Good value, works well
Good quality build. Lighter in weight than Skywatcher EQ6/Orion Atlas. Can handle up to 30 lbs of equipment. The EQ6 and Atlas can handle 40 lbs, but weigh about 20 lbs more.
Doesn't include polar alignment scope, but you can look through the opening where the scope would be and sight Polaris to get pretty close. Make sure Polaris is visible from your viewing site before spending $$ on the polar alignment scope. The scope is very helpful, but is not an absolute necessity for viewing.
CPWI software that is available for free download from Celestron adds "All Sky Polar Alignment" which is a big help if you want to improve the polar alignment. This software is also an improvement over the program built in to the hand controller. The hand controller program works OK, it just doesn't offer as many options as CPWI. Once your telescope is aligned in CPWI, you can run the telescope via PC with it or use a program such as Cartes Du Ciel (Sky Charts) or Stellarium which are also free.
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