CELESTRON 21049 127EQ Telescope User Guide
- June 6, 2024
- Celestron
Table of Contents
QUICK SETUP GUIDE
POWERSEEIER 127EQ
21049
Unpack your telescope and verify that all parts are present. Your
PowerSeeker 127EQ includes: a telescope tube with two tube rings attached, a
tripod with center leg brace, an equatorial mount, two eyepieces, a 3x Barlow
lens, a fi finderscope, a 6 lb. counterweight, a counterweight bar, two slow-
motion cables, a 1/4-20 mounting stud on one tube ring for cameras), a lens
cleaning cloth, tripod multitool and an Allen wrench for secondary mirror
adjustments, and an eyepiece accessory tray.
To set up the tripod, spread the legs outward until they are fully extended
and push down the center leg brace.
Extend the center portion of each of the three tripod legs down about 6 to 12
inches. Use the tightening screw on each leg to secure the extended leg in
place.
Check to ensure that all three legs are the same height once extended to
provide a level platform for the telescope.
Place the eyepiece accessory tray on top of the tripod’s center leg brace.
Thread the tray into the threaded hole in the center of the leg brace until it
is fully seated.
If necessary, rotate the accessory tray counterclockwise until the accessory
holes are not covered by the leg brace arms as shown here.
Locate the equatorial mount and place the base of the mount through the hole
in the center of the tripod mounting platform.
From underneath the tripod mounting platform, thread the attached mounting bolt into the hole on the bottom of the equatorial mount.
Look up the approximate latitude of your observing site on the Internet or
using a map. Then, thread the latitude adjustment screw into the equatorial
mount until your latitude is indicated on the latitude scale.
Locate the counterweight bar and counterweight. Slide the counterweight
halfway down the counterweight bar.
Holding the counterweight in one hand, line up the counterweight bar with the
mount. With your other hand, turn the counterweight bar until it is fully
seated. Tighten the counterweight locking screw to hold the counterweight in
place.
Slide the chrome end of the slow-motion control cables onto the equatorial
mount gear shaft. Be sure to line up the set screw over the fl at a spot on the
shaft. Tighten screw to secure in place.
The cable should attach to the Right Ascension axis and the other cable
attaches to the Declination axis. Tighten the screw to secure the cable in
place.
Remove the tube rings from the telescope tube by loosening the latch knobs on
the sides of each ring. Then remove the two black wingnuts on the bottom half
of each tube ring.
Align the holes on the bottom half tube rings with the holes on the mount and secure them in place with the black wing nuts removed in step 14.
Place the telescope tube back into the bottom half-tube rings, hinge the upper
halves over the telescope tube, and secure the latch knobs holding the
telescope tube in place. Make sure the focuser end of the telescope is over
the counterweight assembly.
Remove the knurled nuts on the threaded posts at the focuser end of the
telescope tube.
Locate the fi finderscope and remove plastic caps on the front and back of the
lens. Orient the fi finderscope so that the glass window is facing towards the
front of the tube as shown here. Place fi finderscope over the posts on the
tube and tighten it down with the knurled nuts.
Loosen the set-screws on the focuser so they do not obstruct the inner
diameter of the focuser. Remove the plastic cap covering the end of the
focuser.
Insert the barrel of the 20mm eyepiece into the focuser and tighten the
screws.
Remove the lens cap from the front of the telescope. To observe, look through
the eyepiece as shown above. Focus the image by turning the knobs below the
focuser.
For additional magnifi cation, you can use the included 3x Barlow Lens. Place
the Barlow lens in the focuser in place of the eyepiece. Remove the cap from
the Barlow lens.
Next, insert the eyepiece into the Barlow and tighten the set screws to secure it in place.
ALIGNING THE FINDERSCOPE
The fi finderscope is one of the most important parts of your telescope. It
helps you locate objects and center them in the eyepiece. The fi first time you
assemble your telescope, you need to align the fi under to the telescope’s main
optics. It’s best to do this during the day. The fi finderscope is one of the
most important parts of your telescope. It helps you locate objects and center
them in the eyepiece. The fi first time you assemble your telescope, you need
to align the fi under to the telescope’s main optics. It’s best to do your best
to do this during the day.
**SOLAR WARNING**! Never attempt to view the sun through any telescope without a proper solar fi later!
CHOOSE A TARGET
Take the telescope outside during the day and fi and an easily recognizable
object, like a streetlight, license plate or sign. The object should be as far
away as possible, but at least a quarter-mile away.
CENTER THE TARGET
IN THE EYEPIECE
Look through the telescope using your lower-powered eyepiece. Move the
telescope until the object you chose lies in the center of the view. If the
image is blurry, gently turn the focus knobs on either side of the telescope
until it comes into sharp focus. NOTE: The image in your telescope may appear
inverted. This is perfectly normal in an astronomical telescope.
LOOK THROUGH FINDERSCOPE
Once the object is centered in your 20mm eyepiece, look through the
finderscope and locate the crosshair reticle.
ADJUST THE
FINDERSCOPE
Without moving the telescope, use the three set screws surrounding the fi
finderscope bracket to move the fi under around in the bracket until the
crosshair appears over the same object you are observing in the telescope’s
20mm eyepiece.
TIP: Try adjusting one screw at a time. Loosen one screw by half a turn and
tighten another by the same amount to ensure the fi finderscope is securely
held in place. 
YOUR FINDERSCOPE IS NOW ALIGNED!
It should not require realignment unless it is bumped or dropped.
YOUR FIRST NIGHT OUT THE MOON
The best and easiest target for you to try to view fi first is the Moon. Try
observing the Moon at different points in its phase cycle. The best time to
view the Moon is from two days after a New Moon up to a few days before a Full
Moon. During this period, you will be able to see the most detail in the
craters and lunar mountain ranges. 
With the Moon visible in the sky, set up your telescope as described above
with the 20mm eyepiece installed. Move the telescope so that it is roughly
pointing toward the Moon. 
Look through the fi finderscope and locate the crosshair reticle. Continue
moving the telescope until the crosshair appears over the Moon.
Look through the telescope’s 20mm eyepiece. Gently turn the focus knobs to adjust the sharpness of the image.
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU HAVE NOW OBSERVED YOUR FIRST CELESTIAL OBJECT!
To get a closer view of the Moon, loosen the set screws on the focuser and
remove the 20mm eyepiece. Replace it with your 4mm eyepiece and tighten the
setscrews to secure t in place. The 4mm eyepiece will give you signifi cantly
more magnifi cation, making the Moon appear much larger.
NOTE : You may need to adjust the focus knobs when you change eyepieces,
so make sure you are getting the sharpest image possible.
You can view many other celestial objects, such as planets, star clusters, and nebulae using this same technique if you know where to fi nd them in the night sky.
Celestron’s free SkyPortal app for iOS and Android can help you locate and
identify a wide array of celestial objects quickly and easily.
For more information on this product or to download the instruction manual,
please visit the respective product page on
celestron.com
SOLAR WARNING:
Never attempt to view the Sun through any telescope without a proper solar fi
later.
NEED ASSISTANCE?
Contact Celestron Technical Support celestron.com/pages/technical-
support
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