This review is from: Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope
I absolutely adore Orion Products, and I have been fortunate to have experienced a few of their telescopes via classes, star parties, etc. This little Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Telescope [Altazimuth-based Reflector Tabletop Scope] is by far my all-time favorite small scope. I love everything about it: the color, the user-friendly design, the quick assembly, the sturdy base, the easy-to-do eyepiece / focuser unit, the potential for cool add-ons like Barlows, filters, and eyepieces, and also the value for price. I am also impressed with the extremely informative, encouraging instruction manual that comes using the product, which would be helpful for first-time scope users!
Remember, of course, the key word here is “tabletop” scope. The scope does not have long, adjustable legs like those found on equatorial mounted scopes. [I find EQ mounts and refractors very irritating to set up for short nightly use and quick views, which is why I prefer this StarBlast scope.] Many users will want to place the Starblast on an outdoor table or sturdy platform to raise the product up for more comfortable viewing. This is helpful, and I have done that. I have also just spread a large exercise mat / blanket on the ground and placed the telescope there with all its accessories. I had no trouble using the scope from this position–with both of us on the ground! This is actually my preferred way to gaze at the Orion Nebula. [This method is also safest when using the telescope around children--who may, in their excitement, knock the scope off a table or platform.]
Now, I wear eyeglasses, so I am usually careful to pick equipment and eyepieces that can accommodate me. The instruction manual of this scope offers some useful tips for eyeglass wearers. Especially helpful is the comment: “If your eyes are astigmatic, images will possibly appear very best with glasses on. This is simply because a telescope’s focuser can accommodate for nearsightedness or farsightedness, but not for astigmatism” (Orion Manual, Page 5). Several very first time telescope buyers aren’t aware of eye relief effects or the unique optical properties of telescopes–like the focuser attributes or inverted images.
If you are interested in eye relief, let me recommend this product: Orion 17mm Stratus Wide-Field Eyepiece, 1.25″/2″, that is also obtainable from Amazon, I think. You may definitely see perfectly with this EP, and it does not stress your eyes like cheap “peep hole” EP’s. **For those who can afford pricey solutions, check out the Televue – Dioptrx Astigmatism Correcting Lens alternatives. Research nicely though just before you buy!!! Your eyes, scope, and correctors all must be compatible! Definitely do not invest in something like ahead of you happen to be 250% sure that you simply love star-gazing and telescope viewing, in particular on a regular basis. Each person must weigh advantages against costs in these instances.**
My StarBlast came with two eye pieces: 17mm and 6mm Explorer II eyepieces. I can use the 6mm, but it’s uncomfortable. I prefer the 17mm–which is far better for my eyes, or my own added-on Stratus a single as discussed above. Just for fun, I employed eyepieces from one more 1 of my scopes within the StarBlast and received some satisfying views as well: Sirius Plossl Eyepieces, 25mm and 10mm, 1,25″ So, even although StarBlast comes with the tiny 6mm, there’s no law that says you have to be confined to just the included eyepieces. The beauty of this item is that you just can expand your collection and your seeing with some well-chosen, additional items. A lot of stargazers usually collect eyepieces quite various from their product’s standard inclusions. 
A excellent method to explore eyepiece topics, astro equipment, night sky events, and space news would be to subscribe to Astronomy magazine or to Sky & Telescope. My other advice for all first time telescope users is this: Understand that no home telescope will give you Hubble views; it’s virtually impossible. So, don’t expect your scope to show you the same images you would see in say magazines or National Geographic or on TV. REMEMBER: when that you are using your own personal scope, you might be viewing live sky–you, our planet, and the celestial targets are in a sense “sharing the same (vast) space” at that moment– each moving as its own nature / design dictates –unlike a static image in a publication. You might be not just a spectator watches images; you happen to be a participant! There’s a certain thrill that goes with this! When I saw an interesting arrangement of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons and the planet itself one night, I was totally thrilled, praising the scope. Now, the view was tiny (as this is a “small” scope); however, it was live. Jupiter look like a parent with for little children gathering around!
So, when you finally target Saturn or Jupiter in the StarBlast. savor the thrill of that moment, that astronomical connection. Remember that you are seeing them with more power and more knowledge than even Galileo himself! Thank him for his contributions although, for his efforts opened new worlds to humanity.
