Does Anyone Own an Orion StarBlast 6? Hello everyone; I am a beginner with amateur astronomy and want to ask what sort of views would I get from the Orion StarBlast 6?
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The Star Blaster 6 is a beginner scope that you won't out grow in a week. The only problem with the Intelliscope function is that you have to find two stars to calibrate it and depending on your light pollution this can be difficult. But if you can see Orion and the Little Dipper you should be okay. What you can see will vary with conditions for good deep sky stuff you need to find a dark site away from the light pollution. But you will be able to see the Moon, Venus, Jupiter and it's moons, Saturn (early in the mourning) and Mercury (at dusk in late march). The Star Blaster comes with a 25mm (30X) and a 10mm (75X) which is great for a starter, add a 2X Barlow (it goes between the eye piece and the scope to double the power of the eye piece) and you should be able to see everything your conditions will allow just keep in mind we aren't talking about the Hubble here. The Intelliscope function will find objects for the 25mm eye piece then you have to center and replace it with a higher power eye piece and center again. Each time you increase the magnification it gets harder to center the image and distortion increases. In a lot of cases your clearest view will be with the lower power eye pieces.
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Look at it this way; there is no way that a binoculars can replace a telescope not unless its for land or terrestrial use. Once you're looking into space and seeing the planetary system, binoculars are pretty great but using a telescope its a different ball game altogether. I've never had the privilege to look into a telescope before but I have many acquaintances told me its so much details you can see. I've looked at Jupiter with this pair of binoculars and I can clearly see three of its moons and I can also see some of Jupiter's coloration. I'm pretty sure with a telescope you'll see much much more details. All in all binoculars have its place for planetary viewing especially these SkyMasters, they're a class of its own. But in comparison to an Orion Goscope (80mm) telescope there's absolutely no binoculars that I can compare it with.
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They're comparable in price and aperture and, since they're both Newtonians, their focal lengths are probably close. Their focal ratios are different, though. The Celestron has a focal ratio of f8 while the Orion has an f4 which translates to a brighter image. Also the Orion is on a Dobsonian mount, rather than the Celestron's slow motion controls, making it easier for a brand new user to point. In my opinion, though, once the slow motion controls are mastered, it's easier to track an object. Also, if you get the Orion, get rid of the red dot finder and get a small finder scope instead. The red dot finders, in my experience, are not reliable. If the battery runs out, it's useless. They're comparable in price and aperture and, since they're both Newtonians, their focal lengths are probably close. Their focal ratios are different, though. The Celestron has a focal ratio of f8 while the Orion has an f4 which translates to a brighter image. Also the Orion is on a Dobsonian mount, rather than the Celestron's slow motion controls, making it easier for a brand new user to point. In my opinion, though, once the slow motion controls are mastered, it's easier to track an object. Also, if you get the Orion, get rid of the red dot finder and get a small finder scope instead. The... » Read More They're comparable in price and aperture and, since they're both Newtonians, their focal lengths are probably close. Their focal ratios are different, though. The Celestron has a focal ratio of f8 while the Orion has an f4 which translates to a brighter image. Also the Orion is on a Dobsonian mount, rather than the Celestron's slow motion controls, making it easier for a brand new user to point. In my opinion, though, once the slow motion controls are mastered, it's easier to track an object. Also, if you get the Orion, get rid of the red dot finder and get a small finder scope instead. The red dot finders, in my experience, are not reliable. If the battery runs out, it's useless. « Show Less
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Hello, I would say the images for me are the same as I have the basic eyepieces and two sets of as you need two sets for the bino viewers but what I like is the eye relief that you get when looking through them and a almost 3d effect like you get when looking through binoculars. If you can afford it I would highly recomend it, not for just yourself but for other viewers as well. I have a Celestron 8SE and looking at Saturn, Jupiter, the moon, well its pretty awesome. My plan is to do astrophotography, if I was really into eyepieces I would go with the two inch and some nice Nagler eyepieces. Hope this helps, Good luck and dark skies. Hello, I would say the images for me are the same as I have the basic eyepieces and two sets of as you need two sets for the bino viewers but what I like is the eye relief that you get when looking through them and a almost 3d effect like you get when looking through binoculars. If you can afford it I would highly recomend it, not for just yourself but for other viewers as well. I have a Celestron 8SE and looking at Saturn, Jupiter, the moon, well its pretty awesome. My plan is to do astrophotography, if I was really into eyepieces I would go with the two inch and some nice Nagler... » Read More Hello, I would say the images for me are the same as I have the basic eyepieces and two sets of as you need two sets for the bino viewers but what I like is the eye relief that you get when looking through them and a almost 3d effect like you get when looking through binoculars. If you can afford it I would highly recomend it, not for just yourself but for other viewers as well. I have a Celestron 8SE and looking at Saturn, Jupiter, the moon, well its pretty awesome. My plan is to do astrophotography, if I was really into eyepieces I would go with the two inch and some nice Nagler eyepieces. Hope this helps, Good luck and dark skies. « Show Less
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I just found this information on another dealer's website. From: JIM EDMISTON Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 1:55 PM Subject: SkyScout Production Update Importance: High Unfortunately, we have run into problems securing the GPS crystal for the SkyScout. This crystal was substituted by the factory with a part that we did not specify and resulted in inconsistent GPS readings. We were not informed of this by the factory and discovered it only during our testing of the initial production models. We want to make sure that we put out the best product possible , so we will need to delay our first shipments of SkyScout until mid to late June. The potential of SkyScout is so great that we cannot risk it by sending out product that performs inconsistently. We do not have a firm handle on the initial production quantities at this time, but it is anticipated that they will not be large. Production will be fairly allocated to the major accounts that have placed orders . Please express our apologies to our customers over this situation. Please be assured that this project has the highest priority of all relevant departments at Celestron. Jim Edmiston, Vice President of Sales, Celestron, 2835 Columbia Street, Torrance, CA 90503
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Hi, DB62. I'm not sure as I have never had experience with the Orion. But as I compare all of these 9X50's they all look like they have all come from the same manufacturer and use different names. My guess would be that they are close to identical. I love it for what it is and it is a marked improvement in light gathering over an 8X50 or my old 6X50. Let me know if you have any other questions! TM
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I purchased this unit for using to view things on the water as I live on the waterfront. I found it a challenge for that purpose as the magnification was a bit more than I have ever used in the past. I am definitely not an astrometry expert but a sailor. I believe that the more modern design using mirrors would have been a better choice for viewing celestial bodies. Hope this is a help. Ed Walsh
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I own both and like them both. The Orion is easier to aim for me because the lack of the big round anchoring structure at the base of the Astroscan. If I was going to use a telescope for a child, the Astroscan is much more sturdier and the mirror is completely enclosed and safe from damage. The image quality and ability to use a variety of lenses is about the same for both.
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Following on Pintado10, the rotation will take place due to failure of the Alt-Azimuth movements of the Dobsonian to compensate for star drifting from RA trajectory. I would also recommend getting the monochromatic version with the color filters wheel, so that more professional exposures could be taken at each separate color band. A good equatorial mount that can hold your tube might be the new orion Atlas G, but check with Orion technical stuff first. I would use the 12 inch to enjoy observing with the right nagler and bunch of narrow band filters rather than long exposure photography.
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This is a great eyepiece, I am very happy with it. However, I didn't try to observe nebulae, since my telescope isn't that strong. I think that will depend on your telescope capabilities and sky conditions. The eyepiece, like I said, is really very good. Hope this helps. Bayard
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I do not have a great deal of xperience at star gazing, however when I look at the moon, I can see craters that I have never seen before. I hope this helps you in your decision.
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I've done some amateur stargazing, even built a telescope. Most astronomy authorities recommend a 7 x 50 set of binoculars. The higher the power, the more shaky the image is unless you use a tripod. And 7x50's aren't too, too big; they're still a manageable size for watching a football game, for instance. Google 'binoculars for astronomy' and you'll get lots of advice.
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Sorry Kevin, i am the wrong person. i bought this telescope for my son and he couldn't use it and i am stock now. I bought it cuz i thought it would be just easy. but i was wrong.
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Martin. I have never responded to a question before. My son and I really like this telescope. The fine adjustments are very easy. It us not as portable as we would like but what can you do. Let me know if you have a specific question as my son can help me answer.
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This is A heavy scope with a less than perfect center go gravity. I am using an alpena plastic with a fairly wide footprint. It's barely enough. It's plastic. it wiggles a lot when you focus or zoom. Do you own this scope now? Are thinking stars or on the ground. I would not recommend ultima 80 for astronomy. Blue shift issues. Works fine on the ground.
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I just ordered the Celestron Nexstar SLT 130, as recommended by a friend who has been into astronomy for years..as a beginner myself I would definitely recommend this telescope...I've used it every night since I've gotten it...the computer makes it really easy to set up and find planets and stars right away!
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Short answer = yes to both questions Long answer = you get the most out of this hobby by doing your research, having lots of patience, asking lots of questions, and most of all enjoying what you do. I own this scope and I love it. My daughter and I have photographed the Orion Nebula from our backyard with terrible light conditions. We used a Canon T5i mounted to the 2x Barlow. I did purchase the Canon T-Ring adaptor to connect my camera to the Barlow. Most nebulae require long exposures and that is the weakness of this telescope. This scope's motor will cause some small blur as it tracks the object in the sky but short exposures (~20sec) work great! Unless you modify the scope, you can not get "Prime Focus" with this scope. You'll need to modify the mirror screws or shorten the tube. (there's online forums about this). Visually, you can see the cloud shapes on Jupiter, detailed craters on the moon, Rings of Saturn, etc.