AVT-Astro is dedicated to bring you reviews of astronomy equipment, and other astronomy related content.
Hi! My name is Vlad. I have been into astronomy since I was about 12 years old when I got my first scope; a Tasco 60mm refractor(saved for working as a paperboy). Over the years I have had the privilege in owning over 100 telescope and more accessories then one can count. One thing that I have come to realize is that while I love to observe the wonders of the night sky, I love trying out the next piece of astro-gear even more! This is the inspiration for AVT-Astro.
Thanks Vlad, its always great to hear 2 experts talk about things, I've found some of the best information just listening to my favourite RU-vidrs collaborating and sharing their knowledge on loads of different topics.
With the handful of astronomy RU-vidrs that I follow you and Joe are in that small group. You each have a unique way of demonstrating the astronomy field let it be more towards AP, equipment or just the basics of astronomy. I really appreciate the time and effort you guys put into making these videos. Keep them coming:)
8" dobsonian without hesitation for 95% of beginners to the hobby. The planets are always the first objects they want to observe and a small achro is a very poor choice. I still have mine 30 years later with it's mirror aluminised again 8 years ago. I still give it the odd outing for the nostalgia and I can also blame it for getting me hooked on the hobby and virtually bankrupting me 😂.
On my TV NP101 I’m using this eyepieces most: Nagler 31mm Nagler 22mm type 4 ES 14mm 100deg Nagler 12mm Type 4 Nagler 5mm Type 4 Nagler 3,5mm Type 4 Masuyama Ortho 18mm Masuyama Ortho 12mm Masuyama Ortho 7,5mm Orthos for Planets, best view And together with TV Barlow 2x Almost perfect.
Hello! Do you hav2 a picture of the meades push pull screw assembley? I just got one and it has a bunch of washers behind the cell on the all thread screws, and it doesn't seem correct. I'd assume it needs Springs, but I may be wrong?
Hi, here are the only pictures I have: avt-astro.com/how-to/meade-178ed-lens-cell-collimation-centering-refurbishing-and-baffle-reattachment/ Hope this helps!
Newbie Question: My Newtonian Reflector has an Upside Down Image. If I were to put this on upside down, I would get 'image correct' streamed onto my Laptop, correct?
It has been several months since I had weather, And viewing condition that would allow me to get out and actually do some observing, The several months have been actually about fifteen months, We've had many , many weeks of beautiful weather during the day, Time the Sun goes to set.We get clouds , lots and lots of clouds.
Too bad you didnt have the nagler.zoom to compare. And radian was replaced by delite, delos is more like a long eye relief ethos scaled back to 72, which was later scaled back to 62 for the delite which even looks like the radian but with a delos style adjustable eye cup rather than the clickstop radian eye guard. I was never a fan of the radian, I had a couple for a while. The original burgess/tmb planetary gave pretty much the same view for $50-100 when they first came out, and current ones and their countless rebrands are way cheaper. The build quality on the radian was better and there was that green letter pride of ownership part, but I found them highly over rated
I briefly had the orion 90mak with the tabletop mount, i had to return it due to bad optics, which was a bummer because the apex90 I owned back in the day that was stolen has excellent optics. The tabletop mount has a 3/8 thread on the bottom, which goes straight on a nice tripod with the head removed. My manfrotto was stolen, but my velbon worked with a 1/4-20 insert.
There seem to be objects that benefit more from aperture than others. M42 didnt look (to me, imho) dramatically better in the 25 than it did in the 12 to me. E and F jumped out, and the image scale was much larger. But the color was rhe same as 12. The Flame looks massively better. Lagoon and Triifid though, they are real showers in the 25. The pink and blue in the Trifid, and the light blue in the Lagoon! I actually can see these same colors with the 12 inch Binoscope too, but just barely in the mono 12 inch, and in the 8 no color at all. And then there is Eta Carinae...I'll leave it at that 😀
An off topic question. There is something I don’t understand about refractors and DSO. If I use for visual observations for example a 150/750 mm F5 achromat and a 150/1200 F8 FPL53 APO, I understand that with the APO the Moon and planets will look 10x better and sharper but how about galaxies ? Will the galaxies look better in a high-quality APO than in a same-aperture short F5 achromat ? (For visual observations only, not astrophotography). Also is the contrast on galaxies better in the APO than in the same size achromat ? Thank you!
Very good question. Really depends on the power you use. If all your using is 20x the f5 achro will produce an image that to most people will look almost identical to the APO. Conversely at anything above 50x even DSO begin to show secondary color. The higher the power the worst the effect. Also what a lot of people do not understand about secondary color is that it's light that's simply not in focus. What happens when your scope is slightly out of focus? Not as sharp of an image! This is as true for the planets as DSO. APO wins!!!
@@AVTAstro With my biggest refractor 4-inch ED-FPL51 I can see galaxies the best at 80-120x magnification so I guess that will be the magnification I will also use with bigger aperture ones. And between a 6 inch F6 achromat and a 5 inch APO triplet, do you still think the APO would better show galaxies at 80-120x, even if it has a smaller aperture ? Thank you!
What a great review--thank you--the frost was also amazing! Celestron's Tank Pro looks neat... but am unsure how to ensure easy compatibility with my vintage C5 and Classic 8 scopes (I want to liberate them from 240V mains supply cables and still have RA drive). It would be nice if I could just plug the scope's three-prong 240V AC power plug into the Tank Pro... is that even possible?
The worst thing celestron did to the nexstar 1 arm bandits was including an autoguider port. It helped with sales and encouraged more sales of accessories like the wedge, photo adapters and autoguiders, but a cheap spur gear mount is not up to the task, even wjth smaller optical tubes. Tits on a bull basically Electronically capable, but mechanical capability is another story
It irks me that some explore scientific 100deg actually cost more than the ethos in some focal lengths, and less than $100 less in other cases. They used to be about 50-60% the cost of an ethos. I was also surprised to see that televue prices have not gone up as much as many other eyepieces, and pentax eyepieces cost considerably less than they did back when I was really active 2004-2012, and again 2017-2021. The 82 series was $99 for all of the 1.25" sizes but JOC cut celstron off from the axiom LX and meade from the 5k SWA and UWA. So ES would be the only source for those eyepieces, and then jacked the price up to have a premium market perception. But even then, the prices for the 100deg have never been that close, or even exceeding the price of an ethos. That is just wrong. Also considering that the XWA/HDC 100deg eyepieces offered by apm, stellarvue, lunt, WO etc... perform super close to the ethos, way better than the ES in the case of the 20mm, which I own and have compared to the ethos in scopes as fast as the low/mid f4 range as well as f5 scopes with and without a paracorr. I paid less than 200 for it used and was very happy with it. Back around 2012 I got a used 20mm es100 for iirc $220, to go with my 14mm, which was a gift from Scott Roberts from the first batch since I was a top OPT salesman back then (2006-2011). The 14mm does hold up extremely well compared to the 13mm ethos. In 2012 I had already gotten rid of all my newtonian scopes, as I had become mainly a C11, 8"lx200R OTA, and refractor guy, with a tv101, pronto, and some long achromats c4r, nexstar 80gtl, and a 90mm mak, and solarmax 60. My mounts were G11g, GM8g, cg5 with RA drive, stellervue M3 az, and the little nexstar GT, as well as a manfrotto 3011 for the pronto and solarmax 60 grab and go, as well as my 15x70 and 20x80 binos and 90mak. I was happy with the 20mm es100 until several years later when I was at a star party and got to compare it to the 21 ethos in a 20"f5 obsession. The 20ES just didn't hold up at the edges like the ethos, or the 14mm. And now it costs about the same as the ethos. Shortly after that I had to put everything back into storage, got seen by some tweakers, dropping of gear, and a week later I had nothing left. Now I have a WO 20mm XWA, but no other 100deg eyepieces, I have to make do with the 2" gso Ed barlow, which of course makes it an extremely tall 10mm, or an approx 13mm with the barlow lens threaded on like a filter. I also had a 31 nagler that I replaced with a 28mm megaview (uwan), which is the best 30mm range nagler clone, better than the es30. The es24 is also pretty darn good, I used to have the 23mm axiom LX version, but the 30 didn't hold up when I compared it to my 31. My current "premium" case is an apache 4800, and it is pretty heavy filled up. I used to use the harbor freight cases that came with pluck foam and dividers, so you could use them either way. Alot cheaper than the pluck foam cases orion sold, just like apache is much cheaper than pelican nowadays. I had doskocil cases as well, a seal tight XL housed my pronto along with an entire set of premium 1.25" eyepieces and barlows and filters I had dedicated to that scope, and there was room left over for my solarmax 60 etalon and bf10, since I was planning on using the pronto instead of the gold tube, but the 60 got stolen out of my van in 2013, and the pronto case and my 80gtl and 20x80 with manfrotto were in my car when it got impounded after my axle broke and I had to walk to an appt I was late for, and it was broken into at the yard. A similar thing happened a few years ago where I had my van which was loaded with astronomy and music gear impounded, and I was prevented from getting it out or even my stuff out of it, and that hit me hard and I haven't been out since. Only a small bag of plossl class eyepieces, some orion flat fields, a decent barlow and some filters (that I can remember) was in the van, but my 127mak, omni102, a more recent nexstar GT, xt8 dob, and a vintage vixen 60mmf15 Az, and more importantly, all of my counterweights except for my 4lb, were lost along with thousands worth of music gear. My main eq mount in this budget themed rebuilding of my older lost astro collection, is an orion astroview with 2 upgraded tripod options, and the SVP pier extension from my past that wasn't stolen, tripods being the vixen wooden one from the 60, and a 2" steel cg5 tripod. The cg5 that was stolen was a pre 2000s one, with the aluminum tripod and lesser internals that were improved when the advanced series came out. That mount literally cost me $25 and needed a lot of work so it really wasn't that big of a loss, but the van itself was the biggest loss, since it could haul alot and I could camp 3 2-5 days at a dark site, getting the most out of my gas money. Now I can't even fit any of my scopes in the car I have now and would have to find at least one bigger counterweight to even use my 4"f10 refractor from home. I am considering the $599 costco special ES 10" hybrid truss as an option, I know it has issues with QC, mirror falling out of the cell if you pick up the mirror box by the handle, the focuser in a funny place etc... but even if I could fit my 10" starhopper in my car which isn't likely, the mirror seriously needs a recoat, even though it works it is probably more like an 8" or even a 6" brightness wise, and there are a bunch of spots where it is eaten away totally. It was only $60 from the same friend who sold me the CG5 and astroview for next to nothing, and more importantly my loaded powerstar C8 for $200. Which MIGHT fit in the car, but i really like to have at least a 10 to make the trip worth it, and having that 28mm and 20mm, along with my smaller UWAs and lone 7mm nagler, and a paracorr, I kinda would like that 10" to be a dob. Anyway, that is just the beginning of my return to astro, or not conundrum, since my vehicle is an EV with compromised battery, that auto nation screwed me on my used car warranty for, and the only way I use it is with the 2 gallon tank range extender, since I have no way of charging from home, and haven't sat at a public charger for a few years now. I'm not even sure I could make it to a dark site and back, not counting other issues ... But yeah, I can't stand those new ES prices, and that they are held in the same regard as televue I had the same gripe with all the forum hype about hyperion eyepieces back in the day "I sold all my pentax XWs after buying hyperions " which caused the same orion stratus to lose sales, and let baader to raise the prices. I was shocked to see pentax XW cost less now than back in the day, currently $269 at agena where I noticed the $600-700+ es100s. The 25 and 30 were always in the 1k range, and didn't go up as much as the more common focal lengths did
I've had both the 28 rke and the 28 plossl version, i never could see the disappearing eyepiece thing, i was more impressed with both the 26mm smoothside super plossl and celestron 26mm vixen silvertops. Unfortunately your 28 rke's days are numbered, the coatings are going bad when they haze up like that
I hope you'll excuse me, I wrote all this before I noticed this was about first eyepieces and not First Scopes, so I thought I'd ask here. I purchased a used Meade ETX125 and I was just curious if you have any videos on fixing the focuser (or removing the back)...when I rotate the focuser counterclockwise, it doesn't stop even when it is 2 inches away from the rear part of the scope. I have seen pictures of the rear plate off, but I'm afraid if I remove it, like a watch, parts may fly everywhere. My assumption is, if there is a stop on the helix of the focuser it may have come lose. I did look through it before I bought it but the cost came down even though it did focus but the travel back was too far. I know the ETX125 is a very precise scope, but from the picture of it with the back plate off, the mirror remained where it was supposed to be. Anyway, Mirror cleaning is what I first watched, good video. I like descent scopes that people have given to thrift stores and i rescue them before any kids knock them over. Pardons, If you don't mess with mechanical parts, what you have is fine, Telescopes are engineering marvels that go back 500 years or so. Thanks, Jerry
I still have my NP101 as my main scope. Years ago I modified the focus by fitting the 10:1 Feathertouch knob assembly. It’s as smooth as silk. Lately, I’ve moved it to a new AM5 mount with ASI Air Mini, 30mm guide scope, and ASI120 guide camera. I use it this way visually and for photography with my mirrorless camera. I do plan to buy a newer astrograph scope for my photography, but I will keep the NP101. Televue actually quoted my feedback comments in one of their early ads. I said it was an “heirloom scope” worth keeping and passing on to my child.
Hi Vlad, im thinking of getting an Explore Scientific ED APO 102mm f6.7, i already have a Skywatcher Skymax 150 which i really like but im looking for something for deep sky with a wide FOV, do you know anything about them, not much information on them.
Well for DSO yes a 102ED would be a good choice. I dont have any specific info on that model but most of the import ED scopes will work well for DSO visual.
Respectfully disagree with the the accessories being expensive. They are only expensive outside Japan as the local distributors mark the crap out of them being greedy. Go buy them in Japan, not even considering the favourable currency exchange, and see how well priced they are.
If you are going 2", some max field eyepieces are a must, 55/56 plossl for when you need max brightness like when using a nebula filter on things like the veil, or when at a dark site in general, a 38-42 range superwide like the 40mm swan, for all around widefield viewing where a 4mm exit pupil is sufficient, and a 30mm ultrawide like the Chinese 5 element 1rpd/agena types (also available generically for not a ton of money), or a nicer Japanese one like a KK widescan II or III or UO MK80. At f10 the heavy 31 nagler or any of the 30/31mm beasts out there, are not as necessary, while they are sharp to the edge, the more classic designs are close enough for government work in a Schmidt, and they didn't cost or weigh nearly as much.
William optics has a short nose thread on diagonal that even clears zenith on the older nexstar non removable ota version. On an SE, you can move the scope forward to clear, but also, even a standard thread on sct diagonal is a better option for that scope than a separate visual back, 2" nose diagonal combo. Televue sells a shorter visual back and 2" diagonal, but that is big bucks.
Thanks Vlad, I have a Skywatcher skymax 150 mak, I can get an Explore Scientific 102 ed apo at a really good price and I was thinking of getting it, I don't think it would be any better apart from cool down and a better FOV, that's my thoughts on it, would you agree?
The ‘flashlight test’ you performed at the beginning will make even a new scope look dirty. Celestron mention this in their documentation. Mould is the enemy of all optical coatings…
That's not really true. You just need to know what you looking for. Celestron puts that in the manual to not have 100's of calls a day from people likely buying thier first scope.
@@AVTAstro on thinking more about this, and viewing a range of cleaner and dirty SCTs on YT, I agree with you. A matter of experience and discernment :-)
No 13e vs 14 es100 comparison? I can say the 14 holds its own extremely well against the 13e. The 20 was another story however, but the brand that makes the orion xwa and all those other ones really knocked it out of the oark
