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User Reviews




First Impressions: StellaMira 80mm APO doublet review

Feb 01 2025 07:00 AM | urright4me in User Reviews

This ota will spend most of its life on my balcony, and while it does not compare to an ES165mm or 127mm triplet, it is fairly equal to past WO110mm mergrez and SW102mm doublet refractors I had (at least to my eyes). But for ease of use, fine focus, and sharpness of the well color corrected field it’s superb. In the SM80, the surrounding silky black sky (well good contrast, it is Dallas after all) make this an ideal scope for my particular needs.

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Celestron Origin Review

Feb 01 2025 07:00 AM | Maximum Astronomy in User Reviews

The Celestron Origin sure is a fun treat! I won't lie, it is one of the most exciting astronomy products I have looked at in a long time. But it is not for everyone and I will be the first to admit that. The Origin is the perfect telescope for clubs, schools and people who are interested in EAA. It is the perfect balance of portability, capability and overall performance for a decently small profile. It is nowhere near as big as my C9.25 with an EQ mount, cameras, Hyperstar, yada yada yada, but it is still the largest of the smart telescopes out there. The Origin has wonderful optical quality, really good tech and super convenient features for everyone at any skill level.

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An Odyssey of Three Oberwerk Binoculars for Astronomical Viewing

Jan 01 2025 07:00 AM | morgan a. in User Reviews

I have zero buyer’s remorse after ruminating on these binos and having used them thus far to the extent reported. I expect their service life to exceed mine. I understood their functions and limitations well before purchasing. They have greatly enhanced my astronomical viewing and filled a niche falling below the magnification thresholds of my telescopes, but with a significantly expanded actual field of view, while still providing significant magnification levels above my 12x50s. While there are other high quality brand binoculars available, most are tailored for “sport” use and affordability/variety peaks around the 15x56 size. I do not know of any other brand that currently offers binos in the 15x – 25 x ranges with apertures up to 100mm with the features, quality, product support, customer service and price that Oberwerk offers.

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DocTelescope LaserMax II 20” F/3.6 review

Jan 01 2025 07:00 AM | multijon in User Reviews

As of the time writing this review, while I'm still waiting to enable the motorized capabilities of my scope, it has exceeded all my expectations (except the Zenith viewing one). It is truly a work of art, a beautiful design that is also highly functional, and I am grateful to all of the professionals who made this dream come true. I also appreciate the human connections I formed during this scope's inception and hope that I enjoy it and my new friendships for years to come.

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Review of the 20” DocTelescopes Lasermax II F3.53

Dec 01 2024 11:30 AM | PeterWar in User Reviews

The DocTelescopes Lasermax II F3.53 offers a remarkable viewing experience with excellent build quality and customization options. Its ease of transport and assembly make it a top choice. This is a complex telescope not recommended for beginners but a delight for advanced amateur astronomers.

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The Rockin’ TD Ranch - a review of sorts

Oct 01 2024 05:00 AM | jstrandberg in User Reviews

Smack in the middle of the Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary in Northwestern Navada sits an Airbnb called the Rockin’ TD Ranch. The nearest town is Cederville, CA, population 530, which is 20 miles west down a dirt road. Alturas is another 30 miles west so the term middle of nowhere is apropos.

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Musings on a $50 Fathers Day Astronomy Present

Oct 01 2024 05:00 AM | TonyCaf in User Reviews

For fathers day recently, the wife asked me what I wanted. I told her I had been looking at a $150 GSKYER long focal length refractor on an online marketplace. That was a while ago. I had recently noticed the owner had dropped the price to 50 dollars and with it being fathers day, what did I have to lose? She said yes and we scooped it up. Tonight was the first night (In a long while) that I would get a chance to see how far 50 dollars could go in astronomy fun.

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Review of Rigel Systems Wifi nSTEP Focus Controller on a Solar Telescope and a Mirror Lens

Sep 01 2024 05:00 AM | AstroPotamus in User Reviews

Following Dr. Palmer's easy instructions had the equipment ready to go in no time. Connection to the ALPACA wifi driver was trivially easy, and for the longest time, I thought I was doing something wrong because I was expecting it to fail. Or, at least, to be more complicated. It wasn't.

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Comparing Two Wide field Constellation Binoculars- Orion 2x54mm versus Kasai 2.3x40mm

Sep 01 2024 05:00 AM | NinePlanets in User Reviews

I sat on the fence a few years before I decided to step off and gamble my money on these wide-field, low power Galilean binoculars. I've never been impressed with any sort of Galilean telescopes, field glasses or opera glasses and I suspected that they were just an expensive, trendy gimmick; but based on others' comments and experiences, I considered that these specialty items, with their wider than typical fields, might actually fill a niche in my astro-equipment arsenal.

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Quick Review of the Itty Bitty Radio Telescope

Sep 01 2024 05:00 AM | michaelcaba in User Reviews

The Itty Bitty Radio Telescope (hereafter, IBT) is a simple DIY device that can be used to detect radio waves from the Sun. It primarily consists of a satellite dish, a signal meter, a power source and a mount (often a lazy susan rig). In my case, I purchased an 18” dish off of Craig’s List, the signal meter was obtained via eBay and the remaining items were sourced at Amazon and local hardware stores.

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