Craig from United States, PA Public Profile

I was looking for a smaller telescope that would be easier to store and set up. I have a heavier and bulkier Celestron 8" which I find to be a real chore to use, and so I'm not real experienced as an astronomer. The ETX 125 Observer is much easier to transport and very simple to align. The alignment process took about 5 minutes, and the scope easily found two of the brightest stars in the sky for alignment. Using the red dot finder at first, and then the scope I easily centered both stars. I live in a light-polluted suburb of Philadelphia, and I had no problem with aligning the scope. I was looking at Saturn a few minutes later. Just be realistic and don't expect close-up views of faraway planets and stars. But, I was surprised at the quality of the views nevertheless, even though I have yet to view on a clear, dark evening. It also has a night tour feature so you can view the best sites for the evening with audio, which is very well done!!!! The views of the closest and brightest stars were extremely clear and breathtaking. If you want a scope you're actually going to use and not take up space in a closet, then consider this one!