Celestron FirstScope Review

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Photo: Celestron FirstScope

The FirstScope and included 20mm and 10mm eyepeices.

Small, inexpensive telescopes have an appeal all their own. Ideally they are simple to use and though they don’t collect the most light or have the highest quality optics or most robust construction, under a clear night sky they can reveal a host of wonders. In practice few of these cheap telescopes actually live up to these aspirations and many of them are so flawed in optics or mechanics as to be more frustrating than fun.

The Celestron FirstScope (you can also find it at Amazon) is a small, 76mm, reflector that has interested me for some time. It is incredibly inexpensive; the regular price is under $50 and I’ve seen it on sale for under $35 from time to time. So what makes the FirstScope any different from countless other cheap telescopes?

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Universal Astronomics DwarfStar Mount Review

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Photo: DwarfStar Mount

The DwarfStar along side 2″ 38mm SWA and 1.25″ 32mm Plossl eyepieces. This photo shows the saddle rotated so the handle mounting block is within the profile of the head for minimum packed size.

A compact but sturdy mount is the foundation of any quick grab or travel observing setup. A mount that is light weight but overly shaky at the eyepiece can sap the joy out of observing, while a solid but heavy mount can be a chore to transport and deploy. When looking for a portable mount to use with small telescopes the path between these two extremes can be a fine line to tread.

Universal Astronomics is a small, New England based manufacturer of astronomical mounts. While researching the options for well built, manual alt-az mounts their products seemed widely recommended so I decided to take a closer look at their line-up. After spending some time on the UA web site and contacting the owner, Larry Patriarca, for his recommendations I chose the DwarfStar for my purposes.

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Amazon Deal: Celestron FirstScope

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firstscope

[Update Feb. 24: The one-day sale is over and as of this writing the price at Amazon is back to the regular price of $45.49.]

Amazon has the Celestron FirstScope for $33.99 as the deal of the day.

This simple, cheap telescope is best suited to low power, wide field viewing (think 10-30x) so if you’re looking for great performance on the Moon and planets you’ll want a different scope. I’ve been thinking about adding one of these to my scope collection for a while now and this deal was enough to get me to bite.

Hopefully I’ll get to view Comet Lovejoy through the FirstScope before it fades. In any case I should have a full review posted sometime in the next few weeks.

[Update Feb. 28: The full review for the Celestron FirstScope has been posted.]

-Dave

Original content copyright 2015 by David Philips. All Rights Reserved. This post may contain links to affiliate sites; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

Moon, Venus, and Mars Conjunct

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Photo: Conjunction

Conjunction of the crescent Moon, Venus (center left) and Mars (upper left) on the evening of February 20, 2015. Photo by David Philips.

I always enjoy trying to spot the waxing crescent moon as I leave work. It’s position can vary a bit depending on my schedule and the exact timing of the Lunar phase but I usually can catch it high enough in the South Western sky while I walk to my car and steal an occasional glimpse on the drive home.

Tonight I was greeted by an especially striking scene as both Venus and Mars shone close by and the full Lunar disc was visible in the Earthshine. By the time I arrived home the Moon was much lower in the sky but I was able to catch a photo of the conjunction.

Considering the past several weeks have been full of snow, clouds, and more snow, I’m thankful to have caught this conjunction and the clear but cold night is a welcome change. Keep looking up; you may see something beautiful!

-Dave

Original content copyright 2015 by David Philips. All Rights Reserved. This post may contain links to affiliate sites; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

AWB OneSky Telescope Review

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Stock photo of the OneSky courtesy of Astronomers Without Borders.

Stock photo of the OneSky courtesy of Astronomers Without Borders.

A well designed, compact 5″ telescope and mount for $200? It may sound too good to be true but despite a few caveats this 130mm f/5 reflector is a capable telescope at an outstanding price.

Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) is an organization that offers astronomy outreach programs all over the world. The OneSky telescope is made for Celestron in China and sold in the US by AWB to help fund these programs. My intent in purchasing the OneSky was for use as a travelscope but for now I want to focus on its suitability as a general use telescope.

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Viewing Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

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This month offers prime viewing for one of the most interesting objects in our Solar System as Jupiter is now well positioned for observation from twilight to dawn.

Jupiter is easily visible to the naked eye as the brightest star-like object in the sky. Currently it is found in Cancer, which can be a difficult constellation to locate in my suburban sky – look for it between Gemini and Leo.

Jovian Features

Annotated picture of Jupiter taken by the Cassini spacecraft (Credit NASA/JPL for original picture) on December 29, 2000

Annotated picture of Jupiter taken by the Cassini spacecraft on December 29, 2000 (Credit NASA/JPL for original picture).

The planet offers a host of features for users of small telescopes. At powers around 10x the four Galilean moons can be seen nicely aligned with the planet. Increase the magnification to 40x and the main equatorial belts stand out clearly. Going to 100x and higher reveals more belts and zones.

For many observers of Jupiter the Great Red Spot (GRS), an enormous storm that has raged for hundreds of years, is a sought after highlight. Magnifications of around 130x are a good starting point for your first views of the GRS.

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