Kerrschild

I just bought the Meade 10x56 on Amazon and tried them for the first time. It was nearly impossible to remove the black beans from the image. When I went to check the exit pupils, I saw this: Here's another view: The exit pupils are not centered, and in fact they exit in opposite directions, laterally, to the outer side of the binoculars. I'm really used to the typical picture of binoculars where the exit pupil is at the center of the lense, so I'm not sure if this is ok. Should I return them right away? What do people think? Thanks!

Hello! I'm still trying to make my first buy into amateur astronomy! I've been bouncing between small refractors like the Orion shorttube 80 and small dobsonians like the Starblast. However, my need to be able to put the thing in a backpack and hike with it (plus many comments in this forum) made me consider the smaller but equally cool option of binoculars! Currently, I am between the 15x70, 25x70 and 20x80 Celestron Skymaster series. I really like the grab-and-go appeal that binoculars have so I really want to avoid chunky tripods. My questions are: 1) Are the 15x70 ok for handheld astronomy? I am 30 years old and can hold some weight, I guess... although not too much weight! 2) Similar question, the magnification in the 25x70's probably make them too much for handheld views,no? Even if they are the same weight as the 15x70's. 3) If I went for the 25x70 or 20x80, is there a monopod that I could use for them? I like the camera monopods that have no legs and just stick into the ground. They only take the weight for you, not fix the binocular in place, but I think that would make a huge difference! Is that right? 4) I’ve also seen binoculars such as the nature dx 12x56 which seem definitely more compact. Are these roof binoculars good for astronomy, or should I stick with porro binoculars like the celestron skymaster 12x60? Thanks again for all the nice comments!

Hello! I'm trying to get into astronomy for the first time! As I said on a previous post, I'm looking for a beginner telescope that is portable for hikes and backpacking and under $300 dollars (a lot of constraints, i know...) At first, I was looking into the group of 80mm refractor telescopes with 400mm focal length (Like the Orion st80 or the celestron powerseeker). However, other people have pointed out at those prices the tripod mounts are not that good and that dobsonian mounts are cheaper and therefore more money is spent on the optics. I checked out the Orion Skyscanner 100 and the Orion starblast 4.5 which are roughly 150 and 250 dollars. They both seem like good telescopes, great for beginners, easy to use, etc. My question is: Can dobsonian telescopes be easily dismounted and made somewhat comapact to put in a backpack? Or should we always try to keep them fully mounted? In terms of portability, would you say the starblast 4.5 is a severe downgrade from the skyscanner or roughly the same capacity to put in a packpack and walk around? Thanks again! And sorry for all the questions! I'm excited to start looking at the sky! Also, I heard the suggestion in the previous post to start with binoculars and I might do that before getting into telescopes! Still curious about the portability of small dobsonians though.

Hello! I'm a physicist working on black holes who incredibly managed to stay away from astronomy for far too long! I wanted to get started with a beginner telescope without too much fancy stuff, so I can learn my way around the sky (For example, no computer mounts so I can learn how to find objects on my own). I also enjoy camping and hiking so I was looking for something that can fit in a hiking backback. Also, I'd like to spend less than $300 total since this will be a hobby and I can't spend that much. Under these specifications, I started looking and I found too many options! Here's is a list of telescopes that people have called beginner, portable and simple (straightforward refractor telescope, no equatorial mount or computer mounts) - Celestron Astromaster 80azs - Celestron Powerseeker 80azs - Celestron Travel Scope 80 - Orion CT80 - Orion GoScope 80 - Orion Observer ST80 - Orion Shorttube 80 (not made anymore but I could find one online maybe?) What is the difference between these models? They are all 80mm diameter, 400mm focal length, roughly the same size, and similar AZ mount (except Orion Observer), with roughly the same magnification (from 10x to 160x approximately). Do people have strong preference for some of this over another? Why would celestron and Orion have so many models that, at first glance, have exactly the same specifications? If I can ask one more thing, I also noticed these two telescopes on the slightly better magnification and such. Do people consider these somewhat portable? Would they fit in a backpack to go hiking? Would they be better beginner options compared to the previous list? - Orion starblast II 4.5 (Actually a refelctor and EQ mount but I feel it kinda also fits my needs) - Celestron inspire 100az Thanks so much!