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First time astronomer here... (pardon any less than accurate terminology)

My son received a secondhand telescope, a Celestron Powerseeker 114AZ.

Last night I calibrated the Starpointer, and was able to see Jupiter and it’s moons as well as Saturn and it’s rings.

However, after I position the laser in the Starpointer guide, the tube slightly sinks into a different rest position. To accommodate this, I ended up having to predict this movement by setting the laser guide a little higher than the target and let it sink into resting position. I also notice that the optical tube has a little bit of vertical wiggle on the azimuth bracket, which makes the altitude adjuster less accurate. The top hinge of the tripod legs seem a little wiggly too.

Is this normal movement or should I find a way to tweak, adjust, and/or tighten the parts of or the entire assembly?

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    $\begingroup$ You may just need to tighten a few screws. Don't strip them though. $\endgroup$
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Jul 18, 2020 at 15:25
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    $\begingroup$ I have a Celestron Astromaster 114 which came with a German equatorial mount that's pretty sturdy. It still wobbles in the wind or while you're making even the most delicate adjustments, but it holds its position pretty well so you can usually get the StarPointer finderscope and the main mirror in very good alignment. That said, I had to detach and re-attach the finderscope when I first got it because the finderscope wasn't seated well. No modifications or adjustments, just needed to push it down and seat it better, then tighten the screws. $\endgroup$
    – S. Imp
    Jul 18, 2020 at 20:20

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A "Celestron Powerseeker 114AZ" Google turns up old reviews at Amazon.com and .ca. Most are somewhat critical of the mount.

In all honesty that is to be expected at this level. Many amateur astronomers are unhappy with the amount of wiggle in mounts worth many thousands of dollars. A little tweaking might help just don't use much more than finger pressure on the tools.

The telescope is supposed to be OK optically. Putting the optical tube on a dobsonian mount might be a good father and son astronomy project.

For what it is worth that 114 telescope is probably ten times better than my first telescope. I was as proud of that thing as any kid could be. As adults we tend to forget those sorts of memories.

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    $\begingroup$ We got it secondhand for $50. Seems awesome for that price. $\endgroup$
    – FrancisJohn
    Jul 18, 2020 at 18:52

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