Best starter Telescope for adults or kids

This review is from: Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope

At 4.5 inch aperture the Starblast gathers a reasonable amount of light, has a useful robust mount and includes 17mm and 6mm eyepieces (x26 and x75 magnification). The Starblast also comes with a simple red-dot finder to make it easy to aim the scope. My ten-year old (with a normal ten-year old boy’s attention span) is able to find objects such as Orion’s Nebula, star clusters, and faint galaxies two-million light years away (Messier objectsň1 & 82) without difficulty. Planets also look great.

There is a saying that the best telescope is the one you use the most. This relatively cheap and functional scope arrives already assembled and ready to go. It can be taken outside for a few minutes viewing with no preparation or effort required.

The only caveats with the Starblast are:
(1) it is a reflecting scope and does not invert the image to the right way up. This is unimportant for astronomy but makes it not useful for terrestrial viewing.

(2) it needs to be placed on a table or other object as the sturdy stand is very short.

(3) although the scope is not heavy and is easy to carry outside, the mount does not fold away like a tripod in a case and so the scope is not really designed to travel.

(4) it has a short focal length. A consequence of this is that, although with 4.5 inches of aperture you have enough light to get x200 magnification, to get these higher magnification views you would need to use an eyepiece with very limited eye relief i.e. a small opening making it less comfortable to use.

(5) I didn’t find the supplied software easy to use compared to other programs. However this is not required to enjoy the scope and there are a wealth of websites that provide information on what’s observable in the night sky.

To help you get started and find objects that will excite you and your family, refer to some of the beginner’s guides on websites or get “Turn Left at Orion”.

We added the following accessories; solar filter which allows viewing of sunspots; a moon filter allowing study of the moon without excessive glare; x2 Barlow lens effectively extending the supplied eyepieces from x26 and x75 to x52 and x150 respectively. This significantly increased the overall cost but greatly added to the versatility.

BUY Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope HERE

July 27th, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews , , , , , 0

This is a Good Kids Scope

This review is from: Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope

I agree with all the prior reviews. I’ve owned several telescopes. In all honesty, I never planned on getting this scope, but I changed my mind the first time I looked via 1 at star party. As some of the reviews have mentioned this little guy isn’t genuinely developed for high power views. Nonetheless it does a decent enough job with it is 6mm eyepiece (75x) which lets you see Saturn’s rings.

Where this scope shines is wide field objects like the Pleiades, which are too huge to become observed in a normal telescope. I believe a prior reviewer pointed out a jerky motion when turning the telescope. I was able to minimize this by taking the lazy susan kind base apart and spraying Pledge furniture polish on the laminate surface to lessen friction.
The biggest “con” this scope has is that it needs to become set on top of a table so that you can get the eyepiece up to a comfortable height. Nonetheless this telescope still blows away anything I’ve witnessed in Costco, Wallmart, etc.

A single thing you should be aware of is you truly have to go somewhere pretty dark away from all lighting for this and any other telescope to achieve it’s ideal views. Ideally somewhere out inside the country as far away as possible from street lighting will let you enjoy much better views.

BUY Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope HERE

July 26th, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews , 0

Reviews -A Nice Little Family Scope

This review is from: Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope

I’ve had an Orion StarBlast for over a year now, and even even though I’ve larger, more sophisticated telescopes, it will be the one I use most. The setup is instantaneous although, like other reflectors, it takes some time to cool down on cold nights. It’s quickly portable, and works well being a grab `n go. The short focal length makes it exceptional for low power, wide field views of deep sky objects along with the moon. By way of the StarBlast, I have observed (to name a few) the Ring Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy (along with its two neighboring galaxies), Galaxies M81 and M82, countless open clusters, the Lagoon and Trifid nebulas, The Eagle Nebula, the nebula in Orion, comets NEAT and LINEAR. Jupiter’s belts and moons are apparent at higher power, as are Staurn’s rings as well as the phases of Venus and Mercury. In the course of the last opposition, I could see Martian polar ice caps. In the course of the last lunar eclipse, I had no trouble taking digital photographs through this instrument.

This is the same fast optics formula as the Edmund AstroScan and Bushnell Voyager bowling ball. The StarBlast is far and away the ideal of the three, but as with the others, the high power views are soft. That feature is not a difficulty for those of us primarily interested in deep sky. Planetary views could be more detailed, and my own StarBlast won’t split the double double in suburban skies. (Orion’s somewhat longer 4.5″ f 8 dobsonian is a lot more suited to these subjects.) Additionally, most globular clusters present as unresolved fuzzy balls, as they will in any instrument of this aperture.

For the price, although, you can’t actually beat the StarBlast. It works well as a family telescope, or as a casual scope for someone interested but not obsessed by astronomy. It can be little, inexpensive, and intuitive sufficient to be handled by kids. It also functions nicely for crusty old guys like me who have bigger hardware, but just don’t feel like moving it each and every night.

BUY Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope HERE

July 25th, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews , , , 0

Telescope Reviews-Great First Scope

This review is from: Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope

I’ve wanted a telescope since I was a kid and now that I’m all grown up and can afford one I did a lot of research and comparison of scopes in my price range and also the StarBlast often had the finest reviews. The reviews are right, the very first night I went out and looked at the moon, Venus, and a few other objects and they all exceeded my expectations for such a little scope. I can’t wait for warmer weather so I can use it even more.

The equatorial mount is a bit complicated to use but I got used to it pretty quickly. I’d recommend the original Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro with the simpler dobsonian mount for younger kids or people who need a lot of portability.

BUY Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope HERE

July 23rd, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews , , , 0

Telescope Reviews-So far so good

This review is from: Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope

Just got this scope and tripod. Weather has not cooperated for much viewing as yet. However, the few times I’ve been out with the scope, have been extremely pleased.

Looks to be a good step up from the cheapo beginner scopes. In case you are thinking about a starter scope and dont wish to commit lots of $$S, please take a suggestion from one who has been there and done that. Go ahead and spend over $200-250 for scope and tripod.

I spent that a great deal on numerous low end stuff that were unsatisfactory and typically broke soon after. This scope appears significantly a lot more durable, viewing size is excellent and also the tripod is all metal, extremely nice. So far no major cons.

Will add a lot more if I come across any other info with further useage.

BUY Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope HERE

July 22nd, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews , , , 0

Reviews-Solid bang for the buck entry level scope

This review is from: Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope

I’ve never owned a telescope and got this for me and my 7 and 9 year old kids after doing some internet homework. It arrived packaged securely. was fairly effortless to set up and we were exploring the heavens in no time.

Showed my skeptic wife a planet, forget which one, she said “how do I know that’s not just a bright star?” so I zoomed in on Saturn and there was no room for doubt!

We live in a suburban neighborhood so the seeing problems are generally not extremely good but even in these disorders the rings of Saturn had been unmistakable.

Can’t wait to get out within the country to check it out under better problems but so far we love it and extremely recommend to others as a solid bang for the buck entry level scope.

BUY Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope HERE

July 21st, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews , , 0

Acceptable Performance…for the price

This review is from: Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope

The equatorial mount setup is really a quite lengthy process. It comes in numerous pieces so, if you are buying this get ready to spend most of the very first night putting them all together and figuring out how (the instructions manual just isn’t quite user friendly…you’ll find two primary pictures you might be supposed to use as guide but not too helpful).
The upside of this is that, once armed and leveled, it is pretty strong and firm so you do not have to be adjusting screws and notches all the time like with my previous telescope. This also helps to hold the target image nevertheless.

Packaging was AWFUL. My telescope arrived broken: the primary mirror had separated from the bottom on the tube and hit the secondary mirror numerous times (during transit most likely). The major reflector mirror ended up severely scratched plus the secondary mirror broken. I put it all back together as ideal I could, collimated (adjusted the mirrors angles and tilt) as described within the user’s guide and tested the telescope on Jupiter and its Galilean moons.

The effect in the broken/scratched mirrors is obvious along with the image just isn’t clear. You do not get to see Jupiter’s gas stripes as advertised. You are able to nevertheless get a very good look at the earth moon though. I’m nonetheless waiting on Saturn to become visible to evaluate. The item is reasonably large and a little heavy so don’t think you’ll be able to just drive it around easily, unless you’ve a big trunk.

For the price, it’s certainly worth it, assuming you get it delivered in far better conditions than I received mine. I’m not happy with it but its not like I’m extremely disappointed at it.

BUY Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope HERE

July 19th, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews , , , 0

Big Bang. Small Bucks.

This artical is reviews for Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope

The 8″f6 Dobsonian telescope is common for very good reason. It is straightforward to manufacture and uncomplicated to use. It’s car portable, gives beneficial views of planets, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies. It’s little enough to give vast field views (as wide as 2.28* using a 41mm Panoptic eyepiece), and large adequate to reveal the rings of Saturn, cloud bands on Jupiter, and large magnification views of double stars.

This scope by Orion has far better than average optics, and provides surprisingly beneficial views of deep sky objects. Under a dark sky I’ve observed four galaxies within the Virgo cluster by way of this telescope.
To present the very best achievable views, all Newtonian telescopes need collimnation, so tools for this are essential. The Kendrick Laser Collimnator is exceptional.
Finding deep sky objects with a Dobsonian can be difficult, especially in light polluted skies. You may possibly would like to take into account the Orion SkyQuest XT8i IntelliScope Dobsonian Telescope with Object Locator. This enables you to invest less time searching and much more time observing. Otherwise, a 7×50 straight through finder can support.
You’ll want a low energy vast field eyepiece (32mm-40mm) for obtaining objects, a medium energy eyepiece (12mm-20mm) for deep sky, and a higher magnification eyepiece (5mm-8mm) for observing planets and “lunar orbit”.
The 8″f6 Dobsonian telescope is common for very good reason. It is straightforward to manufacture and uncomplicated to use. It’s car portable, gives beneficial views of planets, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies. It’s little enough to give vast field views (as wide as 2.28* using a 41mm Panoptic eyepiece), and large adequate to reveal the rings of Saturn, cloud bands on Jupiter, and large magnification views of double stars.
This scope by Orion has far better than average optics, and provides surprisingly beneficial views of deep sky objects. Under a dark sky I’ve observed four galaxies within the Virgo cluster by way of this telescope.
To present the very best achievable views, all Newtonian telescopes need collimnation, so tools for this are essential. The Kendrick Laser Collimnator is exceptional.
Finding deep sky objects with a Dobsonian can be difficult, especially in light polluted skies. You may possibly would like to take into account the Orion SkyQuest XT8i IntelliScope Dobsonian Telescope with Object Locator. This enables you to invest less time searching and much more time observing. Otherwise, a 7×50 straight through finder can support.
You’ll want a low energy vast field eyepiece (32mm-40mm) for obtaining objects, a medium energy eyepiece (12mm-20mm) for deep sky, and a higher magnification eyepiece (5mm-8mm) for observing planets and “lunar orbit”.

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Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope

July 4th, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews , , , 0

Does the job

This artical is reviews for Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope

The challenging part was deciding whether or not to obtain the 8 or 10 inch. These are quite standard telescopes, but quite usable. Needless to say I would like the biggest aperture, but I need to transport the point from the trunk of a Toyota Corolla.

The 8 inch fits like a glove so the 10 would have been a disaster, unless you drive a bigger vehicle. Also, the weight is substantial if you’ve got to carry it any distance.

I got the padded bag which actually assists so you are able to carry the base with the other hand and balance the load some. I’m a big guy and I wouldn’t wish to carry this too far. Having said all that, I love the scope. The set up takes a couple of seconds after you’ve put it together the 1st time. Just drop it in the base and pull the springs down.

That’s it. It’s a challenge to discover objects inside the sky whenever you are a beginner, so don’t worry about magnification at this point. Just ensure you align the spotting scope before you go out the very first night and have fun.

click here to buy it on amazon
Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope

July 4th, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews , 0

I Told You I may Get the XT8 -YES,I Did!!!

This artical is reviews for Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope



If you appear at my review for the XT6 I gave that instrument 5 stars but cautioned readers not to purchase it. At that time I stated that, offered a chance, I could possibly jump up to an XT8. I got the possibility, and I grabbed it. Here is what I learned.

The six has a slightly longer focal length. This indicates that if your primary purpose for viewing is always to see object within our solar method, i.e. planets, moon, and so on. It won’t make a lot distinction which scope you buy. the 6″ is less expensive and lighter. Solar program objects are bright and look beneficial at about 200X, which either scope can deliver over a beneficial night and neither can provide on the bad night.

But I don’t appear mainly at solar process objects. I like to search at deep sky objects, like nebula, galaxies, double stars, etc. For these, the far more aperture, the much better. 8″ is notably additional aperture than 6″. It’s true that the 8″ weighs much more than the six. I am 52 years old. I can lug either around my yard, but I added a cart for your 8″. My yard is nearly an acre and I would rather pull it close to than carry it. In my earlier review I stated that I could possibly maintain my XT6 like a travel scope. That wasn’t necessary. The 8″ is easy take apart, location in its bag, and carry to other locations. The bag is needed for travel. I did keep my 6″. I began teaching seminars and now have five scopes. I regularly use reflectors, refractors, composites, EQ mounts, alt./az. mounts, and dobsonians. The XT8 is my favorite. I believe I’ll maintain this one for awhile.

I’ve tried the goto scopes. They are handy, but offered the selection of investing my income on electronics or aperture, I’ll go with the aperture. I have some scopes with EQ mounts. Given the option of spending my funds over a fancy mount or aperture, I’ll take aperture as well as the uncomplicated dobsonian mount. EQ mounts are only needed for photography. This scope is about as big as an inexpensive portable scope gets and about as little being a significant visual scope gets. It truly is a great beginning and intermediate scope.

click here to buy it on amazon
Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope

July 3rd, 2010 admin Orion Telescrope porduct reviews 0