#6TE-5 First Light

[Stub Mandrel]

My new scope is a Tasco 6TE-5, 50mm x 600mm refractor, from the 1960s. It claims magnesium flouride coated optics, and they look lightly coated. The objective is an air-spaced doublet, with no collimation adjustment. The supplied diagonal has an internal chip, but it is positioned out of the optical path for the tiny 0.925" eyepieces. It has two well-constructed Hugens eyepieces (20mm and 12.5mm) although a third is missing. Everything is metal, and even though the tripod is tiny like today's toy tripods, it is actually solid steel and has adjustable friction in alt and az. All I've done is clean everything gently and get out the worst of a dent in the (metal) dewshield. The main tube has a baffle, and the tube, focus tube and dewshield are all really well blacked inside.

So tonight I set it up, went straight for the 12.5mm eyepiece and aimed it at the moon, in a darkening but blue sky. At f12 with a 50mm objective an achro doublet shouldn't show noticeable CA, it seems and that was the case. To say I was amazed is an understatement. The field of view seemed very small but the details of the moon were crisp and beautiful. The crater Theophilus showed not just a clear central peak, but also the landslips around the edges of  the crater, tiny but in totally clear, crisp detail. I could see a tiny flicker of seeing, but the clarity of the view, especially along the terminator sucked me in. I can imagine a kid in the 60s seeing the moon like this for the first time and being utterly amazed - they weren't spoiled by all the photos we are so familiar with.

After a bit I set up for Jupiter, the tripod needs a bit of adjustment but even so it wasn't hard to get it on target. I hadn't refocused and the view was delightful. Jupiter bright on the blue with three bright little diamonds for the moons. After watching for a while two brown bands became apparent.

For comparison I set up my C90 Mak with a 25mm eyepiece, so exactly the same x48 magnification. The FOV looked a fair bit bigger. On the moon I fancy I could possibly see a bit more detail but possibly a little less contrast, but this may have been down to gradually approaching cloud. I switched to Jupiter and the view was remarkably similar to the little scope, but I could see another moon further out  - Callisto, faintest of the Gallilean moons. Checking back to the Tasco, Callisto had appeared - it was the brighter sky ten minutes before that had hidden the extra moon.

I then popped a 10mm ep in the Mak for x120, and was rewarded with hints of more detail in fainter rings - I was getting my eye in just as the cloud rolled up and put an end to this experiment.

 

The long and short of this? Well I don't expect the little Tasco to be a DSO killer, but from what I have seen reports elsewhere of colourful double stars and pretty clusters and it should offer me some fun and low-stress observing - I will be trying a few bright DSOs as well M57 & 27, Andromeda galaxy and even look at the double-double - just in case! For the £20 I spent on this, I'm delighted. It also makes me incredibly excited about what sort of views I will get with my ED 66 when it's up and running!

[Knighty2112]

I remember my first telescope (a Tasco too) from about 1975/76 had the straight through fixed eyepiece that you pulled further out to get higher magnification at set stages (15x, 30x etc). Did manage to view Jupiter and Saturn through it, along with stars of course. Never managed at the time with that scope to see any DSO’s though. 

[Dragon_Astro]

My first scope was a Tasco refractor, from Argos lol

Had my first views of Saturn and the Orion Nebula through it

[Knighty2112]

Tell a lie. I did see M42 with it!  

[Stub Mandrel]

Oh yes, should have thought of that. doubt I will see the horsehead though ?