Well, I was thinking about getting a small portable scope from Orion, but after being told to check out the Stellarvue site, some of those scopes looked pretty accomodatable to my situation. You see, I need something that I can take with me on an airplane seeing as how I'm gonna' be going back and forth from HI to CA. So I'm asking all you Stellarvue owners what you think of your scopes and how portable they've been. I'm also wondering what are some of the dimmer things you've been able to see with them since I want something I can still see perhaps some of the better DSOs with. Basically something portable (airline wise) yet I can still see some good stuff with. Thanks in advance everyone for helping this big time rooky enter the field and make a final decision which will hopefully be this summer.
Stellarvue Owners
Started by Josh, 05/10/2003 04:04AM
Posted 05/10/2003 04:04AM
Opening Post
Posted 05/10/2003 07:37AM
#1
Josh, there is a Stellarvue group over at Yahoo:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stellarvue/
where you can get lots of advice and enthusiasm about these scopes.
I have an AT1010, and agree with everything Steve says. It's well-made, light, and very portable. I can add, that if you take it to a dark site, you can see all the Messier objects, and plenty of NGC's too.
I also have a C8, and here's the comparison: the Stellarvue gives a wider field of view, so it's easier to find objects. It also gives a better view of bright, extended objects. You can frame several obects, such as the double cluster, or M81 and M82, in the same field of view. The C8, on the other hand, has more light grasp, and its longer focal ratio gives higher magnification. It shows more detail in planets, globular clusters, and galaxies.
I was at a star party last Wednesday night (actually an open house at my university's observatory), and had my Stellarvue set up beside a Meade LX200 8". It was in a pretty light polluted location, so we were limited to the Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter. (I did point the AT to M13 at one point).
The Meade was showing a larger image of the planets, therefore more detail. The cloud bands of Jupiter were more distinct in the Meade, but it couldn't do one thing the AT did: display Jupiter and M44 in the same field of view. Many people came by, and many people were more impressed with the view through the AT than through the Meade.
At a dark sky location, and for an experienced observer, the larger scope has the advantage, because you can see more detail. When I look at M13 through the AT, I can see a round, fuzzy blob, with a hint of resolution of individual stars, but when I look at the same object through my C8, I see thousands of stars.
Each scope has its advantages and disadvantages, but I'm glad I started with the wide-field Stellarvue. It's easier to find things with it than with a longer-focal ratio scope, especially at a bright location, but you can still see lots of faint objects at a good dark-sky location. I use the SV much more than the C8 when I'm observing from home (apartment, center of town), because the image is more stable. The larger scope is more sensitive to atmospheric distortion, so while the Moon or Jupiter might be boiling in the eyepiece of the C8, the image is more stable in the SV.
Most people will tell you you need two scopes anyway; I'd recommend getting the small refractor first. I'd also recommend getting a decent alt-az mount for it rather than an equatorial, which is bulkier, heavier, and a pain to learn to use. Get the eq later.
Also, get a solar filter. I have a Baader film filter for the AT (you can find one on Astromart for about $50). You'll double the amount of observing you can do, be able to work on your tan at the same time :-), and be ready for next year's transit of Venus.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stellarvue/
where you can get lots of advice and enthusiasm about these scopes.
I have an AT1010, and agree with everything Steve says. It's well-made, light, and very portable. I can add, that if you take it to a dark site, you can see all the Messier objects, and plenty of NGC's too.
I also have a C8, and here's the comparison: the Stellarvue gives a wider field of view, so it's easier to find objects. It also gives a better view of bright, extended objects. You can frame several obects, such as the double cluster, or M81 and M82, in the same field of view. The C8, on the other hand, has more light grasp, and its longer focal ratio gives higher magnification. It shows more detail in planets, globular clusters, and galaxies.
I was at a star party last Wednesday night (actually an open house at my university's observatory), and had my Stellarvue set up beside a Meade LX200 8". It was in a pretty light polluted location, so we were limited to the Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter. (I did point the AT to M13 at one point).
The Meade was showing a larger image of the planets, therefore more detail. The cloud bands of Jupiter were more distinct in the Meade, but it couldn't do one thing the AT did: display Jupiter and M44 in the same field of view. Many people came by, and many people were more impressed with the view through the AT than through the Meade.
At a dark sky location, and for an experienced observer, the larger scope has the advantage, because you can see more detail. When I look at M13 through the AT, I can see a round, fuzzy blob, with a hint of resolution of individual stars, but when I look at the same object through my C8, I see thousands of stars.
Each scope has its advantages and disadvantages, but I'm glad I started with the wide-field Stellarvue. It's easier to find things with it than with a longer-focal ratio scope, especially at a bright location, but you can still see lots of faint objects at a good dark-sky location. I use the SV much more than the C8 when I'm observing from home (apartment, center of town), because the image is more stable. The larger scope is more sensitive to atmospheric distortion, so while the Moon or Jupiter might be boiling in the eyepiece of the C8, the image is more stable in the SV.
Most people will tell you you need two scopes anyway; I'd recommend getting the small refractor first. I'd also recommend getting a decent alt-az mount for it rather than an equatorial, which is bulkier, heavier, and a pain to learn to use. Get the eq later.
Also, get a solar filter. I have a Baader film filter for the AT (you can find one on Astromart for about $50). You'll double the amount of observing you can do, be able to work on your tan at the same time :-), and be ready for next year's transit of Venus.
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