You can also easily switch out the mount for a standing one or a tripod because the vixen-style dovetail design will allow you to do so, the dovetail design does also mean the Mini 114 will be relatively stable although not to the extent of heavier devices but, I guess that’s just the price you pay for portability. The Mount used by the Lightbridge Mini 114 is a tabletop Dobsonian that’s able to swivel in a 360 degree motion, pretty smoothly, much like it’s direct counterparts in the Zhumell Z114 and Orion Starblast 4.5 Astro.Īs it is a tabletop design you will need to prop it up on other, preferably stable, objects to view comfortably however, the viewfinder being in the side of the scope does mean you’ll probably need a fair bit of space to observe through the eyepieces, which may or may not make the Mini 114 a bit of a pain to use You should also take note that if you do get a eyepiece that’s more towards the upper end of the systems power, it will be a fair bit harder to accurately focus so purchasing a better focuser alongside would be a good idea too. The accessories are going to be pretty average so you’ll definitely want to upgrade them to get max magnification out of the telescope but, the eyepieces will allow you to see a few planets within the solar system, alhough not in too much detail. The accessories in the box include two 1.25″ eyepieces at 26mm (17x) and 9mm (50x), a red dot finder, a software DVD and a few other miscellaneous accessories and paperwork. Therefore, if portability is one of the top features on the list of things you want your telescope to have, the Lightbridge Mini 114 is a device worth considering. With its dimensions and weight coming in at 31.1 x 31.1 x 61 cm by 4.9 kg respectively it is very compact and portable. Of course the details will be limited if you’re trying to viewing Saturn, jupiter, Mars, venus, Mercury or uranus whilst Neptune will really only be truly visible at the very top end of the Mini 114’s power but, for the most part all of the major planets can be seen with this smaller device.Īs for the Mini 114’s weight and dimensions, as the name suggests, it is genuinely very much a “Mini’ system. The wider and faster focal ratio of f/3.95 also means you’ll also be able to view star clusters, galaxies, nebulaes and other celestial objects through the lens pretty decently too! With those specs the Mini 114 will be able to magnify in the region of 200x, which is decently powerful an will allow you to see most of the planets within our solar system. What Do The Meade Lightbridge Mini 114’s Specifications Mean?Įven though the Meade Lightbridge Mini 114’s specifications of a 114mm aperture, 450mm focal length and focal ratio of f/3.95 isn’t amazing, the device is far from being underpowered for its price of roughly $150. Nevertheless, even with the cons mentioned above, which are more so minor annoyances over anything serious, reflector based systems do produce very solid images through their lenses, which of course will generally get better with much higher powered devices than the Mini 114. In fact, due to the device using a paraboloid primary mirror of decent quality over the smaller Mini 82’s spherical mirror, it means the Mini 114 should be a fairly easy to collimate device, which is definitely a very important plus.
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