refractor telescopes ?

[smt1988]

is this refractor telescope any good

Sky-Watcher Evostar-90 (EQ2) Achromatic Refractor Telescope (10724) - Warehouse Express

i own a celestron travelscope 70 would the views be alot better with the sky watcher evo star 90 ?. i dont like reflector telescopes i got put off them from the trouble i had with the last one.

[lw24]

Hi,

What's your budget for a new telescope?

[acey]

The extra aperture won't make a huge difference in terms of the faintest objects you'll see: about half a magnitude. But your travelscope is, I understand, a short focal-length instrument (400mm), and the Evostar is f10 (900mm focal length), so you'll get higher magnifications (125% higher) using the same eyepieces. You'll also probably have less chromatic aberration (colour fringing) with the longer focal-length instrument. So it would be better for Moon and planets, though for deep-sky you might still prefer the lower power, wider field views you can get with the travelscope.

[AliMac]

I have the same telescope on the eq2 mount, and while I'm more than happy with the OTA, I wish I'd gone for the eq3-2. The lighter mount has quite a bit of wobble in it, especially in windy conditions. You might also consider the Alt-Az mount for ease of setup and use. All of these are available from the good people at FLO.

[todd8137]

hi there well i have a meade 2090 goto frac as a grab and go, paid about 80 pound for it on ebay with 6,meade eps 4000 series ans it works well. i have had some great planet views and just last night saw m33 and m110 with it albeit faint the dumbell neb was no probs a cheap web cam will get you great videos of the moon and planets so for the same money it may be worth have in a look on e bay i also got a 3 month shop garantee of the guy wo sold it me.if its hust visual you are interested in have a look on e bay am sure you may get a big frac for the same money.

[ronin]

The 90 will show more but as the area is 65% more and the eye doesn't react lineraly the extra objects seen will not be the same.

It should allow somewhat more magnification and being a longer f number the CA should be reduced.

Mounts are always the minimum they can get away with so the EQ2 will probably be too light for the scope. The EQ3-2 should be better and has a greater selection of options to upgrade to.

It is a nice small/medium scope. Having looked at the 90 and 102 could you wait and get the 102 at a bit later time? After 4 inch refractors start getting heavier but a 102 would collect more light (212% over the 70).

I like the 90 and would recommend them happily, usually as a good first scope, but you are upgrading and I can see that you could want to upgrade again to something like the 102 in a relatively short time.

If size or weight is a problem then the 90 is smaller and lighter then the 102 (pretty obvious) so would be a better choice in that situation.

If you are close enough to a retailer that sells both I would suggest a visit and compare the 2 side by side. Leave all money and cards at home so you cannot buy. Decide that afterwards.

Finally look round for alternatives to Warehouse Express. If they have the item they are OK, but often they will advertise something they can get but don't have in stock.

[glowjet]

The Meade DS2090 GOTO is no longer made, I have used one at an Astro meeting and seen good quality images, as strange as it is I have the same scope new and unused, bought as a Christmas gift by my family, if you are interested PM me.

[smt1988]

thanks for the advice people really helpfull info

[JamesM]

I would second the view above regarding who you buy the product from. FLO like other astro retailers (Telescope House, Rother Valley Optics etc) offer competitive pricing (FLO price matches) but as they are also astronomers themselves, they can help you with advice and sorting out potential problems - worth more money than any difference in prices!

With regard to your specific question, I would choose the slightly larger mount (EQ3/2) for stability at an additional cost of £98. However, which ever you choose, I would invite you to consider the possibility for the potential to attach motors at a later date to assist with tracking which in turn assists with vibration issues that can impede the ability to focus easily. For an idea of prices see below:

a) EQ2 RA motor £62

EQ3/2 RA motor £79 (for RA & DEC £91)

The motor idea might seem like I'm trying to spend your money but I appreciate the difficulty in guiding the scope to keep track with moving stars (particularly at higher magnifications) whilst at the same time trying to focus once the mount has settled - very frustrating.

James