It's the time of year where people tend to hunt down cheap telescopes. And I've posted on a couple of those threads. Normally anything below $200 is junk, but this scope is an exception.
Now not every Costco may have it, and I have seen it in-store only... and with Xmas coming up, they may sell out fast. So it's a YMMV sort of deal.
But its a 102mm fast refractor, F/6.5, includes a somewhat shaky, but still usable mount. And includes slow motion controls (rare with cheaper scopes) , 2 eyepieces (not the greatest, but okay to start with), and a phone adapter for those who want to take quick shots of the moon.
As for what you can see with this scope:
Major star clusters, Orion Nebula, Bands of Jupiter, Cassini Division w/ Saturn (on a good seeing night), and of course a very cratery moon. Fast scopes like these will have chromatic aberration, which is sort of like a tinge of color where it shouldn't be. But it comes with the territory for achromatic refractors.
Aperture: 102mm (4.01")
Focal Length: 660mm (25.98")
Focal Ratio: f/6.5
https://www.celestron.com/product...ter-remote
And best of all, it's Costco. If you (or your kids) don't like it, super easy to return. I own one as a spare grab and go scope... good for the winter, no cooling or wait times, no collimation, just pick up with one hand and I can view in minutes.
Costco Warehouse Locator [costco.com]
63 Comments
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I prefer the Omni 102AZ to either of those.
I used to own a Zhummel 100mm ... problem was the view outside of the center was not very good. And by not very good, I mean kind of terrible... coma, or star oddness, not sure what it was... but let's just say stars were not exactly star-like.
In theory they are sort of collimatable, but only with the secondary. I had to center mark my scope and do the best I could, but even then, I was never really pleased with the views.
If you want an upgrade, then the astronomer's without borders scope at $250 would probably be considered better.
It'd still require a solid base, collimation, cooling/wait time, and it's pretty fast at f/5. But assuming you
are okay with finding a place to put it, it'd likely be considered an upgrade. And lots of people like it.
A Starblast is another option at $230, but I'd prefer the refractor over it. F/4 is a little too speedy for me.
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It's not listed for online purchasing (or at least I didn't see it).
Although for Canada people, they do have it online.
Here is the product item link again though, if you just wish to
see specs. If you want it, afraid you'll have to go to the store.
https://www.celestron.c
I suggest calling ahead and simply asking them if they have it --
save a trip if they don't. Click the administrator option w/ costco
to get an actual person.
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I'll mention again:
Major star clusters, Orion Nebula, Bands of Jupiter, Cassini Division w/ Saturn (on a good seeing night), and of course a very cratery moon. Fast scopes like these will have chromatic aberration, which is sort of like a tinge of color where it shouldn't be. But it comes with the territory for achromatic refractors.
Now the determining factor will be your skies. Is Saturn high in the sky, viewing good for the night, and so on?
And admittedly fast refractors like these aren't optimal for planets. Again, it's due to chromatic aberration (false color). But for Saturn you can still get a pretty decent view, assuming the skies are cooperating. Jupiter may be a little problematic since it's so bright, but you can make out its bands. Use a decent mag on the planets too, 25mm won't cut it.
I also say the above with the knowledge that a larger dob will provide a much better view. If new to this, the planets even with a bit of false color can still look quite nice.
Where this scope excels is for wide views, the Pleiades for instance look great in a scope like this.
Reviews are actually quite favorable, and folks over at Cloudy Nights also like it. I can point to youtube reviews that are positive as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdEh4EO
As for Saturn, it'll depend on your sky and if you are using a high enough magnification.
I've seen Saturn with it, and it's certainly much more than just a white orb with a hint of a ring ... unless I use very low magnification that is. But any scope, with low mag on the planets, won't look much more than an orb.
And no clue what you mean in regard to overpriced... $160 is not expensive for a telescope.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdEh4EO
As for Saturn, it'll depend on your sky and if you are using a high enough magnification.
I've seen Saturn with it, and it's certainly much more than just a white orb with a hint of a ring ... unless I use very low magnification that is. But any scope, with low mag on the planets, won't look much more than an orb.
And no clue what you mean in regard to overpriced... $160 is not expensive for a telescope.