provides a traditional inverted mirror-image astronomical view. If properly collimated (aligned) with the view through the main telescope, its crosshairs will help you center distant objects in the telescope so you don't have to search for them using the narrow eyepiece field of view.
This Telescope's Mount . . .
Altazimuth mount: The altazimuth mount provides right/left and up/down motions. You simply push the telescope tube to the objects you want to see, using the finderscope to help you locate them. This is suitable for casual astronomical observing, and will let you easily follow objects on the ground to allow you to get a closer look at nature and your surroundings. Knobs at the base of the mount allows you to lock the tube in place or to adjust the drag on the scope to control how smoothly the mount moves as you manually push the tube to follow objects moving through the sky or on the land.
Tripod: The lightweight aluminum tripod easily adjusts for standing or seated observations through the telescope. The tripod includes an accessory shelf that holds your eyepieces and Barlow.
Two year warranty: As an expression of Celestron's confidence in the quality of their products, the PowerSeeker is protected by Celestron's two-year limited warranty against flaws in materials and workmanship.
