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Mak 90 much better than Startravel 80?


Luminated

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Hi everyone - will be flying to less polluted skies over the next few weeks and was planning to take our Startravel 80. Just for observing, but hoping to enjoy the upcoming Jupiter Saturn conjunction...

This scope is OK and am using a Baader lens/prism combo (bought in advance of an Apo frac purchase next year hopefully..) - BUT am tempted to get a used mak 90 in the hope of seeing a bit more detail

Currently under good seeing, I just about see the two main cloud belts in Jupiter and Saturn's ring. Re Jupiter, would be great to see a bit more cloud detail (better defined even...) and Cassini division on Saturn

I have a recently acquired Moon and Skyglow filter to help, but haven't been able to test its usefulness due to poor weather

Have trawled through a few posts and reviews on the "mighty mak" (including the 102 version, although cannot find a reasonable price on this one)  and trying to figure if the c£90 expenditure on the mak would make that much of a difference over the STA80?

Opinions and experience of these scopes welcome!

Thanks :)

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Mak90 will outclass ST80 on planets.

ST80 has masses of chromatic aberration - and that is out of focus light. Most of the light of planets is slightly out of focus and thus blurry.

Central obstruction or not ST80 behaves more like 40mm scope than 80mm scope with respect to planets. Indeed, if you want to see color free images of planets, then put aperture mask of 40mm over it (or use supplied cap and remove central part for 50mm of aperture).

90mm with central obstruction is simply going to run circles around it.

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Theoretically, that seems to make sense - and explains the current lack of detail I'm actually seeing. Probably the ultra short focal length doesn't help either - although the scope was bought as a present and for travel purposes, I was expecting to see similar views my 60mm frac gave from my teenage years, but that was indeed longer!

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I used to have ST102 and I now have Mak102, so I do have first hand experience in planetary views between two such scopes.

We could say that F/12 or similar 80mm refractor is going to be contender against good Mak90, but ST80 is certainly not.

Here, maybe moon shots will help:

moon.JPG

Different technique and equipment (ST102 + DSLR vs Mak102 + planetary camera), but you can see chromatic issues straight away on the moon  with ST102 - look at yellowing around the limb. Above is of course ST102

Here is Mak102 version:

moon.png

Here is Maksutov version - which you can zoom in quite a bit (right button + open in new tab and then click with magnifier to get 100% zoom).

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I have a C90 Mak and think that visually it would win out due to its tolerance of cheaper eyepieces alone, of course its big advantage is that you can hang more or less any camera off it.

This was a single shot of the Moon with mine using a heavy DSLR.

post-32578-0-24135900-1450633418.png.713dc2545a944935b6328153d636ce36.png

Alan

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The F/5 achromats are just not designed for high power observing really. At low to medium powers on DSO's they are nice but above around 100x and they just don't really do to well.

If you wanted a better "all rounder" one of the Skywatcher ED80 Pro's could do a good job. Wide views and nice at 150x plus as well. 

 

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All beautiful shots regardless - but the difference is obvious!

Thank you :)

(typically the Mak 90 I found is already sold! ...it was the older blue model yet only 20% cheaper than a new one...such is the times of limited supply! - I guess these hold their value well though)

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8 minutes ago, John said:

The F/5 achromats are just not designed for high power observing really. At low to medium powers on DSO's they are nice but above around 100x and they just don't really do to well.

If you wanted a better "all rounder" one of the Skywatcher ED80 Pro's could do a good job. Wide views and nice at 150x plus as well. 

 

Well I do have my eye on a TakDZ for next year anyway...just need to be patient

Always fun looking for "bargains" though :)

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Well I have to report that there was a rare cold, crisp London sky over the evening and the ST80 delivered some “small is beautiful views” :)

In order of appearance:

Jupiter and Saturn, a handsome couple framed perfectly within in the fov of the Baader 32 plossl

A peak at Saturn’s rings through the 6mm ortho

Jupiter’s two main belts given a helping hand courtesy of the skyglow filter (jury still out on the level of improvement..)

Mars, smaller but still so bright! And holding up at 133x barlowed to reveal tiny albedo markings - possibly even the telltale triangle (but maybe that was wishful interpretation..)

Sirius, the jewel of the night

Orion’s Belt and a myriad of pretty pin points around 

Betelgeuse flaming red in its postulated dying glory

Pleiades beauties pleasing the eye

...by now inspired to find Andromeda for the closing act, but eluded as a veil of cloud became the final curtain :(

So tell me this my star gazing friends, is M31 within visual reach of the ST80...?

Thank you kindly!

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Nice report :smiley:

M31 can be seen with the naked eye from a moderately dark site and with 10x50 binoculars from practically anywhere so it will certainly be within the grasp of the ST80 even under light polluted skies.

Don't expect too much though - a fuzzy oval is about as much as it will amount to. Low magnification is what to use.

Good luck with it !

 

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