how does this compare to the Edmonds Scientific Astroscan? My main goal woudl be to just play a bit, and introduce my 10 year old Grandaughter to it.
1754722
I'm not familiar with the Astroscan. I can say that this is a small, portable, easy to use scope that performs well. I got mine as a gift for a six year old and she had no trouble carrying it. If your granddaughter has a spark of interest in astronomy, this should bring it out.
1754723
Optically they are almost identical. I would get either one. I would buy whatever one I could get a better deal on.
1754724
I own both and like them both. The Orion is easier to aim for me because the lack of the big round anchoring structure at the base of the Astroscan. If I was going to use a telescope for a child, the Astroscan is much more sturdier and the mirror is completely enclosed and safe from damage. The image quality and ability to use a variety of lenses is about the same for both.
1754725
Never used the Edmonds Scientific Astroscan. But I really enjoy this telescope. Im certain your Grandaughter would love it!
1754726
Can't compare to Edmonds since I've never seen it. I did buy a cheap table to set it on outside though, it's not tall enough to get under. On the edge of a car hood works well too. I eventually put it on a tripod.
1754727
The Edmund's AstroScan cannot be collimated, and it usually arrives in an uncollimated state. The StarBlast can be collimated by the user. In my experience with both, the StarBlast is far superior, even though the optical intentions for both instruments are identical. (FWIW, the AstroScan's eyepieces are better, but E.P.'s can be purchased separately.)(Some of the comments on Amazon mention the AstroScan, as do replies to the comments. Suggest you read these.)(Some of the comments on Amazon mention the AstroScan, as do replies to the comments. Suggest you read these.)
45847
oh, one more thing. I saw the other reviews after I posted mine, not before.I think the build quality is fine, I am not sure if the other posters actually own this or not. by grabbing it by the pistol grip, its not heavy at all. I don't understand some of these reviews. also build quality is great. to move the head around you squeeze the pistol grip, and let go, it stays, even at angles. Like I stated before, I can support a 40lb telescope, and my big full frame Nikon with monster zoom. Its good enough to take stills of the moon, its that good. guess we are all different, but this one satisfies me, just fine. weight is not an issue. oh, one more thing. I saw the other reviews after I posted mine, not before.I think the build quality is fine, I am not sure if the other posters actually own this or not. by grabbing it by the pistol grip, its not heavy at all. I don't understand some of these reviews. also build quality is great. to move the head around you squeeze the pistol grip, and let go, it stays, even at angles. Like I stated before, I can support a 40lb telescope, and my big full frame Nikon with monster zoom. Its good enough to take stills of the moon, its that good. guess we are all different, but this one... » Read More oh, one more thing. I saw the other reviews after I posted mine, not before.I think the build quality is fine, I am not sure if the other posters actually own this or not. by grabbing it by the pistol grip, its not heavy at all. I don't understand some of these reviews. also build quality is great. to move the head around you squeeze the pistol grip, and let go, it stays, even at angles. Like I stated before, I can support a 40lb telescope, and my big full frame Nikon with monster zoom. Its good enough to take stills of the moon, its that good. guess we are all different, but this one satisfies me, just fine. weight is not an issue. « Show Less
752815
I have used the Magellan eXplorist 310 and was extremely satisfied. Before u actually go out and use if....try it around your house and get familiar with it.
85767
I'm pretty sure they are the same...the X2 "Shorty" Barlow...def worth it. The XT8 is a GREAT telescope.
1664769
I have not seen the Simmons. I am very pleased with my Celestron up thru 40X or maybe 45X. Above that, the optics are not as clear, and detail is not much more visible, even though the image is larger. Most of my useage is 1.5-2 miles looting at wildlife. At shorter ranges, the higher magnification would probably be adequate as well, that's just not what I use it for. Moon shots are impressive!
1290340
I use this on Star Citizen and it works great for me also. It seems very accurate. I would recommend it in its price range.
819298
I gave it to my 39 year old son. He says it works well. You can even see the moons of Jupiter with it.
1713859
Hello, I would say the images for me are the same as I have the basic eyepieces and two sets of as you need two sets for the bino viewers but what I like is the eye relief that you get when looking through them and a almost 3d effect like you get when looking through binoculars. If you can afford it I would highly recomend it, not for just yourself but for other viewers as well. I have a Celestron 8SE and looking at Saturn, Jupiter, the moon, well its pretty awesome. My plan is to do astrophotography, if I was really into eyepieces I would go with the two inch and some nice Nagler eyepieces. Hope this helps, Good luck and dark skies.
410591
Walmart has 1 for under 50 bucks. EBay has millions for less. It's just a standard camera mount. My Walmart generic one is fine and has tilt and pan which helps. The Moon is going to seem like it's blazing across the sky with the Skymaster! Very cool. Haven't seen any aliens yet, maybe some on the beach though. Scary stuff on the beach, better to keep your sees to the sky!
709356
It does well on the moon but not so good on planets. It also lacks a finder type tube to look through to locate the stars and finding the planets is challenging. It's not a bad question. I do use mine primarily for spotting when shooting.
1468522
So I bought this for my kids too, but I would say that they have difficulty opporating the focus. The only thing this is powerful enough for is looking at the moon. I would recommend spending a bit more and getting one that can find celestial opjects for you.
1058013
The Dob will definitely give you more deep space objects than the refractor. I got my son one of those last Christmas. It is rather large in comparison to the refractor, but rotates well on its base. His is not computerized and he has gotten very adept at finding nebulae and Messier objects. I think the refractor is more for planets and moons in our close by system. Visual tracking is okay, remember that the image is reversed in the Dob.
622876
If viewing relatively fixed objects at long distances is all you want to do, a telescope would be better. For general use and very basic star gazing, these would be fine.
890301
Its not too advanced. After an adult puts it together she can easily use it on her own. However, we have tried to use it at night and it only works well with a full moon and no artificial light around your house. Keep in mind this is a kid's telescope and not a fancy one that works like the ones that go for $100+
2176564
of course the manufactured would kinow best; however, my grandchildren age 9 and 12 asked for same for Christmas 2013. Thne 12 year old is really into it and really enjoys it and understands the concept; but my 9 year old does not seem interested (has not yet begun to look at it). I would say it all depends on the child and their interests. Sorry, this is all I have to offer.
1971686
Lyn, a small instruction booklet. You will want to buy more slides (I bought the box of Celestron prepared slides) since this only comes with four prepared slides. The five plain slides are a lot of fun too. I bought a separate science book that explained and had a lot of pictures of magnified images - and a short story type book called something like Greg's First Microscope. Together, those items made a well-rounded gift - and my son 9 YO enjoys even a year later.
562383
The Edge HD scope has a flatter field meaning the stars will stay sharp all the way to the edge of the view. For general observing, I would say the CPC is plenty, if you want to get into astrophotography, I would personally prefer the Edge HD version as your photos will be sharper at the edges. There is a lot of info explaining the differences on Celestron's website, I would read all of it before deciding.