Celestron Sky scout 90mm Refractor Review

[Rob]

I bought this scope direct from the USA recently. Its not yet hit UK Celestron dealers, but imagine it will in the next 3/6 months. Details of this scope can be found on http://www.celestron.com/c2/product.php?CatID=48&ProdID=494#specs

Firstly the specs:

90mm Achromat fully coated air spaced doublet. @ f7 660mm

Its supposed to be a non metallic made telescope to compliment the sky scout locater device. So much to my confusion the scope has a metal main tube, metal 1.25 focuser, and metal rings?????.. not sure how that comes under the non metallic hat, but hey!. It does have a plastic dew cap to be fair

First impressions:

Very nice to the eye.. fair to good build quality. The main lens shows a nice purple coating haze. The focuser is a stock ST80 synta job. Not bad.. but not great!. Its not top heavy either. I must say it took 5 days from the USA to me by priority mail @ $40 (post office - learn!!)

Ok. first night out:

The focuser was not great, a little jumpy when racking in and out!. My first target was Mars. I used a Antares 1.25 diagonal & 21mm Badder Hyperion. Very nice view.. image scale was small but very contrasty, the black sky background was indeed that!. The planet did flare some purple CA around the edges, but not too distracting. Now popped in the Orion Shorty 2x APO barlow. Ohh.. nice colour and markings now on show, the CA was a little less also. I took out the 21mm Hyperion and popped in the 9m TMB - WOW. Is this really a 90mm Achro?. I must say the image was bright and contrast & colour very nicely balanced. The CA was present, but again not bad at all.

So.. the planet views =8 out of 10

Now moved the scope to M42 and used the 21mm Hyperion. Nice structure to the nebula, not the dust cloud lines you can achieve in the C8.. but very good. Of course no CA here as DSO usage. Nice black inky sky (well done coatings).

So.. DSO usage = 7 out of 10

No moon to view tonnight so thats for another time.

I've now ordered myself a new Antares single speed focuser from TS in Germany (prices just dropped to 89 euro) with this addition the scope is certainly a keeper.. Celestron have done well with this one. If I were to compare with another make it would have to be on the level with a Antares Sentinel for Semi-ED quality views, but much better as an achromat will give you colour!.

Not sure what this will retail at here in the UK.. we will see.

Rob

[Rob]

Thanks all for you PM's.. I will answer them all over today/tomorrow

Rob

[russ]

Sounds a great scope Rob. We'll have to do a comparison with my ETX 90. 90mm Achro against 90mm Mak

It sounds the better all rounder though. The 90mm Mak falls down quite badly on anything not Solar System related.

Russ

[Macavity]

Its supposed to be a non metallic made telescope to compliment the sky scout locater device. So much to my confusion the scope has a metal main tube, metal 1.25 focuser, and metal rings?????.. not sure how that comes under the non metallic hat, but hey!. It does have a plastic dew cap to be fair

Nice review. Heheh. Indeed so - I guess they mean non-Ferromagnetic, so it will actually work with the SS planetarium. And, since I've looked (elsewhere) for somewhere to stick(!) my "magnetic" angle gauge, I find, "obviously", aside from screws etc., typically, little of strongly magnetic nature! But I do find that whole (finding) concept inspiring. No whirring gears, and sufficient "user involvement" to potentially learn something... Nice one, Celestron.

[FLO]

Nice report Rob

I've been wondering whether to add that to FLO's stock, reading your review it looks like I'd be silly not to, assuming it sells over here at a sensible price.

[FLO]

Not sure what this will retail at here in the UK.. we will see.

Just been told £159 RRP

[Rob]

Is that just the OTA steve?. Its $329 for the lot (not the sky scout unit) in the US

[FLO]

That's the RRP for the scope without the SkyScout.

[Krys]

Hi all,

Does anyone out there who has one of these scopes give me an idea of how portable the complete rig (OTA + mount) is? Can the tube fit in a backpack or small (hand luggage size) holdall? Does the tripod and mount collapse right down to be easily attatched to a Lowepro photographic backpack?

Thanks