Tasco beginner (or should it be TascDoh!)

[Richard734]

OK,

made the classic mistake of buying a Tasco Beginners set for my daughter.

We can see the moon though

I understand that the replacement eyepieces can make all the difference, but in the interest of keeping teh young one interested I need to check a couple of things...

If I get a 15 or 20mm Plossl (around £20) will she be able to see the moons around Jupiter? the 12.5 plastic thing just shows a bright dot. Or any of the more obvious clusters as more than a jumble?

If not, what do I need to be looking at for minimal outlay?

Its a 600mm Focal Length refractor (Crikey, looks almost like I know what I am talking about!)

Thanks in advance...

[E621Keith]

If the 12.5mm (48x) can't show Jupiter's moon then there is either something very wrong with the eyepiece or the scope. The 15 (40x) and 20mm (30x) should show you the moons of Jupiter if your telescope's objective is up to the job.

You need to check whether your Tasco uses 0.956" or 1.25" eyepiece holder. If it is 1.25" then you can get the Plossl, If the eyepiece is 0.956" then you will need to look for an adapter. As for deep sky objects like galaxies and clusters, don't expect anything more than a grey smudge. It's a smudge even in the big scopes we used.

The really beautiful pictures you see around here were taken by long exposure astrophotography and hours of post processing.

[Richard734]

Thanks Keith, it is a 1.25" and from what I gather the 12.5H plastic EP's supplied are a little pants

I was also using the plastic diagonal so I didnt have to view from my knees

TBH, it was a quick 20 minute session from my back garden as my daughter wanted to have a quick look before bedtime, so Imight have bodged the focus knob when shifting from the moon.

Would I be better off with a 10mm Plossl instead?

[E621Keith]

The H in 12.5H stands for Huygen and is one of the cheapest and worst eyepiece design. Getting a Plossl and a glass mirror diagonal will improve the view. A 10 mm will yield 60x magnification. I don't know the quality of the Tesco's objectives so I don't know whether it will handle it, but most scopes have no problem with that magnification.

I need to wear glasses to observe and the eye relief on a 10mm Plossl is too short, so I'd go for the 15mm or 20mm for a more comfortable view.

[Richard734]

To be fair, Tasco kit is normally pretty good, even teh budget scopes, its the EP quality that let them down with Telescopes.

I shoot a lot, and Tasco are one of the most trusted names for good quality shooting optics.

Big glass lenses and metal bodies, they can do - its the oursourced EP's that trip them up.

[malc-c]

To be fair, Tasco kit is normally pretty good, even teh budget scopes, its the EP quality that let them down with Telescopes.

I shoot a lot, and Tasco are one of the most trusted names for good quality shooting optics.

Big glass lenses and metal bodies, they can do - its the oursourced EP's that trip them up.

When I used to work for Tasco (some 20 odd years ago !) their sports gear was exceptionally well made. However a lot of the refractor telescopes were not in the same class, often having baffels installed behind the objective due to the poor lenses, thus turning a 60mm refractor into a 30mm refractor. - Things may of changed now, as they are compeating with the likes of Skywatcher, and other similar scopes that offer a decent scope for an entry level price (20 years ago there was nothing like we have today, you had the "toy" scopes and then jumped to things like the Vixen 102mm or Celestron C8 !) - The 3T and 11TR reflectors on the other hand performed well, especially if you used a quality eyepiece, but suffered from wobbly mounts.

Maybe the OP should save money in trying to get a decent image from his Tasco scope, and invest money he would spend on eyepieces on one of the Skywatcher scopes.

[Richard734]

well, there is that, but the scope is bought, mainly for my Daughter. As I see it, EP's will be recycleble if she decides to continue with the hobby and get better telescope(s) so it is an investment in the future either way

[AndyH]

well, there is that, but the scope is bought, mainly for my Daughter. As I see it, EP's will be recycleble if she decides to continue with the hobby and get better telescope(s) so it is an investment in the future either way

Exactly right. You can pick up pretty decent plossl eyepieces for about £20 new and even a new mirror diagonal can be got for under £30. I reckon that it'll make a HUGE difference to the views. usually the cheaper scopes have got shockingly awful eyepieces and sometimes substandard diagonals.

Worse case senario: Even if in the future if you wanted to sell them on, you wouldn't be much out of pocket.

Cheers,

Andy.

[Mikea]

Is the objective lens glass or plastic?

[kniclander]

If it helps, i bought a skywatcher mini-dob which was pants with the stock e/ps but pretty ok with decent (but not expensive) e/ps.

[nightfisher]

i would agree with getting a basic 15mm plossl ep, it should improve things a lot

[Richard734]

Thanks all,

Mike, I guess you mean the big one at the front? Its glass

looking at the FLO Celestrons at the moment, but there is an 'Astro Jumble' next Monday in Northampton, so thinking of looking there before ordering new.

[Dave]

Hey, I started out on a Tasco all those years ago.

Yes, they may be limited, but they show far more than can be seen without them.

Better eyepieces will help and when you sell on your Tasco and upgrade your scope, you keep your lovely eyepieces and the view will be even better. So investing in eyepieces is always money well spent. They can last a lifetime if you look after them.

[Mikea]

Thanks all,

Mike, I guess you mean the big one at the front? Its glass

looking at the FLO Celestrons at the moment, but there is an 'Astro Jumble' next Monday in Northampton, so thinking of looking there before ordering new.

OK - glass is good! Astro jumble sounds like a great plan - good luck!