Reviews

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, half the size of Earth, and is the closest it will be for astronomical viewing until the year 2018. Mars Madness is upon us, so what’s a person to do? Buy and review some Televue eyepieces of course!

The dynamic duo’s latest planetary offering.

Early in 2003 I saw an ad for this promising new focuser. Can it possibly deliver on all fronts?

Fred Hissink Sometimes even a die-hard observer can be stunned by the release of a product... Especially when this product contents the magic word APO! The William Optics Megrez 80 II ED triplet Apochromatic surprised me and not only because of its outstanding color-free performance... It surprised me in many ways, so I definitely want to add my experiences to what has been written about this extraordinary telescope.

Sometimes even a die-hard observer can be stunned by the release of a product... Especially when this product contains the magic word APO! The William Optics Megrez 80 II ED triplet Apochromatic surprised me and not only because of its outstanding color-free performance... It surprised me in many ways, so I definitely want to add my experiences to what has been written about this extraordinary telescope.

It is amazing what is available to today’s amateur astronomer. For example, I just purchased an Orion SkyQuest XT6, 6-inch Dobsonian reflector, and this scope represents a significant improvement in quality when compared to a similarly priced 8-inch Dobsonian telescope that I purchased in 1987.

Rima Birt and Cassini, yes. Trapezium e, no.

Speers-Waler takes on mighty Pentax

"I decided to buy both the Tele Vue 19mm Panoptic($240) and 10mm Radian($240) 1.25” format eyepieces and try them out on my optically very excellent Celestron Starhopper 8 inch f/6 Dobsonian scope, of 1219.2 mm focal length, which was manufactured about 10 years ago."

Extra short and light 203mm refractor, for binoviewing without Barlows, (or single eyepiece viewing with extension tube), knock-down design for travel

26mm Series 5000 Plossl vs. 32mm Series 4000 Plossl

Will these entry-level binoviewers turn this imager back into the fold of the visual observers?

I've always been a proponent of binocular astronomy. I remember my first pair of binoculars that my Dad bought me as a present for my seventh birthday, an old pair of 12x50s from the military disposals shop. It got me hooked into the hobby. Over the years I have obtained a number of pairs, ranging from the incredibly trashy to the marginally sharp. All of them needed tripod mounting to work well and while I duly provided them with that, I always wanted something light enough to take with me on hiking trips and overseas, something that didn't require a tripod and would be a good all-purpose performer.

My 1 ¼ inch Tele Vue eyepiece collection was recently upgraded as I went on an "eyepiece hunt" for another Tele Vue eyepiece at a local telescope dealer in the San Francisco Bay Area...