Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ Review Research

Introduction

The Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ is a popular beginner telescope thanks to aggressive online promotion and a misleading specification sheet. While the box advertises a 1000 mm focal length and “powerful magnification,” the optical design used to achieve these numbers—known as a Bird-Jones system—introduces severe alignment and image quality problems.

User reports and independent testing indicate that the AstroMaster 114EQ prioritizes marketability over optical performance. The scope uses a spherical mirror with a permanently built-in corrector lens inside the focuser. This design makes accurate collimation nearly impossible, introduces optical distortion, and results in soft, washed-out views that disappoint most beginners. At this price, significantly better telescopes exist, such as the Zhumell Z130, SkyWatcher Heritage 130P, and Meade Infinity 102.

Optics

The AstroMaster 114EQ is a Bird–Jones reflector, meaning its 1000 mm focal length is artificially created by placing a corrector lens inside the focuser. This is the worst possible location, since the lens shifts every time the focuser moves, which constantly throws off alignment. Because the mirror is spherical—not parabolic—the lens is supposed to correct the aberrations caused by the mirror, but in this implementation it introduces even more distortion.

The result is soft, low-contrast views. Jupiter’s bands are faint, Saturn’s rings lack definition, and deep-sky objects appear dim and blurry. The Moon is the only target that looks acceptable, but nearly any telescope can show the Moon well.

Mechanics & Mount

The included equatorial mount is technically functional, but not enjoyable to use. Much of the mount head and slow-motion controls are plastic rubbing against plastic, which quickly wears down and introduces backlash. Focusing causes vibration, and tracking celestial objects requires constant correction. Instead of enabling learning, it often frustrates beginners.

Accessories

The 20 mm eyepiece includes an unnecessary erecting lens intended to create a right-side-up image, which further degrades sharpness and contrast. The 10 mm Kellner eyepiece is serviceable, and the red-dot finder is usable, but neither offsets the optical design flaws of the telescope itself.

Drawbacks

The AstroMaster 114EQ’s core problem is the design itself. The optical tube is nearly impossible to collimate correctly because of the fixed internal corrector lens. The mount is wobbly, the focuser introduces tilt, and the included 20 mm eyepiece makes image quality even worse. Practically every component encourages immediate replacement, at which point a better telescope could have been purchased from the start.

Conclusion

The Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ is not recommended for beginners interested in astronomy. For the same price, tabletop Dobsonians such as the Zhumell Z130 and SkyWatcher Heritage 130P offer significantly better optics and easier use, while refractors such as the Meade Infinity 102 provide stable mounts and sharp images. The AstroMaster 114EQ is built to look good on a store shelf, not to deliver meaningful astronomical performance.