Bumping this thread.
I recently purchased the Sharpstar 140mm EPH from Agena Astro. It was quite a decision as I was looking at a number of pricey scopes, such as the TSA 120, APM LZOS 123mm and 130mm and the APM 140 ED. I was looking for a lot of bang for the buck but I also wanted a fairly fast - f/6 to f/7 - and well corrected scope... with as much aperture as I could get. I also didn’t want an enormously long scope and I did not want to upgrade my mount situation. Further complicating things was that scope inventories are sketchy and I’m very poor at patiently waiting.
The LZOS scope looked beautiful but they are in the mid $5K range. The TSA 120 also looked nice, but the price would have approached $5K with rings or clamshell and a matching Tak finder scope. The Tak too was at the bottom end of the size I wanted - I didn’t want to go smaller than 120mm but really the stronger influence was getting something closer to 140mm. Right now I have a wonderful opportunity to make this large APO scope purchase and I didn’t know if I would get the chance again. Besides, I’m not getting any younger either.
I finally decided to purchase the Sharpstar as it seemed to tick all the boxes relating to features, size, price, availability, etc. This purchase was made a several weeks back and since it arrived I have had it out a number of times.
The only mount I have capable of holding this scope, is my ES Twilight II with upgraded ADM-6 saddles for vixen rails. This is a very competent mount and head combination, but it does require proper balancing - either through another scope or the use of weights. I have a classic orange C8 that came to me as a basket case a while back and I have steadily been rehabilitating it to the point where it is surprisingly good. I have an orange Moonlite focuser on the back and the whole combo with original orange finder scope, heavy vixen rail, focuser and diagonal balances surprisingly well against the Sharpstar 140.
Now the Sharpstar is a load. I call it the Guppy - when the dew shield is retracted and the focuser draw tube is in, it has a very compact and dense appearance. Thank god it came with a handle - definitely needed when moving this scope around rather than attempting to cradle it. From the photos, I hope you can see that the scope is truly beautiful in appearance and craftsmanship. Everything has a quality feel and operates in a quality manner. The objective is beautiful - it came to me spotless, nothing between the elements, etc. Nothing rattling around inside the tube, no shavings, etc. The interior of the tube is nicely flocked. The focuser is mammoth and way more than I actually need as I am visual only. But with that much glass in front, a heavy focuser with a heavy 2” diagonal helps with balancing. The case is also very nice - good quality and not feeling cheap. The quality control appeared to be on point.
Inside the box, amongst the papers, was an optical report as well. It was produced by Veeco instrumentation as labeled and with my scope’s serial # - having Measurement parameters, Analysis results, Zernike Polynomial Table of 2, 3 and 8 Term Poly Fit related #s, contour diagram and a table of Seidel Aberrations (8 term fit). No Strehl value is given, but as near as I can tell through cross referencing of RMS and 2 PL PV values, it would seem to have a Strehl of approximately .97 to .98.
I’ve been able to get out out a few times now - the setup being a bit of a process since I require a second scope, etc. I live in Baltimore - lots of light pollution but my building has a nice rooftop setup with a spectacular 360 degree access to the night sky and views of the inner harbor ... a consolation for the light polluted skies I endure. So far the scope delivers - beautiful pinpoint stars. The other night, even with turbulent seeing conditions and a light rain seemingly out of nowhere, the view I caught of Mars was sharp and detailed using my Orion Binoviewers ... then clouds rolled in. I did manage to get some views of Orion - Rigel and its companion were beautiful and the companion strikingly present - no averted vision. Unfortunately conditions worsened but I did look at the Orion’s nebulae with an Orion sky glow filter - the nebulosity was striking as was a strong dimensional aspect.
I have attached some photos from the unboxing. I also have some of it next to my ST120 and my ET80ED for size comparison.
Well this was a lot to write but from this thread it seems there was some strong interest in the scope. I’m very happy with it optically and mechanically - the only negative being its overall size and weight. But for now I’ll hope my back holds out and I’ll schlep it around and enjoy it while I can.
Clear skies!