I have used refractors for over 65 years, and I agree with everything you said and learned a few things. Galileo would be delighted that we still use refractors to observe many of his favorite objects.
Agreed, I love my TV Genesis and NP127. Just imagine if Galileo were introduced to a modern small refractor, with zero light polluted skies during his time ! 🤩
I really like how someone finally clarifier that it is not about the model of glass but it is about the overall design were the corrections works with each other. Thank you .
I have a F/5 six inch star travel, which is my wide field nebula refractor, I bought it two years ago from Germany and I saw a lot of nebula with it under the dark sky and I think it would be so nice if SW can make a F/5 eight inch star travel.
Very late comment to the video .. I have an f5.9 Starwave 150mm scope . Apart from the beautiful red colour it has a massive rotatable focuser and some very nice glass. The lens is individually matched to the scope ( so the blurb says ) and whilst it shows colour on the bright objects ( no surprise) it’s actually very well corrected . I saw the Leo Triplet for the first time in this scope . It’s an amazing scope . I bought it from Altair Astro ( UK) . I use it on my SkyTee with a wooden tripod . Sitting behind the focuser of a 6”frac on a beautiful evening comes pretty close to being perfect . Thank you for this video regarding visual astronomy . There is far too much emphasis put on astrophotography these days which is a shame as side is really a completely different hobby ( yes they do merge in the middle ) . For me pure astronomy is visual . I , however love the photos that others produce ( after their camera has done most of the work … expecting hate comments now lol) .
This is a great video, thank you. As owner of several refractors, I couldn agree more with your comments: achro refractors (I have a st80, 90mmf10 and st120) are great as wide field "sweepers". I also use my st80 and 90 for solar imaging. And for astrophotography, my ed80 is great. Recently acquired an ed120, just waiting for the weather to behave to give it a run. I hope you guys bring the st150 back. I think you guys should also put out an "special edition" of the Evoguide 50, with a nicer focuser and usable for visual...!
I recently bought a Skywatcher 102mm StarTravel, I love the scope but I detest the mount, the mount was what came with the ST 80, and with a 102, the weight is too far rearward and there is nothing you can do other than buy a vixen dovetail and a receiver and moving it physically forward. Emailed tech support and the response was less than good.. the axis bolt keeps loosening and I have to keep tightening it. Like I said, love the scope, but the mount is a huge disappointment.
For visual work an ED doublet is excellent for most people's needs and they are lighter and cool faster. ED doublets are highly overlooked as everyone wants a triplet but the doublets still offer excellent color correction for less.
StarTravel 150? Yes please 😊 My family and I have the 102 and it's great for our needs. Of course an extra 50mm of aperture would be even better 😃. Also, while Kevin focused on visual and AP in this episode, I would add that we also enjoy EAA with our StarTravel. I can see how one might want an apo for more serious photography, but for us, the ST 102 serves up acceptable images in a reasonable amount of time, and if we pair it with an inexpensive focal reducer, it becomes a speedy f/2.5 which makes our astro-nights together even more fun.
I want to see planets clearly and sharp also want to use my mirroless camera sometimes to take pictures and videos..which telescope and lenses should I buy to start with ?
I would suggest Ed Ting's channel here on youtube, he is an actual expert giving advice to us amateur astronomers. In my experience I use a 12 inch Sky watcher synscan dobsonian (their auto-tracking mount). But that one is probably too heavy for someone beginning (i started with a 6 inch newtonian and moved up gradually when I wanted more aperture). In my experience an 8 inch dobsonian on a tracking mount is very good for planets and good for deep space objects. There's a few things you need to learn to start, one is collimation (note: refractors don't need collimation, reflectors like the dobsonian i'm talking about do need collimation) second is to let the scope come to ambient temperature once outside, and then of course you will need to learn the night sky or if you use an automated telescope then learn the software to drive it :) Now astrophotography is another subject altogether, I've connected a DSLR to my dobsonian and it's great for planetary astrophotography. Same applies to mirrorless cameras you can get a connector to connect to your telescope from any astronomy shop.
I have an Orion CC8 (Classical Cassegrain) with 2400mm FL that I use for planetary observation. It has been working well for me with the long focal length, very suitable for high magnification.
Visual is how the whole thing began. Achromat sounds wrong, shouldn't it be Chromatic? By putting the 'a' first is like saying non-chromatic. Or is this another backwards astronomy thing like star magnitude? You know like the higher the number the dimmer the object, the smaller the number on my eyepiece the higher the magnification or the 2x Barlow that doesn't magnify, it stretches out the focal length that does magnify, but shrinks the field of view. The Celestron 150 f8 _IS_ the Sky Watcher 150 f8, but just a different paint job and accoutrements since they're both made by Synta who owns them both. I have a SW 127 Maksutov and I bought my son the Celestron Nexstar SLT 127 MCT and they are the same scope, but my Sky Watcher came with a 2" diagonal and the Celestron came with the _exact_ same 1.25" focuser my SW 102 Mak came with plus instead of two Plossls like in the picture advertised it had two Kellner EPs. Fluorite actually isn't brittle as much as it is soft, a 4 on the Mohs scale. A copper penny is 3.5 to give you and idea how soft and I saw it carved into a fish with great detail. Fluorite is always melted with SiO3 or Borosilicate to make a more durable. You have Lanthanum melted into glass that also gives it the ED effect desired. Don't get me started on the other Lanthanoids like Neodymium.
Before the development of the achromat (i.e., a lens free of color), single-element lenses produced lots of colors. Adding a second lens with lower optical dispersion reduced the chromatic aberration significantly. It was called an achromatic lens because it was deemed color free or achromatic. By modern standards, the claim was exaggerated, but for the long focal length telescopes of the time, only a minimal amount of secondary color remains.
@@mikenofi281 Thank you for the history lesson. I remember seeing an old brass telescope that had a single lens and looking through it at the scenery round about the Blue Ridge mountains it had fuzzy rainbow edges on some objects. I never got a chance to look at the stars with it, but I now have a greater appreciation for historical astronomers who had nothing else to map the night sky with great descriptions and sketches.
Hi guys, I'd like to ask for some advice. I have an 8" SW Dobsonian (fix tube), and I love it, but rarely use it due to the fact that I work as a truck driver, and I'm on the road a lot. For weeks. And when I'm home, I also need to be lucky not to have a cloudy night. So I was thinking about buying a Star Discovery GoTo mount (a friend of mine has one and recommended it), but I'm not sure what scope to buy. I'm inclined to buy a SW 127/1500 Mak preferably with the 2" focuser, or some short-tube 80mm or maybe 90mm APO refractor, if it is under 5 kilogramms, which is the load capacity of the mount. Any thoughts? I don't do astrophotography, only visual observation.
Floriate is not glass Sky Watcher USA , its crystal and what it does is it has reversed wave length focusing , exactly because its not same material , so it acts differently . it would be nice to ask some physicist why is this so .
Not necessarily. Deep sky or deep space is (typically) referring to any object that is beyond our solar system. Sometimes these objects are actually quite large and require a wide feild of view or even a mosaic approach to capture their full size. And conversely, high focal length is required for most planetary work.
@@MountainFisherAZ-EQ6 is a fantastic mount (you can use it with two telescopes 🔭) and highly recommended (you can check What’s up video related to this mount), though little more expensive than the EQ6.
I have a Mak 127 for lunar & Planetary. Thinking about the star travel 120 for low power deep sky. Wondering if anyone has experience with the az3 mount? Would it be suitable for the 120?
We have a Startravel 120 AZ3 package on our website: www.skywatcherusa.com/products/startravel-120-az3. So the AZ3 mount is definitely suitable for the OTA.
It is a different experience than a dobsonian. However, a dob will show more due to its aperture. A good scope to go with an 8" dob would be something like a 80 or 100mm ED apo. Its lighter and a good option for when the 8" is too much.
I have used refractors for over 65 years, and I agree with everything you said and learned a few things. Galileo would be delighted that we still use refractors to observe many of his favorite objects.
I love it when somebody beats me to the punch with what I was going to post.
Agreed, I love my TV Genesis and NP127. Just imagine if Galileo were introduced to a modern small refractor, with zero light polluted skies during his time ! 🤩
I really like how someone finally clarifier that it is not about the model of glass but it is about the overall design were the corrections works with each other. Thank you .
Newtonian reflectors are the best buy. But, I have started using refractors, because I have to sit when watching the sky because of a bad back.
I have a F/5 six inch star travel, which is my wide field nebula refractor, I bought it two years ago from Germany and I saw a lot of nebula with it under the dark sky and I think it would be so nice if SW can make a F/5 eight inch star travel.
Very late comment to the video .. I have an f5.9 Starwave 150mm scope . Apart from the beautiful red colour it has a massive rotatable focuser and some very nice glass. The lens is individually matched to the scope ( so the blurb says ) and whilst it shows colour on the bright objects ( no surprise) it’s actually very well corrected . I saw the Leo Triplet for the first time in this scope . It’s an amazing scope . I bought it from Altair Astro ( UK) . I use it on my SkyTee with a wooden tripod . Sitting behind the focuser of a 6”frac on a beautiful evening comes pretty close to being perfect . Thank you for this video regarding visual astronomy . There is far too much emphasis put on astrophotography these days which is a shame as side is really a completely different hobby ( yes they do merge in the middle ) . For me pure astronomy is visual . I , however love the photos that others produce ( after their camera has done most of the work … expecting hate comments now lol) .
This is a great video, thank you. As owner of several refractors, I couldn agree more with your comments: achro refractors (I have a st80, 90mmf10 and st120) are great as wide field "sweepers". I also use my st80 and 90 for solar imaging. And for astrophotography, my ed80 is great. Recently acquired an ed120, just waiting for the weather to behave to give it a run. I hope you guys bring the st150 back. I think you guys should also put out an "special edition" of the Evoguide 50, with a nicer focuser and usable for visual...!
We looked into the ST150, it would be nearly $1000 or more. We are not sure that people would buy it at that price. Or it would be short lived.
-Kevin
I am a fan of all things refractor and I own and use a Altair astro 102mm f11 starwave and a Istar 150mm f8 R35.
Excellent video
I recently bought a Skywatcher 102mm StarTravel, I love the scope but I detest the mount, the mount was what came with the ST 80, and with a 102, the weight is too far rearward and there is nothing you can do other than buy a vixen dovetail and a receiver and moving it physically forward. Emailed tech support and the response was less than good.. the axis bolt keeps loosening and I have to keep tightening it. Like I said, love the scope, but the mount is a huge disappointment.
ED doublet can be better than true apo, actually. Depends on the specific design.
For visual work an ED doublet is excellent for most people's needs and they are lighter and cool faster. ED doublets are highly overlooked as everyone wants a triplet but the doublets still offer excellent color correction for less.
StarTravel 150? Yes please 😊 My family and I have the 102 and it's great for our needs. Of course an extra 50mm of aperture would be even better 😃.
Also, while Kevin focused on visual and AP in this episode, I would add that we also enjoy EAA with our StarTravel. I can see how one might want an apo for more serious photography, but for us, the ST 102 serves up acceptable images in a reasonable amount of time, and if we pair it with an inexpensive focal reducer, it becomes a speedy f/2.5 which makes our astro-nights together even more fun.
Excellent 😊😊
Yes I would be interested in a 6 inch F5 refractor
Bresser Messier AR-152S
I would to see a short tube F/5 Star Travel 150mm here in the US.
I want to see planets clearly and sharp also want to use my mirroless camera sometimes to take pictures and videos..which telescope and lenses should I buy to start with ?
I would suggest Ed Ting's channel here on youtube, he is an actual expert giving advice to us amateur astronomers. In my experience I use a 12 inch Sky watcher synscan dobsonian (their auto-tracking mount). But that one is probably too heavy for someone beginning (i started with a 6 inch newtonian and moved up gradually when I wanted more aperture). In my experience an 8 inch dobsonian on a tracking mount is very good for planets and good for deep space objects. There's a few things you need to learn to start, one is collimation (note: refractors don't need collimation, reflectors like the dobsonian i'm talking about do need collimation) second is to let the scope come to ambient temperature once outside, and then of course you will need to learn the night sky or if you use an automated telescope then learn the software to drive it :)
Now astrophotography is another subject altogether, I've connected a DSLR to my dobsonian and it's great for planetary astrophotography. Same applies to mirrorless cameras you can get a connector to connect to your telescope from any astronomy shop.
I have an Orion CC8 (Classical Cassegrain) with 2400mm FL that I use for planetary observation. It has been working well for me with the long focal length, very suitable for high magnification.
Yes the ST 150 please!
Visual is how the whole thing began. Achromat sounds wrong, shouldn't it be Chromatic? By putting the 'a' first is like saying non-chromatic. Or is this another backwards astronomy thing like star magnitude? You know like the higher the number the dimmer the object, the smaller the number on my eyepiece the higher the magnification or the 2x Barlow that doesn't magnify, it stretches out the focal length that does magnify, but shrinks the field of view.
The Celestron 150 f8 _IS_ the Sky Watcher 150 f8, but just a different paint job and accoutrements since they're both made by Synta who owns them both. I have a SW 127 Maksutov and I bought my son the Celestron Nexstar SLT 127 MCT and they are the same scope, but my Sky Watcher came with a 2" diagonal and the Celestron came with the _exact_ same 1.25" focuser my SW 102 Mak came with plus instead of two Plossls like in the picture advertised it had two Kellner EPs.
Fluorite actually isn't brittle as much as it is soft, a 4 on the Mohs scale. A copper penny is 3.5 to give you and idea how soft and I saw it carved into a fish with great detail. Fluorite is always melted with SiO3 or Borosilicate to make a more durable. You have Lanthanum melted into glass that also gives it the ED effect desired. Don't get me started on the other Lanthanoids like Neodymium.
Before the development of the achromat (i.e., a lens free of color), single-element lenses produced lots of colors. Adding a second lens with lower optical dispersion reduced the chromatic aberration significantly. It was called an achromatic lens because it was deemed color free or achromatic. By modern standards, the claim was exaggerated, but for the long focal length telescopes of the time, only a minimal amount of secondary color remains.
@@mikenofi281 Thank you for the history lesson. I remember seeing an old brass telescope that had a single lens and looking through it at the scenery round about the Blue Ridge mountains it had fuzzy rainbow edges on some objects. I never got a chance to look at the stars with it, but I now have a greater appreciation for historical astronomers who had nothing else to map the night sky with great descriptions and sketches.
Hi guys, I'd like to ask for some advice. I have an 8" SW Dobsonian (fix tube), and I love it, but rarely use it due to the fact that I work as a truck driver, and I'm on the road a lot. For weeks. And when I'm home, I also need to be lucky not to have a cloudy night. So I was thinking about buying a Star Discovery GoTo mount (a friend of mine has one and recommended it), but I'm not sure what scope to buy. I'm inclined to buy a SW 127/1500 Mak preferably with the 2" focuser, or some short-tube 80mm or maybe 90mm APO refractor, if it is under 5 kilogramms, which is the load capacity of the mount. Any thoughts? I don't do astrophotography, only visual observation.
As long as its under the capacity you're good for visual. We'll actually be doing an episode on creating a portable rigs in February.
StarTravel 150? Yes please!!!
Floriate is not glass Sky Watcher USA , its crystal and what it does is it has reversed wave length focusing , exactly because its not same material , so it acts differently . it would be nice to ask some physicist why is this so .
I am interested in the star travel achromatic 150 mm. I live in Montreal Canada 🇨🇦
“Deep sky” and “wide field”, aren’t they two opposite focal lengths?
Not necessarily. Deep sky or deep space is (typically) referring to any object that is beyond our solar system. Sometimes these objects are actually quite large and require a wide feild of view or even a mosaic approach to capture their full size. And conversely, high focal length is required for most planetary work.
I have AZEQ 6 Sky Watcher mount.
How do you like that hybrid mount?
@@MountainFisherAZ-EQ6 is a fantastic mount (you can use it with two telescopes 🔭) and highly recommended (you can check What’s up video related to this mount), though little more expensive than the EQ6.
I have a Mak 127 for lunar & Planetary. Thinking about the star travel 120 for low power deep sky. Wondering if anyone has experience with the az3 mount? Would it be suitable for the 120?
We have a Startravel 120 AZ3 package on our website: www.skywatcherusa.com/products/startravel-120-az3. So the AZ3 mount is definitely suitable for the OTA.
I take it that an ED is a real step up from a 8 inch dob.
It is a different experience than a dobsonian. However, a dob will show more due to its aperture. A good scope to go with an 8" dob would be something like a 80 or 100mm ED apo. Its lighter and a good option for when the 8" is too much.
Who has only one scope? Ive got multiple refractors,dobs,and cats,lmfao
As do all of us here.