70mm Celestron Frac

[Marvin Jenkins]

Hi everyone. I have a friend who owns a 70mm f6 and never uses it. 
I have offered a star gazing session with my kit but he always refuses. I think people at the beginning get intimidated by larger scopes.

This time I asked to borrow it as I have a spare EQ2 mount and tripod which he can have. I suspect his is a ball head on a wobbly photo tripod.

I put it on my lightweight setup and headed outside as there were gaps in the cloud. Moon 86% illumination so not  thinking about anything else.

I was really surprised by the performance although there are issues. As expected the three eps were in order- lowest power bearable. Medium- horrible. Highest- total joke.

The 45 deg erecting prism should called a wrecking prism and the spotter scope is the worst I have ever seen and should be thrown away.

Within thirty minutes I picked out the four moons of Jupiter. The core of M31. Pliedes was marvellous in such a wide field. Comet ZTF was quite easy to find, just swept the area until I found the fuzzy blob with a core.

Just proves what can be done under those conditions if you are over mounted. I have never used a small frac and now I want one!!!

I have suggest to my friend to buy a star diagonal, two decent plossls and a red dot finder. I think with a easy going tutorial once or twice he will be a star gazer.

Marvin

[AlcorAlly]

I've had this telescope for many years and use it for my lazy “from the window” observing and as a spotting scope. When used with a decent mount and tripod, quality diagonal and eyepieces, this £90 scope is surprisingly good! It doesn't put up mesmerisingly beautiful views like my “premium” refractor, but you can still see A LOT. Even through the window M31 and M13 are clearly defined, as well many interesing doubles and beautiful clusters at low power.

Edited February 2, 2023 by AlcorAlly

[Gonariu]

I have this refractor, it is very good for portability and it is pretty for contemplative observations of panoramas, DSO, sun and moon, X100 is a magnification which will do again. For planets it isn't the best thing. From my balcony of Orotelli (a little village of central Sardinian) seeing the Pleiades, I saw stars as far as the magnitude 10.

Edited February 3, 2023 by Gonariu

[DPF]

I have this scope which was bought for me by my wife as a Christmas present two years ago and my first post on SGL asked about its capabilities and for suggestions of what might be needed to ‘upgrade’ it.

After receiving some great advice and support, I made some changes and purchased a new tripod, some eyepieces and a moon filter etc. I’m often jealous of the bigger/more expensive telescopes and wonder what it would be like to own one and what I can see, but I love my scope and what I have seen may not have been in as much detail as others but it has helped me to navigate the night sky and I have just posted my first sketch on t SGL.

Most of all my little scope has enabled me to get outside, enjoy the peaceful surroundings and improve my mental well-being. 

[Franklin]

The Celestron Travelscope 70 is actually a good little refractor, they made a 50 and an 80 as well. The supplied mount/tripod, 45deg diagonal, finder and eyepieces are not much cop but when blinged up with a proper diagonal, some decent plossls and a mount that works, it will give very good low to medium power views. I had the 80 and the 70 and mounted them on a manfrotto swivel head and monopod. The whole set up would fit in the supplied back-pack which was ideal for taking on walks through the park at night.

[Marvin Jenkins]

17 minutes ago, DPF said:

I have this scope which was bought for me by my wife as a Christmas present two years ago and my first post on SGL asked about its capabilities and for suggestions of what might be needed to ‘upgrade’ it.

After receiving some great advice and support, I made some changes and purchased a new tripod, some eyepieces and a moon filter etc. I’m often jealous of the bigger/more expensive telescopes and wonder what it would be like to own one and what I can see, but I love my scope and what I have seen may not have been in as much detail as others but it has helped me to navigate the night sky and I have just posted my first sketch on t SGL.

Most of all my little scope has enabled me to get outside, enjoy the peaceful surroundings and improve my mental well-being. 

I am touched by your input. The night sky is something I cannot put into words. 
You have your experiences with your scope that are as valid and real as anyone else. 
I hope you have clear skies and I am sure you will enjoy them as will I.

Marvin

[RobertI]

11 hours ago, DPF said:

Most of all my little scope has enabled me to get outside, enjoy the peaceful surroundings and improve my mental well-being. 

This is such an important part of the hobby for me too - glad you are enjoying your scope!

[RobertI]

On 02/02/2023 at 07:08, Marvin Jenkins said:

I have suggest to my friend to buy a star diagonal, two decent plossls and a red dot finder. I think with a easy going tutorial once or twice he will be a star gazer.

Good luck, I really hope your friend catches the bug. Sounds like that little scope is a good beginner’s scope. A friend was recently asking me for advice about what scope to get to see the comet and a how to take photographs. As is so often the case, he had found an obscure piece of rubbish on Amazon and asked me what I thought. I told him to forget it and forget photographs - instead I lent him my Heritage 130P which I know to be a super capable scope, if a little quirky  I really hope he gets on with it and catches the bug!

[Marvin Jenkins]

The Celestron is excellent optically but you need to upgrade the diagonal, put an RDF on it and buy a few EPs or a cheaper zoom.

The tripod it comes with is wobbly rubbish so by the time that is all sorted you may well be able to but something better for the money.

For photography I wouldn’t recommend it at all. However…… the end of the focus draw tube has a photo thread that accepts my Nikon t ring!

next clear night I am going to put it on my guided eq5 with a dslr and see what I capture of Pliedes or M42.

Marv

[Marvin Jenkins]

I have mounted the little thing on a leftover Orion EQ2, which I am giving to my friend John.

It is not a good mount at all but I have shimmed everything including leg pivots and even filled the legs with dry sand!

Anything is better than the spindly thing it came with and it means John has slowmo controls for the first time.

John has also committed to replacing the diagonal with an Artesky unit and purchase an 8-20 something zoom EP. 
I hope this gets him out even if it just Lunar every now and again.

Marvin.

[Gonariu]

9 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

but you need to upgrade the diagonal .........

The tripod it comes with is wobbly rubbish

For the tripod it's very true, I don't understand as the Celestron can make a thing so poor! I repurchased it for staying into his little rucksac but the now is poor too.

For the diagonal I would tell that it's usable although mediocre, I am using this winter when I see the sun in the afternoon why it's low (the morning I am at school); when I observe to telescope I want sit down and with the mirror diagonal is uncomfortable.

[Gonariu]

I put a photografy  of the Calone nuraghe I made two years  ago with the Travelscope 70 and my smartphone, a Galaxy J7. This nuraghe is on the hill near to Orotelli. Theare is a few AC but I think that it's acceptable.