Man on the Moon Telescope.

[John]

I started out with a very similar specification although mine was made in the 1960's

I saw enough through mine to get me well and truly hooked on the hobby and I've still got the scope in it's wooden trunk somewhere in the loft - it probably deserves some more starlight !

I used to find my scope "topped out" at around 130x. My big breakthrough with it though was when I managed to make a 20mm "widefield" eyepiece from an old pair of binoculars (probably a Kellner design). Seeing the Orion Nebula, the Double Cluster and M82 and M82 in the same field of view was just as magical as splitting Gamma Leonis (my 1st double !) and seeing Saturn for the very first time.

In many ways I envy those who will be going through these voyages of discovery with a scope like the Celestron LT60-AZ

[Alien 13]

The 1st view of the Moon through a small frac was magical for me as a kid and probably never bettered in terms of WOW with any scope since and there seems to be quite a few on here that still get a kick out of using small scopes although they might now be APOs.

Alan

[Yearofthegoat]

Hmmm. Itchy trigger finger...

I have two children under 6 who love looking through my 150PDS but they usually have to stand on a chair which makes it all a bit tricky for them in the dark. I wonder if this might be a good 'scope for them to use.

Also thinking maybe I could attach it to my HEQ5 for tracking/GoTo?  It could perhaps also serve as a holiday 'scope.

Hmmm.

I also wonder what we could see if I pop my 3.2mm Starguider in! (Not a lot probably, or not a lot that's clear anyway!).

Had better run it past SWMBO, see if Santa can get it for me them.

[Matt Scunthorpe]

possible stupid question incoming.

Is the EP holder a standard 1.25? Thinking of getting it for my housemate who is just starting out in astro and isn't sure what he will like, and I have a bunch of EPs that we can share if so.

Matt.

[Chris]

possible stupid question incoming.

Is the EP holder a standard 1.25? Thinking of getting it for my housemate who is just starting out in astro and isn't sure what he will like, and I have a bunch of EPs that we can share if so.

Matt.

Hi Matt, it mentions it has a 1.25" diagonal in the spec

[Matt Scunthorpe]

Oh yeah lol. somehow managed to completely ignore that. Thanks.

Matt.

[brantuk]

Looks the business - Ideal as a kids starter scope and at fifty nine quid it's gonna be a hard bargain to beat.

[Alien 13]

I wonder how it would perform with a premium eyepiece?

Alan

[DRT]

I wonder how it would perform with a premium eyepiece?

Alan

At f/12 I don't think it really needs top end EPs but something like a BST or Celestron XCell LX would cetrainly be an improvement on the plossls.

[John]

I found my old Tasco 60mm refractor had a really good objective lens - once I put a better quality eyepiece in it. The Hugenians that it was supplied with didn't do it any favours but even a humble Kellner works well with a F/12 refractor.

The usual weak points of these scopes used to be the eyepieces that were supplied and the mounts that they were put on but it looks as if Celestron have addressed these issues with this model.

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

Amazing value!

 An allotment mate of mine mentioned that he was thinking of buying a scope for a 10 year old nephew.

 Don't know what his budget was,but,I bet that this would fit the bill (if he's in generous uncle mode).

  Knowing my mate,the lad will probably get a selection box. 

[Bazz]

I think it would be ideal for anyone not just kids, especially those on a budget.

[FLO]

I think you and the others are right, it is remarkable because it never used to be this way. Starter telescopes for astronomy are difficult things to get right. They are a balance between price (low enough to attract beginners to the hobby) and performance (high enough to deliver impressive views). Box-shifters, photo and eBay stores often focus on price and care only that the telescope sells. They do this because they usually stock only cheap telescopes to sell at Christmas. They have no astro knowledge and offer no upgrade path so have no interest in whether the telescope proves a success. Unfortunately this usually results in the customer buying a lemon that is used only once then stored in the loft, under the bed or sold at a car-boot sale. Feeling disillusioned they abandon what should have been a highly rewarding hobby (specialist astronomy retailers find this situation intensely frustrating)! But Celestron have changed that with their Astromaster series, it is now possible to buy a refractor on a mount <£100 that is capable of impressive views. And credit where it is due, it was John Lewis who alerted us to this change with their £1,000,000 'Man on the Moon' advert 

Steve

[pipnina]

Something I know, having owned two "toy telescopes" in the past (one which was "large", another that was tiny(this one) I had no lcuk with either... Because I got them out, got them assembled and they didn't last until the next clear sky before I broke them in one way or another...

I managed to get the linked one out and tried to point it at the moon, but I seem to remember it never looking anything more than a big white blob. No idea if that's the scope's fault or mine, though. But I remember finding the moon was a pain.

My only gripe with that celestron, though, is that even if you bought a 32mm EP, you'd end up with less than 3mm exit pupil... Although it gets close it's still a bit low for deep sky. But for £59 can you really complain?

[GeoffB]

Welll my son and I started with a small cheap refractor the celestron Travelscope backpack kit at this price point. This scope kit looks like 7t is an improvement on that as it appears to have a far better tripod. If the views are as good or better than the travelscope then many a new entrant should catch the bug. Due to this kit like my son many will get really into the hobby, Luke is now doing GCSE Astronmy due to the views we got not just of the moon but constellations etc and in wide field views we still enjoy using our small portable mount with the frac e as we wait for cool down of our newtonian scope. I hope this reinvigorates the hobby and enable astronomy to retain those whom John Lewis along with stargazing live have kindled an intrest in. I might buy anotner so I can use my old frac as a perm camera mount with an old DSlr.

Geoff

[FLO]

We have sold out of the Celestron Cosmos LT-60-AZ but can offer the more advanced Celestron Astromaster 70EQ at £98.

The telescope is essentially the same but features a larger objective lens (more light gathering ability) and a more advanced GEQ mount (you can easily track targets as they move across the sky). 

[GeoffB]

Would not it have been better putting up a st80 on a tabletop tripod and reducing the price point to sub £100 as most astronomers recommend this scope as being good and it has a bigger objective lens. I am talking as a father who got his son a travescope and due to its decent eps has now spent hundreds on upgrading and aperture fever. I dont regret it but a shorter scope makes it easier for us city and town dwellers get to darker skies.

Sorry FLO this is not a criticism but only a practical marketing and vfm suggestion I wish I had Dartmoor skies then most scopes would be vastly improved. I know due to being a former resident of the National Park lol.

Clear Skies

Geoff

[FLO]

Would not it have been better putting up a st80 on a tabletop tripod and reducing the price point to sub £100 as most astronomers recommend this scope as being good and it has a bigger objective lens. I am talking as a father who got his son a travescope and due to its decent eps has now spent hundreds on upgrading and aperture fever. I dont regret it but a shorter scope makes it easier for us city and town dwellers get to darker skies.

Sorry FLO this is not a criticism but only a practical marketing and vfm suggestion I wish I had Dartmoor skies then most scopes would be vastly improved. I know due to being a former resident of the National Park lol.

From a marketing POV I am sure you are right, Geoff, the shorter Celestron Travelscope 70 would be an easier sell.

But it does not perform as well as the Astromaster 60 or 70, their longer focal lengths are less prone to chromatic aberration and more able to handle the higher magnifications necessary to view solar system targets like the Moon, Jupiter & Saturn. 

The Travelscope 70 is better suited to a department store.

HTH,

Steve  

[FLO]

Oops. I missed that you also suggested the ST80.

The ST80 is certainly a better telescope than Celestron's Travelscope 70 but I think most kids like their first telescope to 'look like' a telescope (a long tube with a lens at the front, on a full-size tripod) and what I said earlier regarding long focal length still applies. 

I might be wrong

Steve